The Hall of Fame Classic will pit four solid programs up against each other in America’s Heartland right before Thanksgiving. Three of the four teams taking part in this tournament might be ranked next week before these games tip off as Creighton, Baylor, and UCLA are all undefeated. Wisconsin is the lone exception after dropping a home game to No. 15 Xavier.
These games will take place at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The Hall of Fame Classic will play out on Monday, November 20 and Tuesday, November 21, 2017. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game in the Hall of Fame Classic.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
The Hall of Fame Classic started last week with Creighton, Baylor, UCLA, and Wisconsin all hosting games on their home floor. The home team cruised each time except for when UCLA was taken to overtime by Central Arkansas.
The two winners will play against each other on Tuesday while the two losers will partake in the consolation matchup. This tournament will be televised on the ESPN family of networks with UCLA and Creighton playing at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU on Monday, while Wisconsin and Baylor tip at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Wisconsin vs. Baylor
Wisconsin coasted to a 2-0 start with wins over South Carolina State and Yale, but the Badgers met their match when they faced Xavier. The Musketeers’ guards proved to be Wisconsin’s undoing with Trevor Bluiett and J.P. Macura combining to score 45 of Xavier’s 80 points in the game.
There’s no doubt that Ethan Happ is the leader of this team. Happ is looking to take another step forward as a junior and is off to a good start this season. He is shooting 56 percent from the floor and is pulling down close to nine rebounds a night. Happ continues to struggle from the free throw line, but is the best player on the Badgers and who Baylor needs to focus on stopping.
The Bears have not been tested yet this season. Baylor has defeated all three of its opponents by at least 17 points, wiping the floor with Central Arkansas, Alcorn State, and Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Interestingly enough, after the Hall of Fame Classic the next team Baylor will face will be Xavier.
Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. has some big shoes to fill. Lual-Acuil has stepped into the spotlight as the Bears’ low post presence now that Johnathan Motley is playing in the G League. Thus far, he has made quite a bit out of the increased minutes and is averaging a double-double through three games. Happ will probably have to guard him and that should be an interesting battle.
UCLA vs. Creighton
The Bluejays are Marcus Foster’s team now. Last season, Foster started the season in the shadow of Maurice Watson, but stepped up after Watson went down with a season-ending knee injury. With Justin Patton moving on to the NBA, Foster has become the No. 1 option for Creighton and has been great through the first three games.
Foster is setting the tone for a fast-paced offense that has been one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation in the first three weeks. They topped the 90-point mark in each of their first three games and even knocked off a ranked Northwestern team in Evanston.
UCLA has had a tumultuous start to its season after the incident of three players shoplifting in China became international news. However, the Bruins have let their play on the court do the talking and are 3-0.
Freshman Jaylen Hands has looked pretty good at times through the early part of the season and senior Thomas Welsh has proven to be a solid presence in the paint. The Bruins will have to prove they can run when they take on Creighton though.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
In the first game of the tournament, we like Baylor to get the job done against Wisconsin and Creighton to beat UCLA by double digits. In the final, Creighton will be just too much for Baylor to overcome.
College Basketball Odds: Back the Bluejays throughout the Hall of Fame Classic
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