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The Bethune Cookman Wildcats take on the Indiana Hoosiers. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Bethune Cookman Indiana prediction and pick.
The Indiana Hoosiers enter a college basketball season with more hope than we have seen in several years. Indiana made the Sweet 16 in the 2016 NCAA Tournament under then-coach Tom Crean. It was hoped that the Hoosiers — who also made the Sweet 16 in 2013 and were a No. 1 seed that year in the NCAA Tournament — could finally get over the hump and return to the Final Four. It has been 20 years since Indiana last made the Final Four, reaching the 2002 national championship game under then-coach Mike Davis before losing to Maryland. The Hoosiers have been banging on the door, trying to break through, and it just never happened under Tom Crean or under his successor, Archie Miller.
In came Mike Woodson, a man with plenty of NBA coaching experience with a number of different teams. Would Woodson be able to adjust to the college game and give the Hoosiers the quality of coaching they needed? For much of the 2022 season, it appeared that the answer was going to be no. However, a stirring second-half comeback against Michigan at the Big Ten Tournament was enough to unleash a big run. Indiana defeated Illinois in the Big Ten quarterfinals, a result which pushed the Hoosiers into the NCAA Tournament. They won their First Four game against Wyoming and were able to get to the Round of 64 before Saint Mary's eliminated them.
They received big news after the NCAA Tournament when star big man Trayce Jackson-Davis announced that he would return. TJD is the kind of “climb on my back” player who can carry a team. TJD gives the Hoosiers a centerpiece player which can lead Indiana to the top of the Big Ten this season. The hype in Bloomington is real, and it's great for college basketball to see Indiana become relevant at the start of a season. The challenge: Can Indiana live up to the pressure and the expectations?
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Bethune Cookman-Indiana College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Bethune Cookman-Indiana Odds
Bethune Cookman Wildcats: +31.5 (-106)
Indiana Hoosiers: -31.5 (-114)
Over: 140.5 (-108)
Under: 140.5 (-112)
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Why Bethune Cookman Could Cover the Spread
This is a massive spread for an Indiana team which barely made the NCAA Tournament last season, and which would not have gotten into the 68-team field if it hadn't overcome a very large deficit against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament. Ask yourself this question: If Michigan had not squandered what was almost a 20-point lead against Indiana last March, would the point spread for this game be 31.5? Probably not, and that's even when accounting for Trayce Jackson-Davis being on the Indiana roster. IU is getting a little extra respect on the basis of its magical March run. Is that respect merited? Not necessarily.
Why Indiana Could Cover the Spread
Bethune Cookman went 9-21 in 30 games last season. The Wildcats finished 10th in the 12-team Southwestern Athletic Conference. This is definitely a low-end cupcake-level opponent for Indiana. The Hoosiers should be able to feast, especially with TJD in the paint against an overmatched Bethune Cookman front line.
Final Bethune Cookman-Indiana Prediction & Pick
Indiana can win this game by 30 and not cover. Early in the season, when teams are learning how to play together, taking the big underdog seems like the better play, especially when the spread is over 30.
Final Bethune Cookman-Indiana Prediction & Pick: Indiana -31.5
