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Posted at 2:00 PM EST.

9:30 PM EST. Well, this one is interesting, as the well known Aggies, a team that knocked off North Carolina in the round of 32 last season before falling to Michigan in the Sweet 16, is a mere five-point home-choice against a team with zero market credibility and that caught our attention right away so trust us when we suggest that the oddsmakers didn’t make a mistake on an SEC team hosting a Big West team.

You see, Texas A&M will be without their entire starting frontcourt from last season and three of its top four scorers. Admon Gilder and TJ Starks are back to man the backcourt but that doesn’t seem to be much of a concern for oddsmakers when they posted this enticing price on the Aggies. Texas A&M is also 1-0 out of the gate with a 98-83 win over Savannah State. Cal Irvine is also 1-0 after beating Idaho, 86-68.

How unknown is this program compared to the Aggies? UC Irvine has received exactly one NCAA bid in the program's history and the Anteaters have never won a tournament game. You would have to go deep into the archives to find the last time Cal Irvine even played a team from the SEC. Irvine’s toughest opponents last year were UCLA and K-State and they were a 14 point underdog to both. This year, playing a credible SEC team on the road, they are taking back what appears like a measly price but here's why the oddsmakers hung a proverbial carrot for us. Russell Turner brings back his top eight scorers from a group that went 11-5 in the Big West last season and came within 20 minutes of an NCAA bid before folding against Cal State Fullerton in the second half of the Big West title game. Stanford transfer Robert Cartwright has now joined that crowd, and perhaps the new arrival can team with Evan Leonard to give the Anteaters the perimeter scoring they lacked last season. Even if that doesn't pan out, this will again be one tough defense. Prepare for the unprecedented in Irvine and don’t be afraid to bet them to win straight up here.

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