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College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (2/13)

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Welcome back to another day of best bets for the college basketball slate. It's been a wacky-wavy-inflatable-armed-tubed-man level of a season, with some crazy games even just last night. College basketball is difficult to handicap already but this year has been especially interesting. Now that we're well into February it's time to ask big questions like "Is it March yet?" I cannot wait for the madness.

Here are my best bets for Tuesday's slate. You can follow all my bets on my BettingPros profile as I add last-minute bets and player props once they drop.  

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Tuesday's College Basketball Best Bets

Last Time: 2-1 | Season: 42-37

Iowa State at Cincinnati 

It's interesting to have a relatively low-key slate within college basketball for the week after the Super Bowl ends. You'd think they would want to highlight college basketball during some relative downtime in the sports world but instead, not so much. As a college basketball enthusiast I'm happy with this slate but to grow the sport, I think this week should have some prime time scheduled games.

Rant aside, this is a pretty close spread with Cincinnati around a two-point favorite. Given Iowa State’s history on the road, I get why that might be the case, but this is a different Cyclones team. This squad went into Baylor and was a called-off buzzer-beater shot away from upsetting the Bears in Waco. Iowa State is suffocating on defense and the main way to beat them is from the perimeter, which Cincinnati doesn't do much of, only shooting 32.7 percent from beyond the arc.

The Bearcats defense might be solid, but with everything they can do, Iowa State can do better. I expect the Cyclones to win the rebound battle, take care of the ball, and score on the interior. This squad runs deep with Curtis Jones coming off the bench a game ago and still scoring double-digits. Iowa State should be favored here and I'm happy to take them outright.       

Play: Iowa State Moneyline (+114 on DraftKings)    

Marquette at Butler 

My first thought when handicapping this game is that Marquette should be more than a four-point favorite. They don't turn the ball over, Butler allows a lot of shots from deep, and the Golden Eagles won't give up many free possessions with their ability to stay out of foul trouble.

Still, Butler has been playing well of late, and you never know what to expect when entering Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler has the ability to stay in the game by taking advantage of the open looks from deep. Haslametrics projects over 41 percent of the Bulldogs’ shots to come from downtown, and Marquette's perimeter defense isn't anything to write home about. 

There will be pace in this game, Marquette travels well, and I don't really expect either defense to shine. My go-to when betting on Big East conference games is to take the alt lines and run, but my official play here is the over.       

Play: Over 153.5 Total Points (-110 at BetMGM)

Oklahoma at Baylor 

Elsewhere across the league, we have the fighting Porter Mosers taking on the fighting Scott Drews in Waco. Despite coming off a loss and both teams ranking in the top 25 on KenPom, Baylor sits around a 6.5-point favorite at home.

I'll say it – bet Oklahoma here. Baylor shines through its perimeter shooting with a 40.7 percent clip from deep. The Sooners boast the fourth-best three-point defense in the nation, holding opponents under 28 percent from beyond the arc. The Bears depend on their shooting, and I don't think they will be able to this game.

Alternatively, Oklahoma's offense lines up well here. They will be able to score down low against the 67th-ranked defense. Moser’s squad will perform better in the mid-range and near-proximity look against Baylor. This will be a close game, and feel free to sprinkle some moneyline bets on the Sooners, but at least take them against the spread.   

Play: Oklahoma +6.5 (-102 on DraftKings)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Tuesday:

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