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College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Wednesday (1/24)

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Welcome back to another day of best bets for college basketball. So far, this has been one of the more difficult seasons to handicap. College basketball is difficult to handicap already, but this year has been especially interesting.

Besides Purdue, and maybe Houston, it seems there isn’t really one consistent team ready to cut down the nets in early April. There is plenty of time for teams to form identity, and we’re only continuing to learn as the season progresses. College hoops has historically been my best sport to cover, so I’m confident we’ll bounce back.

Here are my best bets for Wednesday’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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Wednesday’s College Basketball Best Bets

Last Time: 1-2
Season: 31-33

Auburn at Alabama

The Iron Bowl takes to the court as Auburn heads to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama in a true barn burner. Get your popcorn ready, because this should be a truly electric matchup. I will provide a straightforward play as an official bet, but you should tease this out one way or another. With the Crimson Tide’s pace and dependency on the perimeter shot, they are capable of winning or losing by 20. Have some fun betting on this one.

Auburn has been a true surprise to me since December. After losing to Appalachian State (what?), they have kicked it into high gear, winning each of their last 11 games. The closest margin in that span was 11 points. All 16 of their wins have been by double-digits, so when they dominate, they dominate. Johni Broome has been a delight to watch and the Tigers’ depth is coming into form.

Alabama may be 12-6, but don’t let the record fool you. All their losses have come against the KenPom top-50, with half of them coming against some of the best teams in the nation – Purdue, Arizona, and Tennessee.

Auburn’s defense has been solid but they haven’t seen an offense like Alabama’s. The Crimson Tide will hit you in every which way and have the upper hand from deep. I expect Mark Sears to have a solid game tonight as he should get plenty of looks from deep. The Tigers’ offense is solid, and they can score like hell in transition, but this will be a game of runs and I don’t trust their perimeter shooting as much to keep up with Alabama.

Both teams are solid, tournament programs. But Auburn’s strength of schedule has been weak and I expect this to be a bit of a wake-up call for them. The game will come down to if Bama is making their perimeter shots – a novel concept, I know – and I am going to go out on a ledge here and say that they will.         

Play: Alabama -3.5 (-110 at FanDuel) 

Illinois at Northwestern

Besides Auburn-Alabama, the rest of the slate today won’t exactly blow you away. Northwestern had a memorable win at home over Purdue but since then they’ve lost to Chicago State and got blown out of their water in their first matchup against Illinois in Urbana.

The defense for Chris Collins’ squad has simply not lived up to expectations this year. They allow a ton from the perimeter and are not as savvy on the glass as in years past. Illinois should get plenty of second-chance looks and already ranks 13th in near-proximity shooting – an area where Northwestern struggles.

On the other side of the ball, Illinois forces some of the fewest turnovers in the league at less than 14 percent. Northwestern takes care of the ball so while they aren’t exactly the most efficient offense, they should get plenty of looks and opportunities to score each possession. They are also more efficient down low and despite playing slow, can score in transition.

This game screams over to me. The impulse of many betters is to take the under when playing in Evanston but Illinois has shown their capacity to handle this team and play on the road. A recipe that is good for cooking up points. 

Play: Over 146.5 (-110 at FanDuel)

Kansas State at Iowa State

Let me get right to it – the Cyclones are going to eat this Kansas State offense alive. I would be genuinely surprised if the Wildcats reach 60 points. Iowa State is the best team in the country at forcing turnovers and K-State coughs up the rock 21 percent of their possessions, 338th in the country (that’s bad). 

It’s not like Iowa State’s offense is exactly impressive but at least they will have opportunities. T.J. Otzelberger’s squad plays some of its best basketball at the Hilton Coliseum without a loss at home so far this year, and a solid showing against Houston. They can score in transition and rank 17th in near-proximity scoring. This may be one of the easier bets I’ve made all year.   

Play: Iowa State -7.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

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


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