College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Wednesday (2/7)
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 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 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.
Wednesday’s Best College Basketball Bets
Last Time: 3-0 | Season: 40-36
Alabama at Auburn
After an awesome game a few weeks ago in Tuscaloosa, Auburn hosts Alabama in a revenge spot for what should be an awesome matchup. Both teams are jockeying for tournament seeding and this game will highlight whatever resume adds a victory tonight.
This game will come down to the second-best Bama offense against the fourth-best Auburn defense. Alabama will run and gun with the third-fastest-paced team and shoot a lot of threes, with over 38 percent of their points coming from beyond the arc. Still, the dynamic offense is lethal, with Mark Sears going 8-of-16 from the interior in their last game and Latrell Wrightshell going 4-0f-6 from deep. There is a lot that can happen in this game.
But Johni Broome was unstoppable against the Crimson Tide last game, posting 25 points. Alabama's sub-50 ranked defense, lack of forced turnovers, and inability to limit the offensive boards may spell trouble for the road team here.
This is a tough one. Alabama is notoriously inconsistent, ranking 272nd in the metric, and relatively struggles on the road, ranking 354th in the road metric. My biggest recommendation is to live bet this after any run. Alabama runs and guns but depends on the perimeter look a lot, meaning they can go on 10-0 scoring runs and 0-10 droughts. When all is said is done, I expect Auburn to outlast the Crimson Tide with the fifth-highest bench minutes percentage in the country. Grab your popcorn, because this should be an awesome watch.
Play: Auburn -4.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
Nebraska at Northwestern
College basketball is complicated but sometimes you can keep it simple when handicapping games. There are simple standout trends that favor Northwestern here, and I would be surprised if they don't cover tonight.
Nebraska is one of the most inconsistent and worst teams on the road, ranking 342nd and 353rd in the metrics respectfully. Northwestern is coming off two road losses after two home wins. The Cats’ big win over Purdue was in Evanston and Nebraska has only won one game on the road this year, and none in the conference.
I expect Northwestern's ability to shoot from deep to shine tonight and they will have plenty if opportunity to score with the Cornhuskers’ inability to force turnovers. Don't overthink this one, take Northwestern.
Play: Northwestern -3.5 (-114 at FanDuel)
Creighton at Providence
I'll keep this one short and sweet because both defenses line up well with one another. Creighton has not been playing well recently and despite Bryce Hopkins out for the year at Providence, the Friars own the ninth-best defense to go with the 155th-ranked offense.
Creighton spreads their defense, allowing few perimeter shots and not much down low but instead a high percentage of mid-range looks. These forced inefficiencies will be trouble for Providence to score at a high clip, along with Creighton giving nothing for free, fouling at the lowest clip in the nation.
I expect a bounce-back spot tonight for Creighton but overall, not many points. Both defenses have an upper hand on the opposing offenses, and the final score will show that.
Play: Under 141.5 (-110 at BetMGM)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday: