College Basketball Best Bets Today:

Thirty-four games are on the college basketball slate for Tuesday, including some real bangers. Tennessee and Florida tops the list, but it is a huge night in the SEC, Big Ten, and ACC. We’ve even got some quality Big East action. Low on volume, but high on punch, and that’s not a bad thing as a lot of bettors ease their way into the college basketball waters.

A lot of different conferences are in action today. Conference specialization is something I believe a lot of handicappers should employ because trying to know all 364 teams is virtually impossible, but if you can excel with 30 or 40 teams and be an expert, that is a great use of time and also balances out the schedule a bit more. For those with jobs, families, and other interests taking up your time, it can be a really good path to finding some winners and feeling confident in your picks.

 

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Tracking sheet is here. 2023-24 for reference is here.

This article will run Monday-Saturday (not next week, see exception above). Lines will be from DraftKings, as they are widely available to readers. Shop around for the best prices.

Shout-outs to Bart Torvik, Erik Haslam, and Ken Pomeroy, as those are my three primary resources for information when handicapping.

Check the latest college basketball odds for legal U.S. sportsbooks across the country and our Vegas odds if you share a state with us here at VSiN. Also, give the college basketball betting splits a look for these or any other college basketball games today have your interest.

Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publish.

Arizona Wildcats (-3.5, 142) at West Virginia Mountaineers

7 p.m. ET


One of the aforementioned bangers is Arizona vs. West Virginia, a rematch of the game we saw back on November 29 in the Bahamas. West Virginia won 83-76 in overtime to finish in third place in the Battle 4 Atlantis. That was a game with 27 points in OT, so don’t let the total of 142 fool you here, as it was 66-66 going to the extra period.

Now the venue shifts to Morgantown, which is not an easily accessible place or an easy place to play. The Mountaineers program has been revitalized by head coach Darian DeVries and this will be the first game with students on campus since before Christmas Break. The travel isn’t too bad for Arizona, as the Wildcats played in Cincinnati prior to this one, but it does make for a tough set of games against physical opponents.

In the first meeting, West Virginia won the battle on the offensive glass (15-12), won the turnover battle (14-10), and outscored the Wildcats by 15 points from 3. I would also expect WVU to defend the interior a bit better. This is a Mountaineers group that is seventh in the nation in 2P% at 42.7% and has held opponents to a 51.2% FG% on Close Twos. Arizona was 15-of-22 at the rim and 22-of-43 on 2s overall. That game in Atlantis was a third game in three days. This one has a more traditional rest setup.

Along with the Mountaineers showing well in the first game, they also have a better chance of scoring in 3s. WVU has a 48% 3P Rate and Arizona has allowed a 43.8% 3P Rate, so the Mountaineers should get open looks. They had 21 assists on 27 made shots in that first game. I think DeVries is an excellent coach and I’m not as sold on Tommy Lloyd, who has had a ton of talent in Tucson and hasn’t made it past the Sweet 16.

Torvik has WVU favored and Haslametrics ranks Arizona in the bottom 30 in “AFH”, which is Away From Home Rating, a measure of a team’s away/neutral game performances vs. its overall season performance.

Pick: West Virginia +3.5

UNLV Runnin’ Rebels at Boise State Broncos (-8.5, 140)

10:30 p.m. ET

Mountain West Conference action began a while ago, as Boise State brings a 3-1 record against conference foes into this matchup against UNLV. The Rebels are a perfect 3-0, but haven’t played a team on San Diego State’s level and the Broncos just lost at home by eight to the Aztecs.

Boise State has been struggling from 3 for a while now, as the Broncos are down to 30.2% from beyond the arc, which ranks 294th in the nation. UNLV does a good job of pushing teams away from the rim and the Broncos are going to need to knock down some outside shots to be able to cover the number here. After a 7-for-30 performance last time out, Boise State is 55-of-194 (28.4%) over their last nine games since going 12-of-29 against South Dakota State in a tournament during Thanksgiving week.

The Broncos may have a decent rebounding edge in this game, but UNLV takes better care of the basketball and forces more turnovers, so those two areas should help them keep this game close. The Rebels don’t shoot a ton of 3s, but they are firing at a 38.5% clip, which ranks 19th in the nation against Division I opponents.

The other thing is that when the Rebels lost to Mississippi State, Northwestern, and Creighton, they were without Jaden Henley, who has averaged 12.8 PPG over his last six since returning. The only loss in that span is a one-point defeat on a buzzer-beater on the road at Dayton. They’re a better team with him in the lineup.

Pick: UNLV +8.5

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