College basketball action gets underway before noon on Wednesday and will last past midnight. There will be an intriguing blend of everything from conference tournament championships to first-round action. Here are Wednesday's college basketball best bets.
While another NCAA Tournament ticket gets punched today with the Patriot League crowning its champion, we focus most of our betting attention on the earlier rounds of other conference tournaments. Today's best bets span multiple games in the Big East and Pac-12 tournaments, as well as non-Power Five action from C-USA and the America East.
Here are Wednesday's college basketball best bets based on the odds from ourtop-rated sportsbooks.
Wednesday's College Basketball Best Bets
Moneyline: Old Dominion vs.UTEP (-125 via BetMGM)Against the spread: DePaul +5 (-110 via Caesars) vs. St. John'sOver/Under: California-Washington State Under 126 (-110 via DraftKings)Upset: Utah (+105 via BetMGM) vs. WashingtonParlay: Binghamton-Vermont Under 136, Seton Hall -10.5 vs. Georgetown, Penn State -3.5 vs. Minnesota (+595 via DraftKings)
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Top College Basketball Best Bet Picks
Moneyline Pick: UTEP (-125)
In one of the more true coin-flip games of the day, we are siding with the UTEP Miners over the Old Dominion Monarchs, given the home-court advantage UTEP will have with the C-USA Tournament played in Frisco, Texas. UTEP won at Old Dominion 78-70 in overtime on Jan. 15. And while Old Dominion has won three of four entering the conference tournament, the team has not won any game away from home since Dec. 30.
Old Dominion struggled to make shots all season, ranking 13th in conference play with a 30.1% team 3-point percentage. The Monarchs also shoot free throws at the 12th-worst clip (66.2%) in league play, which is a massive disadvantage in what projects to be a close game. On the other hand, UTEP shoots the three much better (37.7% in league play), turns the ball over less, and ranks in the top four in the conference in many defensive statistical categories.
UTEP is 5-2 in one-possession games this season, including its last two wins by five points combined. Therefore, we trust the Miners more than the Monarchs in this spot.
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ATS Pick: DePaul +5 (-110)
St. John's will have the crowd behind it playing on its home court at Madison Square Garden, but the Red Storm's style plays right into DePaul's hands. In their last meeting, the Blue Demons torched St. John's for 99 points and scored 84 points in their first trip to MSG in early January. That is outstanding efficiency despite committing 31 combined turnovers in those matchups, which suggests DePaul is getting easy buckets in transition and its half-court sets against St. John's.
While DePaul has often been the bottom dweller of the Big East since realignment, the Blue Demons' 6-14 conference record this season does not show how competitive they have been. Eight of DePaul's conference losses have been by single digits. Just one loss has been by more than seven points since Jan. 29.
When considering leading scorer Javon Freeman-Liberty missed seven consecutive games at the height of league play, DePaul's season is looked upon in higher regard. The Blue Demons are a live 'dog tonight.
O/U Pick: California-Washington State Under 126 (-110)
This play is mainly a fade on California's scoring potential, as the Golden Bears average a Pac-12 worst 63.2 points per game this season. In addition, California has scored more than its season average just twice in its 11 road games, so we do not expect the offense to travel to Las Vegas. The Golden Bears were a league-worst 28.8% from 3-point range as a team in Pac-12 play and rank dead-last in effective field-goal percentage.
In addition, Washington State ranks sixth in the league in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom, and 11th in effective field-goal percentage, and we expect the Cougars to sleepwalk their way through this opening-round game.
In their two regular-season meetings, these two teams combined for 122 and 132 points. We expect a similar defensive struggle tonight.
Upset Pick: Utah (+105)
Utah does not come into the Pac-12 Tournament with much momentum, having lost its last three games by an average of 11.7 points per game. In addition, Washington enters having won three of its previous four and swept the two regular-season meetings against Utah. However, both of those games were hotly contested, and giving the Utes a third crack at the Huskies' zone defense should make all the difference.
Utah's two losses to Washington were by a combined 10 points, with the road loss coming in double overtime. Mike Hopkins' squad will be difficult to prepare for the further it advances given its menacing 2-3 zone, but that will not affect a Utah team with four days to prepare.
Parlay Pick: Binghamton-Vermont Under 136, Seton Hall -10.5 vs. Georgetown, Penn State -3.5 vs. Minnesota (+595)
Not many teams have limited Vermont's explosive offense, but Binghamton had success in the last matchup, as the Catamounts' 66-point total was its second-lowest since Dec. 7. Meanwhile, Vermont's defense has been stellar of late, allowing no more than 61 points in any of the last six games.
Seton Hall won its two regular-season matchups against Georgetown by a combined 12 points, so the Hoyas, who are 0-19 in Big East play, elevated their game against the Pirates. However, it will not be easy for the Hoyas to get up for this game, knowing the end of their season is one loss away. The Hoyas surprisingly won four games in four days as the No. 8 seed in last year's Big East Tournament, and you can be sure Pirates head coach Kevin Willard will use that as motivation to avoid a letdown here.
The Pirates quietly played their best basketball to close the regular season, winning five consecutive games. Look for them to continue to roll heading into a quarterfinal matchup with UConn.
Speaking of teams playing surprisingly good basketball, Penn State has been remarkably competitive against some of the Big Ten's best teams, though the team only have two wins in its last six games to show for it. One of those wins was a 21-point home victory over Minnesota in which they shot 55.3% from 2-point range and made 50% of their 14 3-point attempts.
The Nittany Lions closed the regular season with consecutive losses against Illinois and Rutgers by a combined six points. However, the Illini and Scarlet Knights both earned double byes in the conference tournament, and the Nittany Lions' valiant efforts against them are magnified as they were both road contests. Thus, a neutral site game against Minnesota should feel like a walk in the park compared to those environments.
Where to Bet on the College Basketball Best Bets
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College basketball best bets made 3/9/2022 at 6:56 a.m. ET
