Another solid Wednesday of college basketball is upon us, as the NCAA has delivered us a 29-game slate.
I've got three best bets for the action, headlined by another early-season Big Ten battle.
Read below for today’s college basketball best bets, including three NCAAB expert picks, predictions, and odds for Wednesday, December 10.
College Basketball Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 9 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Jackson State vs. Houston Pick
A somber good luck to Jackson State.
The Tigers are 40-point underdogs, and for a team that has already lost by 35-plus four times this season (surrendering 106 points each time), the tea leaves do not bode well for a prosperous future.
However, this blowout will be a different variety.
Those previous four demolitions were all against up-tempo big favorites, and each had at least 76 possessions.
Houston, on the other hand, ranks 297th in offensive pace. The Cougars have played just seven regulation games with 70 or more possessions in the last three-plus years, never topping 73.
The Cougars are known for suffocating poor competition with their overflowing athleticism and maniacal defensive discipline.
In the last 20 games where Houston is a home favorite of 25-plus points, the under has hit 16 times. Overmatched foes have no shot against this defense — only three of those 20 opponents have topped 50 points.
Admittedly, this Houston defense is not quite at the level of the past two seasons (yet).
But the Cougars do have three veteran stalwarts at guard (Milos Uzan), wing (Emanuel Sharp), and center (JoJo Tugler), maintaining a solid baseline of performance on that end.
Houston currently ranks sixth nationally in KenPom’s defensive efficiency, marking the sixth straight campaign in which the Cougars are a top-10 unit. The consistency on that end is unmatched.
The most significant risk here is that Jackson State’s horrific interior defense (357th in 2-point shooting allowed, 363rd in defensive rebound rate) concedes a layup line. The Cougars could score nearly every time down the floor.
But I am confident the pace will be low enough to prevent a 100-plus-point explosion.
Show me an 85-45 final score, and I will not be remotely surprised.
Pick: Under 135.5 (Play to 133)
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Idaho State vs. Utah Valley Pick
This clash in Orem, Utah, pits an upstart from the appropriately named Big Sky (Idaho State) against the preseason favorite in the WAC (Utah Valley).
Both teams are coming off outstanding performances over the weekend, but I expect a half-court slog with two big, physical frontcourts battling it out.
The visiting Bengals shredded Denver on Saturday, registering their most efficient scoring performance against a Division I foe this season (1.39 points per possession). That was directly aided by scorching perimeter shooting (15-for-29 from deep, 51.7%) and a clear size advantage on the glass (12 offensive rebounds).
That aberrational shooting and size advantage will not be present against Utah Valley.
The Wolverines are back home after going to Ohio and trouncing Bowling Green on Saturday (leading by as many as 26 late in the second half). They shot 70.6% inside the arc and controlled the glass on both ends.
The most important aspect of this handicap is the pace.
Idaho State is one of the slowest offensive teams in the country (363rd in average possession length) and has turned games against better competition into crawls. A trip to San Diego State had just 62 possessions, and the Bengals’ game at Santa Clara yielded just 64 possessions.
With both teams’ roster strengths residing in the frontcourt and the likelihood of a low-60s possession count, I am comfortable backing the under – even after both teams scored at will this past weekend.
Pick: Under 142.5 (Play to 140)
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Wisconsin vs. Nebraska Pick
The early-season peek into Big Ten play continues with the Badgers heading to Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.
Awaiting them are the undefeated Cornhuskers, one of the surprises of the early season.
With skilled Dutch center Rienk Mast back from a knee injury and leading the way, Nebraska has been impressive on both ends of the floor.
The offense takes care of the ball and gets great shots (18th nationally in 2-point shooting), and the defense pulls off the difficult two-fer of generating some ball pressure (115th in forced turnover rate) while never fouling (third in defensive free throw rate).
More than ever, Nebraska games have become shooting contests.
The Huskers rank in the top 10 nationally in 3-point attempt rate and in the bottom five in 3-point rate allowed.
At home, that bodes well for a team with a bevy of perimeter marksmen (even without former Badger Connor Essegian) and tremendous ball movement.
Nebraska has typically been a strong bet as a short home favorite. The Huskers have won six of their past seven as a home favorite of less than five points. When Nebraska is equal to its opponents, the power of Pinnacle Bank can carry the home team to a victory.
This is also Wisconsin’s first true road game, and the Badgers’ three forays outside of Madison have been dicey (blowout loss to BYU, loss to TCU, win and cover against Providence).
Based mainly on those last two factors, the market flipped this line from Wisconsin -1.5 to Nebraska as the favorite.
I’ll join that momentum.
Pick: Nebraska -1 (Play to -3)
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