Wednesday's college basketball slate features plenty of intriguing matchups.
Three Man Weave's Jim Root would agree, as he found three picks for Clemson vs. Wake Forest, Saint Mary's vs. Seattle and BYU vs. Arizona.
With that said, let's dive into Root's top college basketball picks and NCAAB best bets for Wednesday, Feb. 18.
College Basketball Picks
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that Three Man Weave's Jim Root is targeting from Wednesday'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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 9 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. | ||
Clemson vs Wake Forest Pick
It’s time for the Tigers to get off the mat. Brad Brownell’s team has lost two games in a row: at home to Virginia Tech and a blowout at Duke over the weekend.
I’m buying the dip, though, especially for a typically strong road team taking on a shorthanded opponent.
Wake Forest will still be without point guard Nate Calmese, a key engine for the offense.
In non-garbage time minutes against top-100 foes, Wake Forest is +15.8 points per 100 possessions when Calmese plays, per Hoop Explorer. Without him, the Deacons are -0.9 per 100, a massive chasm that displays his vital importance.
Without him, Steve Forbes has turned to Denver transfer Sebastian Akins and freshman Isaac Carr, neither of whom are ACC players at this juncture.
That gives Clemson’s backcourt a major edge, particularly with steady veteran Dillon Hunter and dynamic rookie Ace Buckner.
Clemson’s huge frontcourt could struggle to get loose against an extremely compact Wake Forest man-to-man, but that creates open looks for the Tigers’ shooters: Hunter, Jake Wahlin, Jestin Porter and Butta Johnson.
Plus, Clemson’s elite transition defense will frustrate a Wake attack that struggles to generate points in the half-court.
Clemson has always traveled well. Since 2022, the Tigers are 27-15-1 ATS in away games, the third-best mark in the entire country. Off two losses, I think they bring a fiery effort to Winston-Salem tonight.
Pick: Clemson -3.5
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Saint Mary's vs Seattle Pick
Since the Gaels lost to Gonzaga on Jan. 31 (a game in which they covered by a half-point), they've been a juggernaut. They’re 4-0 ATS in that span, covering by an average margin of 7.1 points per game.
Head coach Randy Bennett likely knows his team lacks big wins on its postseason resume, so style points matter.
Of course, it's easy to know that and an entirely different thing to actually demolish foe after foe. This is nothing new for Saint Mary’s, though: Since 2022, the Gaels are 43-27 ATS in WCC games, and they have the second-best average cover margin (+3.7 points per game) of any team in the country.
This is simply what Bennett’s teams do.
It doesn't hurt that Seattle is reeling. After a strong nonconference showing, the Redhawks have floundered in league play, going 5-9 straight up with five double-digit losses — including a 17-point defeat at Saint Mary’s on Jan. 4.
Both teams shot well from 3 in that game, but the stunning difference was on the glass, where the Gaels grabbed an unfathomable 58.6% of their misses and won the rebounding tally, 46-19.
Saint Mary’s is huge (11th in average height, per KenPom) and one of the five or so best two-way rebounding teams in the country. That glass dominance from the first matchup is sustainable against a smaller Seattle squad (190th in average height).
I expect Saint Mary’s to dominate and continue gearing up for crucial season-ending homestands against Santa Clara and Gonzaga.
Pick: Saint Mary's -10.5
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BYU vs Arizona Pick
First, the obvious angle: Arizona is one of the best three teams in the country by almost any measure, and the Wildcats are coming off two consecutive losses.
Tommy Lloyd’s team should be laser-focused to reassert their dominance atop the sport.
Like Clemson, this bet is boosted by an injury on the underdog’s side. BYU wing Richie Saunders was lost for the season to a torn ACL over the weekend, and he was a pivotal part of its offense.
Saunders’ shooting and gravity opened the court for AJ Dybantsa and Rob Wright, and there could be some stagnant stretches without him on the floor.
For me, that more than offsets the absence of Koa Peat, one of Arizona’s trio of freshman starters, who sat out down the stretch of the loss to Texas Tech on Saturday. The Wildcats are also missing Dwayne Aristode to illness, which means Arizona will be down to a six-man rotation.
Fortunately, I think that's plenty against shorthanded BYU.
The Wildcats built a 19-point lead in the first meeting at BYU, completely controlling the paint and living at the free-throw line. Arizona shot 58.5% on 2s compared to BYU’s 42.1%, and Arizona took 32 free throws.
Peat and Aristode combined for just 10 points and five rebounds in 41 combined minutes; Saunders had 18 points and nine rebounds in 35 minutes.
The Wildcats also made Dybantsa (6-of-24 from the field) work extremely hard for his 24 points.
Arizona may not be at its best for a couple of games, but it has enough to overwhelm a BYU team that's down to only two scorers.
Pick: Arizona -12.5 (Play to -14)
