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College Basketball Odds & Best Bets Today: Schedule, Picks for Wednesday

Mike Spector

Last Updated: February 8, 2023 9:14 AM EST • 3 min 9 sec read.

College basketball best bets.
College basketball best bets.

College basketball action picks up on a jam-packed Wednesday, with eight AP-ranked teams in action. Read on for our college basketball best bets for Wednesday based on the top NCAAB odds.

Much of the narrative surrounding this season is that the transfer portal and new NIL rules have contributed to more parity, and there is no dominant team.

However, the Purdue Boilermakers have a legitimate claim of being in a tier by themselves after retaining their No. 1 ranking despite a road loss at Indiana over the weekend. The Boilermakers went from being the first unanimous top-ranked team to garnering 38 of the 62 first-place votes this week.

Here are our college basketball best bets for Wednesday (odds via Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Check out our top college basketball picks and our best March Madness betting sites.

Wednesday’s college basketball schedule and odds

(odds via DraftKings)

  • Creighton (-4) vs. Seton Hall
  • Iowa State vs. West Virginia (-4)
  • Florida vs. Alabama (-9)
  • San Diego State vs. Utah State (-1.5)

Check out our best March Madness odds and Wooden Award odds.

College basketball best bets for Wednesday

  • Spread: Alabama -8.5 (-120 via FanDuel) vs. Florida ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Moneyline: Utah State (-118 via FanDuel) vs. San Diego State ⭐⭐⭐
  • Total: Iowa State-West Virginia Under 135.5 (-110 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐
  • Upset: SMU (+120 via DraftKings) vs. Temple ⭐⭐⭐

College basketball top picks

Spread: Alabama -8.5 vs. Florida (-120) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Florida is ending what has easily been the most challenging part of its schedule, with this road game against Alabama following two road games against Kansas State and Kentucky, with a home game against Tennessee sandwiched in between. Thus, it would not be surprising if the Gators were out of gas for this game, especially against a Crimson Tide team that has won 11 of 12.

Alabama has won its last six home games by an average of 28 points, five of which were against conference opponents. The Crimson Tide should smother the Gators defensively, as Alabama ranks second nationally in effective field-goal percentage defense, 3-point percentage allowed (26.1%), and 2-point percentage allowed (42.5%). Meanwhile, Florida ranks 195th or worse in each category offensively.

Alabama has the second-best cover percentage (13-9-1 against the spread, 59.1%) in the SEC and is an even better 8-2 ATS in 10 SEC games. Backing them to cover at FanDuel is worth the slight extra juice, as it is the only sportsbook offering a line of -8.5.

Moneyline: Utah State ML vs. San Diego State (-118) ⭐⭐⭐

Utah State is 11-1 at home this year, with its only loss in non-conference play coming by three points to Weber State. In addition, the Aggies have won their five league home games by an average of 9.8 points per game.

Teams tend to shoot better on their home court, which is a bad sign for the Aztecs, as Utah State has the nation’s best 3-point shooting percentage (40.8%). Steven Ashworth and Taylor Funk are a nightmare for teams to defend on the perimeter, as each has shot 40.9% or better on their combined 331 3-point attempts.

San Diego State allows opponents to shoot 30.3% from deep in league play, but the Aggies just made 35% of their threes against the league’s second-best perimeter defense (New Mexico).

This line opened as a pick’em, and since then, Utah State’s Moneyline odds have risen as high as -130 at Caesars.

Total: Iowa State vs. West Virginia Under 135.5 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐

We do not expect either offense to be able to establish much of a rhythm in this game, as both Iowa State and West Virginia rank in the top 46 nationally in turnover percentage forced. Iowa State leads the nation in that category, forcing turnovers on 26.9% of opponents’ possessions. In addition, the Cyclones play disciplined defense without fouling, as they allow the 332nd-fewest free-throw attempts per field-goal attempt.

West Virginia will have to knock down perimeter shots to be successful, as Iowa State ranks first in Haslametrics’ near-proximity (NPAR) category. That is a massive concern for a Mountaineers offense that gets just 27.9% of its points (273rd-fewest) from beyond the arc.

All sportsbooks are in unison with this total, and we would play this down to 134.5.

Upset: SMU ML vs. Temple (+120) ⭐⭐⭐

Though Temple is 8-3 in the AAC, its 14-10 overall record, No. 116 NET ranking, and 1-3 Quad 1 record (the lone win was a one-point victory at Houston) is not enough to make a case for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament. And while SMU has won just three of its 11 league games, all of its three league losses at home were by single digits, and two were by two points apiece.

The Mustangs have won three of their last four meetings against Temple and seven of their last eight home meetings.

College basketball best bets made 2/8/2023 at 6:17 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
Mike Spector
I have been in the sports writing industry for over three years, working for sites like BettingPros/FantasyPros, Oddschecker, and Sportsbook Review. In my first year writing for BettingPros, I finished with the #2 overall record in their annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an over/under and moneyline perspective. I am an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, and all college sports. In my opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and I am especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. I am a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." Follow me on Twitter for my best bets and commentary to go along with the wagers.