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

Mike Spector

Last Updated: January 3, 2023 4:36 AM EST • 2 min 50 sec read.

College basketball best bets.
College basketball best bets.

Nine ranked teams are in action on a loaded college basketball slate. Read on for our college basketball best bets for Tuesday.

Most conferences have begun league play by now, but the MAC adds its name to the list of conferences to play its first league action today with six games on the schedule.

Elsewhere, the New Mexico Lobos look to remain the only undefeated Division I team. They travel to face the Fresno State Bulldogs.

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

Check out our college basketball best bets.

Tuesday’s College Basketball Schedule and Odds

(odds via DraftKings)

  • Mississippi State vs. Tennessee (-10.5)
  • Kansas (-2.5) vs. Texas Tech
  • Ole Miss vs. Alabama (-12)
  • Marquette (-3) vs. St. John’s

Editor's note: Hey Ohio! Welcome to legal sports betting. Check out the best sites for Ohio sports betting and the best Ohio sportsbook promos!  

College Basketball Best Bets for Tuesday

  • Spread: Creighton -8 (-110 via PointsBet) vs. Seton Hall
  • Moneyline: Kansas (-140 via DraftKings) vs. Texas Tech
  • Total: Mississippi State-Tennessee Under 123.5 (-110 via FanDuel)
  • Upset: Ohio (+100 via PointsBet) vs. Buffalo

College Basketball Top Picks

Spread: Creighton -8 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐

It seems like ages ago that Creighton suffered a six-game losing streak, as the return of Ryan Kalkbrenner from a three-game absence has spurred back-to-back wins over DePaul and Butler by a combined 37 points. With a healthy Kalkbrenner, a 10-point home loss to Nebraska is the team’s only inexcusable defeat, as the two other losses were by a combined seven points at Texas and on a neutral court against Arizona.

Meanwhile, Seton Hall has lost three of four away from home and is turning the ball over at too high of a rate (21.8% ranks 325th) to hang with the Bluejays.

PointsBet is the only sportsbook offering a spread of -8, as all others are at -8.5.

Moneyline: Kansas (-140) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kansas dodged a bullet at home over the weekend, coming back from a 15-point second-half deficit to beat Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks have won six of their last seven meetings with Texas Tech, and though the teams have split their previous four meetings in Lubbock, this year’s Red Raiders team is not as talented as those we had gotten accustomed to under Chris Beard recently.

Texas Tech is 0-3 in its three games against top-150 KenPom opponents, losing by an average of eight points to Creighton, Ohio State, and TCU.

DraftKings is one of three sportsbooks that has remained at the opening number of -140 thus far, while others are as high as -150.

Total: Mississippi State-Tennessee Under 123.5 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐

Tennessee’s defense has gotten all the praise early in the season, as the Volunteers rank first in adjusted defensive efficiency, effective field-goal percentage, and 3-point percentage allowed (21.2%). However, the Bulldogs are not far behind, ranking sixth, 12th, and 38th, respectively, in the same categories.

Mississippi State’s defense is top-10 inside the arc (42.3% allowed), and Chris Jans’ squad has held 11 of the first 13 opponents to fewer than 60 points.

This line has risen some from the opening number of 121.5, but we love the value in this number at FanDuel, as other sportsbooks like BetMGM are as low as 122.5.

Upset: Ohio (+100) ⭐⭐

Ohio enters at 8-5 but is a couple of bounces away from two more impressive road victories, as it lost by a combined five points to Belmont and Michigan within the first four games of the season.

Buffalo plays at the sixth-fastest tempo in the country and is one of the most rim-reliant teams, getting 56.6% of its points (52nd-most) from inside the arc. However, that is no different than how the Bulls have played each of the previous three seasons, with the league’s highest rim rate each year. According to ShotQuality, though, they finished eighth or worse in rim efficiency each year, and Ohio’s defense holds opponents to 48.3% shooting inside the arc.

The Bobcats have won at Buffalo each of the last two seasons, and we expect them to make it three straight Tuesday.

Some sportsbooks have Ohio as a small favorite, so PointsBet offers excellent value with plus-odds on the Bobcats.

College basketball best bets made 1/3/2023 at 6:15 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
Mike Spector
Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's 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." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”