While the Jimmy V Classic takes center stage tonight with two top-25 matchups, there's other betting value to be had on the college basketball odds board on Tuesday.
Dive in below for college basketball best bets, including our staff's three picks for Tuesday, December 5.
College Basketball Best Bets for Tuesday
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 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. | ||
Wisconsin vs. Michigan State
By D.J. James
Wisconsin and Michigan State are two of the slowest teams in the Big Ten. The Badgers rank 318th in Adjusted Tempo and average 19.6 seconds per possession on offense and 17 seconds per possession on defense.
The Spartans rank 314th in Adjusted Tempo and utilize 17 seconds per possession on offense and 17.7 seconds per possession on defense.
The Spartans are primarily a defensive-focused team. They're only shooting 26.9% from 3-point range and rank 314th in 3-point attempt rate. Tyson Walker currently has a hip injury, and Malik Hall (illness) being out doesn't help.
The Spartans rank 167th in Open 3 Rate, per Shot Quality, and 335th in Rim-and-3 Rate. No matter what team they're playing, this is not a recipe for a winner.
Sure, Wisconsin ranks 19th in offense, per KenPom. This is a bit skewed, though, as the efficiency comes from getting to the free-throw line (94th in free-throw attempt rate). The Badgers may not get these calls in East Lansing.
In addition, Wisconsin is also shooting poorly from deep at 30.1%, while hoisting 3s 33.8% of the time. The Badgers rank 191st in Finishing at the Rim, 176th in Open 3 Rate and 230th in Rim-and-3 Rate.
Although they have a better offense than MSU, neither team is necessarily an offensive juggernaut.
Look for this to be a slow, classic Big Ten battle. Take the under to 129.
Pick: Under 131 (Play to 129)
Providence vs. Oklahoma
Oklahoma has quietly been one of the surprise teams in the country to this point in the season, and I don’t see that changing Tuesday night in Norman.
The Sooners have already knocked off both Iowa and USC on a neutral floor, and tonight now marks the first big home game of the year.
Porter Moser is getting huge production from Siena transfer Javian McCollum, who has sparked a Sooner backcourt that had struggled to shoot the ball in recent years.
John Hugley IV has also given Oklahoma a bruiser on the inside that can protect the paint and rebound the basketball.
Meanwhile for the Friars, the Kim English era has gotten off to a pretty solid start, but I still have some questions about this team.
Providence has had some turnover issues in the half court to start the year, and the offense can occasionally become too dependent on Bryce Hopkins.
Give me the Sooners to handle business at home in this one and cover the 4.5-point number.
Pick: Oklahoma -4.5 (Play -5)
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Villanova vs. Kansas State
I make this pick well aware that this is a terrifying time to hop aboard the Kansas State wagon. Jerome Tang’s Wildcats are 6-2 with no bad losses on the young season, yet they have already won in overtime three times. Two of those overtime wins came at home against Oral Roberts and North Alabama.
That’s troubling.
Here’s the good news: Kansas State welcomes in a Villanova team reeling after finishing in sixth place in Philadelphia’s revamped version of the Big 5. There's a ton of external pressure on this team to course correct before the Big East season comes calling.
That might sound like a reason to bet on a desperate Villanova team that has really played better than its record, except for some really bad shooting numbers.
On the other hand, I have no interest in backing a bad shooting team traveling to play in a gym called the “Octagon of Doom."
In Tang’s time at Kansas State, his Wildcats are 15-7 ATS at home, beating the number by an average of nearly five points in those games.
I’m willing to bet that one of two outcomes is true: either Villanova is simply just a bad shooting team, playing in a system that encourages a ton of outside shooting (which would spell trouble moving forward), or that if regression is coming, it won’t happen in this environment.
Nova is already 0-1 on the road, after a loss at Penn in which everyone but Justin Moore shot 4-of-22 from deep.
In a battle of Wildcats, I’ll take the purple ones and a few points.
Pick: Kansas State +2.5
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