Top-10 St. John's travels to Pennsylvania while Cooper Flagg takes on Cal on Wednesday in college basketball.
However, for the sake of this piece, I'm looking for the best betting value in the sport.
So, below, I have college basketball best bets and odds, including three predictions and picks for Wednesday, February 12.
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 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. | ||
Ole Miss vs. South Carolina
South Carolina might be the best winless conference team of all-time. Somebody has to be last in the best conference in America, and unfortunately for Gamecock fans, that somebody is their favorite team.
But the Gamecocks are much feistier than their record suggests, especially at home at Colonial Life Arena. As a home 'dog this season, South Carolina is 5-1 with a +3.8 average cover margin.
The Gamecocks took Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State and Texas A&M to the wire before ultimately falling by less than two possessions in each.
Ole Miss has been great this season, but the Rebs are vulnerable on the road.
South Carolina’s best offensive weapon is Collin Murray-Boyles, and Ole Miss will have a hell of a time trying to stop him in the paint. The 6-foot-8 sophomore is a load at the rim, and the Rebels are short on size and rim protection.
South Carolina is one of the most efficient and prolific post-up squads in the nation, and Ole Miss has been average at defending on the block this season despite Chris Beard’s packed-in style.
Defensively, South Carolina has the size, physicality and athleticism to slow down an Ole Miss team that settles for jumpers and uses a high rate of possessions via isolation.
Ole Miss is the worst offensive rebounding team in the SEC, meaning the Rebs will largely be limited to one shot on every possession. Expect their attack to stagnate in a hostile environment.
SEC teams have collectively had one of the best home court advantages in the country, and South Carolina has been a poster child of that ATS success.
Look for the Gamecocks to score their first league win of the year – or at the very least keep this game close.
Pick: South Carolina +5.5 (Play to +4)
Robert Morris vs. Cleveland State
Robert Morris and Cleveland State are two of the hottest teams in the country.
Since December 5, Cleveland State is 13-1 and has risen over 100 spots in KenPom. In that same timespan, Robert Morris is 12-3 and +85 spots in KenPom.
While both have been pleasant surprises, Cleveland State has been the best story of the Horizon.
The Vikings lost a ton of production from last season and were picked seventh in the conference preseason poll. Now they sit two games ahead of the rest of the league in first place and rank first in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency in Horizon play.
The first game of this matchup was a beatdown of epic proportions. After a tight first half, the Vikings exerted their will in the second frame, leading by as many as 20 and winning by double digits. On offense, Cleveland State grabbed over 43% of its misses, and on defense, it forced a whopping 20 turnovers.
Both stats should be repeatable on Wednesday, as the Vikings have consistently been one of the league’s best teams at forcing turnovers and grabbing offensive rebounds. Meanwhile, the Colonials have struggled with ball handling and protecting the glass all season.
Cleveland State can beat the opposition in multiple ways on offense. The Vikings can play through Dylan Arnett on the block, run ball handlers Chase Robinson and Tahj Staveskie off ball screens, or use star player Tevin Smith in any way they please.
Smith is a jack of all trades and a matchup nightmare with his athleticism, versatility and multi-positionally.
Robert Morris scores a little “dirtier” than Cleveland State. The Colonials rely heavily on offensive rebounds and getting to the line to score points. They have some shooting, but they primarily look to barrage the rim.
Cleveland State acquitted itself in the first game by defending the rim, but the Vikings do have a tendency to get foul-happy and have lapses on the glass.
While Robert Morris has a path to points via the interior, Cleveland State’s versatility, ability to force turnovers and ability to control the glass on its offensive end should be enough to extend this game past two possessions.
Pick: Cleveland State -3.5 (Play to -4)
Drake vs. Illinois State
Drake has been one of the best stories in college basketball this season. The ball knowers raved about the hire of Ben McCollum as head coach this offseason, and that excitement appears well justified.
The Bulldogs sit 22-2 overall and in first place in the Missouri Valley standings, two full games ahead of second place.
In the first meeting against Illinois State this season, Drake never trailed, leading from start to finish in a 52-possession slog. The Dogs scored a scintillating 1.27 points per possession, and we should expect that efficiency to repeat itself on Wednesday.
Illinois State had zero chance of stopping Drake in the first meeting, and it has zero chance on Wednesday.
McCollum’s offense is a surgical symphony of cutting and screening, and his squad is one of the most prolific rim attackers in the land. Illinois State has zero rim protection and ranks last in the MVC in block rate.
Drake should have no trouble getting easy 2s, and when the Redbirds over-collapse, the Dogs will find plenty of looks from deep. In the first meeting, Drake was 11-of-23 from downtown.
The Redbirds’ offense is no joke, and they have a ton of shooting – no team in the league scores a higher percentage of its points from outside the arc.
Drake boasts the best defense in the Valley, though, ranking No. 1 in turnover rate and protecting the arc at one of the best clips in the league. Drake’s perimeter is big, featuring three guards at 6-foot-3-plus at all times.
Getting clean looks was a challenge in the first matchup for Illinois State and should be again Wednesday.
Drake is susceptible in the middle, and Chase Walker is certainly a matchup problem, but you can expect McCollum — one of the greatest coaching minds in the nation — to come in with an able game plan.
Ryan Pedon is enjoying his best year at the helm at Illinois State, but he’s still overmatched in this game.
Look for Drake to crockpot the Redbirds for 40 minutes, ultimately extending its lead past one or two possessions on its way to its 11th straight.
Pick: Drake -2.5 (Play to -3)
