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College Basketball Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (2/11)

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A clean sweep of our three picks from Thursday’s best bets article has us full of momentum heading into a loaded Saturday slate. Of course, in the betting world, a win is a win, but the most satisfying part of Thursday’s three selections was beating the O/U on our first play by 30 points and backing two underdogs (Northwestern and Loyola Marymount) who won their games outright. 

Let’s try and stay just as hot with today’s trio of picks.

Here are our best bets for Saturday’s college basketball action.

  • YTD (as of 1/21): 26-16

And here are our other top picks for Saturday:

Get ready for the big game with our Super Bowl LVII Betting Guide >>

Best College Basketball Bets for Saturday

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings)

Kentucky vs. Georgia Spread

The Kentucky Wildcats were exposed in their last game against the Arkansas Razorbacks, losing 88-73 at Rupp Arena after allowing 1.28 points per possession. However, a bad loss against a preseason top-ten team should not have the Big Blue faithful jumping off the bandwagon, especially given how the team has looked of late.

Entering the Arkansas game, Kentucky had won six of seven games, with its only loss coming against defending national champion Kansas in that span. The Wildcats ranked fourth in the SEC in that stretch in points per game (72.6), second in field goal percentage (45.3%), tied for third in 3-point field goal percentage (33.9%), and first in rebound margin (8.6).

However, offense and rebounding were not the problems in Kentucky’s 88-73 home loss to Arkansas in its last game, as it outrebounded the Razorbacks 31-26 and shot 46.7% (29 of 62) from the floor. It will be today, as one of its best perimeter shooters and best free-throw shooter (90.5%), CJ Fredrick, is out with cracked ribs.

Georgia is just 5-8 ATS at home and has covered four of 11 SEC games, but we are taking the contrarian side as Wildcats head coach John Calipari will have to revamp his offense slightly without Fredrick.

Bet: Georgia +8 (-110 at DraftKings)

Alabama vs. Auburn O/U

While the Alabama-Auburn rivalry does not have the same cache on the hardwood as it does in the Iron Bowl, there should still be plenty of fireworks in this matchup.

When Alabama is playing its best, there is arguably no team in the country that can beat it. Alabama’s offense has been sizzling, averaging 92.3 points per game over the last three games. The Crimson Tide have made 13+ 3-pointers in each game in that stretch (47-for-104, 45.2%), and even an Auburn defense that ranks fourth nationally defending the perimeter (27.2% allowed) will have difficulty stopping that onslaught.

Auburn plays at the SEC’s sixth-fastest pace, but the Tigers will likely feed into Alabama’s comfort zone of an up-and-down pace, as they tend to play faster and with more urgency offensively at home in the “Jungle.” The Over has cashed in two of Auburn’s three games as an underdog. In addition, the Tigers being on a two-game losing streak (and having lost four of five) bodes well for the Over, as it has cashed in five of Auburn’s six games following a loss.

Bet: Alabama-Auburn Over 152.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

UConn vs. Creighton ML

Not too long ago, UConn was 14-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country, while Creighton was 6-6 through 12 games and endured a shocking six-game losing streak. However, much has changed since then, as both teams have undergone a big reversal of fortune.

Creighton is amid a seven-game winning streak versus Big East opponents, its longest since 2011-12. Meanwhile, UConn is 5-6 since starting the season 14-0 and has beaten just one top-four Big East team (Marquette) in the last month.

The Huskies’ nine-point home win over the Bluejays earlier this month was largely due to their ability to limit Creighton enter Ryan Kalkbrenner to single digits for just the third time. However, Kalkbrenner has averaged 17.5 points in the four home games since then and got the better of UConn forward Adama Sanogo in last year’s home meeting, posting a double-double with 22 points and ten rebounds. Thus, Kalkbrenner’s ability to ignite the Creighton offense has us rushing to the betting windows to back the Bluejays to win outright.

Creighton is 10-5 ATS after a win and has covered five of eight games against ranked opponents this season. Meanwhile, UConn dominated non-conference opposition with a 10-0-1 ATS record but has covered just five of 14 Big East games.

Bet: Creighton ML (-190 at DraftKings)

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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.