College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (1/23)

Welcome back to another day of best bets for the College Basketball slate.

I will always be honest, and last week was not great. This season is shaping up to be one of the more difficult ones to handicap, but that means we could be in for a truly mad March, which is exciting. It's not the most enticing slate, but nonetheless, we have College Basketball, and I will always be happy when that is the case.

Here are my best bets for Tuesday's slate!

Get instant alerts when a line reaches your target via the BettingPros App >>

Tuesday’s College Basketball Best Bets

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook | Last Time: 0-3 | Season: 30-31

#4 Houston @ #21 BYU

The two teams that have made waves in the new-look Big 12 face off tonight in what should be a stellar matchup. With both ranking in the top 10 on KenPom and Houston having some relative road struggles, we have a short spread with a low total.

What I expect this game to come down to is rebounding. Houston is a machine at crashing the offensive boards, bringing in nearly 40% of their misses. BYU, however, ranks eighth in defensive rebound percentage, so it will be interesting to see who wins that battle. Even if the Cougars are bringing in misses, BYU still ranks third in the nation at limiting second-chance, so Houston will have their hands full.

Of course, BYU will have their hands full as well. Houston has been the most efficient defense in the nation so far and allows nothing down low. Despite BYU ranking first overall in near-proximity offense, Haslametrics projects them to take only 15.5% near-proximity 2s, 2% below the DI average, and 58% 3-pointers, 21% above the DI average.

Ultimately, the opportunity will be there for BYU to score, and the home-court advantage at the Marriott Center is real. Houston ranks 356th in the away-from-home metric, while the blue Cougars are 10th on their own court. This will be an alt-line betting galore, and I can see this game ending in a double-digit victory one way or another. Still, I smell an upset brewing here tonight.

Play: BYU +3.0 (-110)

Michigan @ #2 Purdue

Considering how these two teams have played this year, I can't say I am all surprised that the line is set with Purdue being a near 18-point favorite in Mackey Arena tonight.

Michigan has struggled of late, losing six of their last seven games, including a home loss to McNeese State. Purdue held serve, taking down Indiana and Iowa on the road and now returns home for what should be a straight-forward matchup.

I don't see how Michigan stops the Boilermakers defensively. Purdue has the upper hand at shooting everywhere on the court. Michigan forces no turnovers, doesn't rebound well and doesn't eliminate the transition. Purdue put up 95 against Penn State last time they played in West Lafayette, Ind. I can see the same happening tonight.

Play: Purdue -17.5 (-110)

Texas @ #11 Oklahoma

In terms of consistency, Texas is a roller coaster of emotions; Losing to UCF one night and then beating Baylor on a buzzer-beater the night after. Still, the Longhorns are a different team away from Austin, Texas.

Texas has won one true road game this year, and it was against Cincinnati. Oklahoma should have the upper hand defensively, eliminating looks from beyond the arc and winning the rebound battle. The Sooners rank fourth in second-chance conversion percentage, so even if they aren't shooting well with their top-50 offense, they can lean on second-chance looks and a stout defense to cover tonight’s spread.

Play: Oklahoma -4.5 (-110)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Tuesday:

Transform your betting strategy with Automated Line Tracking across all significant markets and sports >>