The 2024-25 college basketball season rolls on and we have an intriguing Wednesday night of games to wager on. Our top men's college basketball bets today feature a pair of Big East battles.
Georgetown hosts Creighton while Butler visits Marquette, and we have predictions for both. Plus, we lock in a pick for the non-conference matchup between Samford and Arizona.
Note that all betting lines are accurate as of this writing, but shop around for the best odds. Enjoy these college basketball picks and predictions for Wednesday, December 18.
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Wednesday's Best College Basketball Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Creighton (-3.5) at Georgetown | 147.5 O/U (-108/-112)
Our first pick takes us to a Big East matchup between Creighton and Georgetown. Both teams begin conference play tonight and we're banking on a lower-scoring game than the total suggests.
Creighton is having an up-and-down season so far and it's mainly due to inconsistent scoring. The Bluejays were top 10 in offensive efficiency a year ago but the offseason departures of Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman are looming large. Texas Tech transfer Pop Isaacs was part of the solution - though he's now out for the season. It's a big loss since Isaacs was averaging 16.3 points per game (PPG), shooting 38.3% from three and leading the team in usage and shot rates.
With Isaacs out, the Creighton backcourt now leans heavily on Steven Ashworth to be an efficient scorer and reliable playmaker in a bigger role than expected. Ryan Kalkbrenner is still a good scorer but he hasn't been as trustworthy game-to-game as expected. Georgetown also has the 22nd-best interior defense in the country with size to match up with Kaklbrenner. Meanwhile, the supporting cast outside of Ashworth and Kalkbrenner has not been a consistent source of offense.
The Bluejays are shooting just 33.3% from three-point range (166th in Division I) and are 273rd in offensive turnover rate - issues that could come to the forefront in a road conference game. Their scoring efficiency will likely regress with Isaacs out. This is a good time to fade them.
On the other side, Georgetown could struggle to score, even at home. The Hoyas are shooting a terrible 28.7% from three (326th) with the majority of their scoring coming inside. Creighton's two-point defense ranks 24th nationally with plenty of size itself down low. Greg McDermott's squad is also holding opponents to 29.6% from three this year.
Georgetown is still a year or two away from being a threat in the Big East. Their 8-2 record looks good on paper, but the Hoyas have only faced three power-conference opponents thus far. Before beating Syracuse over the weekend, they mustered just 63 and 60 points in two previous matchups vs. Notre Dame and West Virginia. That's a bit worrisome heading into Big East play as the offense lacks an alpha scorer.
Take the under in this matchup. Creighton went 8-2 to the under on the road against Big East teams last season. Georgetown is 4-1 to the under in its past five games this year.
Pick: Under 147.5 Points (-112)
Samford at Arizona (-18.5) | 167.5 O/U (-106/-114)
Arizona's season hasn't exactly gone as planned for Tommy Lloyd so far. The Wildcats are 4-5 with all five losses coming against every power conference team they've faced. Even so, the offense should anchor a higher-scoring matchup at home tonight.
In four games against non-power conference squads this year, Arizona is averaging 100.3 PPG with at least 93 points scored in each. The offense was just held to 54 points in a loss to UCLA on Saturday but should bounce back at home here. UCLA has a top-five defense in the sport and plays at one of the slowest paces.
Arizona faces a Samford team ranked 230th nationally in defensive efficiency and 23rd in tempo, per KenPom. This is the complete opposite matchup of what UCLA brought to the table. That quick pace, specifically, plays right into what the Wildcats like to do offensively. They're 26th in tempo overall while averaging just 15.1 seconds per offensive possession (7th).
Arizona has not shot well from three-point range this year (30%), which is 291st in the country. However, the 'Cats should be due for positive regression in that area. Lloyd's squad shot 36.6% from three last year (33rd) and 37.8% two seasons ago (17th). Caleb Love and Jaden Bradley still make up an exciting backcourt and can take advantage of easier matchups like this one.
In addition to playing fast, Samford also takes (and makes) a ton of three-pointers. The Bulldogs are shooting 39.1% from three (21st nationally) with 40.7% of their scoring coming from deep (15th). They boast four different players shooting at least 39% from three as well. Bucky McMillan's style regularly leads to fast-paced, high-scoring outcomes. Arizona will be glad to play that way tonight.
Pick: Over 167.5 Points (-106)
Butler at Marquette (-13.5) | 150.5 O/U (-110/-110)
Our final college basketball pick tonight brings us to another Big East matchup. Butler and Marquette start up their conference play and it's an interesting situation for both. Butler is on a three-game losing streak while Marquette has lost two of its last three. Something's gotta give as both squads look to get back into the win column here.
Marquette just lost on the road at Dayton over the weekend and should be poised to bounce back. We saw this recently after Shaka Smart's squad lost on the road at Iowa State and then rebounded to win by double-digits at home vs. Wisconsin. The Golden Eagles are still a top-10 team in the NET Rankings with a top-20 offense and defense, per KenPom.
Meanwhile, as noted, Butler is slumping. Following a 7-1 start to the season, the Bulldogs have since suffered a trio of losses - failing to cover the spread in each. Losses to Houston by 28 points and to Wisconsin by nine points tell us Butler is struggling to compete with the big dogs right now. The home upset to North Dakota State makes matters even worse.
Simply put, Marquette is in a different tier than Butler and should win easily at home. Admittedly, the double-digit spread is a bit scary. Smart has historically been safer to back as an underdog. We still have some key trends pointing to the Golden Eagles winning big.
Over the past three years, Marquette is 13-3 against the spread (ATS) in games after a loss. Smart continues to get his team motivated in these spots - if a conference opener wasn't enough. The Golden Eagles also went 13-4 ATS as a favorite against Big East teams last season and they're 24-9 ATS as a favorite vs. conference opponents over the past two years.
Grab Kam Jones and Marquette to begin Big East play with a bang. This will be Butler's second road game of the year. The first was that 28-point loss at Houston.
Pick: Marquette -13.5 (-120)
