Top 3 College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (2/4)
The 2024-25 NCAA Men’s College Basketball season continues for the final Tuesday in January, as we roll into the heart of the conference schedule. It’s hard to believe, but we’re just four weeks away from the first conference tournaments taking place.
Let’s keep that bankroll in the black with our best college basketball picks for Tuesday, February 4.
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Tuesday’s Best College Basketball Picks
Last Week: 2-4 (33.3%, -230) | Season: 28-24 (53.8%, +207) | Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All picks are for 1 unit
USC Trojans (+112) at Northwestern Wildcats (-134) | O/U 139.5 (-115/-105)
The Trojans (13-8, 5-5 Big Ten) travel to meet the Wildcats (12-10, 3-8) at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston. Tip time is scheduled for 9 p.m., and the game can be viewed on the Big Ten Network.
USC suffered a 70-64 loss at home last time out against Michigan State, but the Over is 7-1 in the past eight games while going 10-2 in the previous 12 outings since Dec. 7. The Trojans are actually a pretty decent offense, posting 76.7 PPG, while hitting 47.9% from the field.
Defensively, USC has been horrid, allowing 72.4 PPG to rank 215th in the nation while allowing teams to hit 44.8% from the field. The Trojans have a decent perimeter defense, allowing just 31.7% to rank 92nd.
For Northwestern, the Over has cashed in 11 consecutive games since Dec. 21, and the Wildcats have allowed 74 or more points in three in a row and eight of the past nine outings. The Wildcats have followed a similar blueprint to the Trojans, going for just 73.9 PPG on offense, while it is mediocre from the floor and behind the 3-point line. Defensively, the Wildcats have coughed up 69.7 PPG, while teams are hitting 43.4% from the field, and 34.0% from behind the arc, ranking 222nd in the country.
Bet high on the total until Northwestern and USC Overs start to cool off.
Picks: Over 139.5 Points (-115)
San Jose State Spartans (-156) at Fresno State Bulldogs (+130) | O/U 146.5 (-115/-105)
The Spartans (11-12, 4-7 Mountain West) and the Bulldogs (5-17, 1-10) meet at the Save Mart Center in Fresno on Tuesday night at 10 p.m. ET in the Valley.
San Jose State have been cover kings, going 8-0 against the spread (ATS) in the past eight games, while going 17-1 ATS in the past 18 games since Nov. 17 after opening the season 0-3 ATS in the first three games.
Fresno State has dropped the past four games, while going 1-3 ATS in the span. The team’s last win was against Air Force at home, Fresno’s only victory inside Mountain West play. The Falcons have the only winless record in the league, too.
The Spartans are cover machines, and they should be able to go on the road and get the job done by at least two buckets against one of the worst teams out west.
The Under and Over have alternated in the past five games for Fresno State, with the Under going 4-2 in the past six outings. For San Jose State, the Over is 3-1 in the past four games, but the total has split 3-3 in the past six outings. On the road, the Over is 3-1 in the past four games. The trends are all over the place on the totals, so let’s just stick to San Jose State laying the points.
Picks: San Jose State -3.5 (-105)
Boise State Broncos (-154) at UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (+128) | O/U 140.5 (-110/-110)
The Broncos (15-7, 7-4 MWC) and the Runnin’ Rebels (11-11, 5-6) hook up at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas with a tip time of 11 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
First off, Boise State has surprisingly won nine of the past 10 meetings head-to-head since March 5, 2020, while going 4-2 ATS in the past six in the series. That includes three straight wins and covers in Vegas, too.
For the Broncos, the Under has connected in three of the past four outings, but the Over is 5-3 in the past eight games, and 7-4 across the past 11 outings since Dec. 21. On the road this season, the total is 4-2 in six tries.
As far as the Runnin’ Rebels are concerned, they’ve dropped four in a row, although UNLV is 4-2 ATS in the past six outings with the Over holding a 8-3 edge in the previous 11 outings. That includes an 81-59 loss at Boise State on Jan. 7, as the Broncos covered as 8.5-point favorites as the Over (139) connected.
Back the Broncos laying the points, based on their dominance in the series, and the impressive win earlier in the season, and the Over is the play based on trends for both teams lately.
Picks: Boise State -3.5 (-102) & Over 140.5 Points (-110)
Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish.