College basketball Tuesday tips off today with a slew of elite matchups like Marquette-Villanova. In addition, San Diego State heads to Colorado State in the Mountain West, while Illinois takes on Ohio State in a Big Ten showdown. With plenty of college basketball action in store, let’s dive into today’s best college basketball betting picks and predictions. Make sure to check out our other college basketball articles and our college basketball betting tools!
Best College Basketball Predictions and Bets Today
Marquette-Villanova Odds
Odds via Bet365
Marquette: +115 | Villanova -135
Marquette +2.0: -110 | Villanova -2.0: -110
Over 143.5: -110| Under 143.5: -110
When: Tuesday, January 30 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Best Marquette-Villanova Bet
Starting in the Big East, Marquette travels to Villanova as a two-point underdog in a game with a 143.5 total. Marquette has a 15-5 record with the 12th-most difficult schedule, and Villanova is 11-9 behind the seventh-most difficult schedule. Within conference play, Villanova has now dropped four straight and five of their last six. Conversely, Marquette has now won four straight, including an 87-74 win over Villanova.
This game opened as a pick’em, but Villanova quickly took money. Aside from playing on the road, Marquette has a multitude of injuries. Sean Jones and Chase Ross are both out indefinitely. More importantly, Kam Jones turned his ankle in practice last week and only played five minutes over the weekend. Jones appeared in a boot in warmups, but shed the boot before his cameo. This appears precautionary, but warmups will tell the real story.
The current line assumes Jones will not play. Jones’ status remains of upmost importance as one of the team’s top shooters. After hovering around 250th in the country in three point percentage last week, Marquette finally experienced some positive regression. After ranking inside the top 100 last year with the same personnel, they moved up to 210th this week. Villanova ranks 33rd in defensive efficiency, but they rank 152nd in perimeter defense. David Jopkin and Tyler Kolek both shoot over 35% from three, but adding Jones to the mix would give Marquette a boost.
As for Villanova, this team has also taken a step back from a shooting perspective. Justin Moore missed a stretch of games after suffering a knee injury. The career 40% three point shooter has hit just 26% this season. With his struggles, Villanova has dropped to 226th in three point percentage. Marquette ranks 159th in perimeter defense, which gives Villanova their lone advantage. The Golden Eagles ranks 28th in effective height, while Villanova checks in 213th. As a team, Marquette forces the seventh most turnovers, while rarely turning the ball over themselves. If Jones play, the +2 should act as house money.
Best College Basketball Prediction Today: Marquette +2 (-110 at Bet365)
Seton Hall-DePaul Odds
Odds via Bet365
Seton Hall: -550 | DePaul: -400
Seton Hall -10.0: -110 | DePaul +10.0: -110
Over 139.5: -110 | Under 139.5: -110
When: Tuesday, January 30 at 9:00 p.m. ET
Seton Hall-DePaul Best Bet
Remaining in the Big East, Seton Hall travels to DePaul as a ten point favorite in a game with a 139.5 total. Seton Hall holds a 13-8 record, behind the 23rd ranked schedule. However, they sit at 6-4 in conference after losing three straight. On the other side, DePaul is 3-17 and winless in conference. Already firing their coach, DePaul has been an absolute mess.
While Seton Hall likely holds some value here, the total looks like the primary target from this contest. Both teams continue to deal with injuries. Seton Hall’s Kadary Richmond failed to travel to last weekend’s road spot against Marquette, raising serious doubt regarding tonight’s game. DePaul also has injuries to Chico Carter Jr. and Caleb Murphy, who both expect to miss this game. Aside from injuries, pacing also matches an under. Seton Hall ranks 299th in tempo, while DePaul checks in 199th. Over the last six weeks, DePaul’s tempo has remained consistent, while Seton Hall has actually dropped to 332nd.
Best College Basketball Prediction Today: Under 139.5 (-110 at Bet365)
Mississippi State-Ole Miss Odds
Odds via Bet365
Mississippi State: -105 | Ole Miss: -115
Mississippi State +1.0: -110 | Ole Miss -1.0: -110
Over 138.0: -105| Under 138.0: -115
When: Tuesday, January 30 at 8:30 p.m. ET
Mississippi State-Ole Miss Best Bet
Moving to the SEC, Ole Miss takes on Mississippi State as a one-point favorite in a game with a 138 total. Ole Miss has a 17-3 record, but they’ve played the 97th most difficult schedule. They sit at 4-3 in conference play. As for Mississippi State, the Bulldogs are 14-6 behind the 38th ranked schedule.
This game comes with a few potential angles to exploit. The first is the under game total. Mississippi State ranks 196th in tempo, while Ole Miss checks in 248th. Both of which have remained consistent over the last six weeks. As for as defensive efficiency, both teams have looked solid this year. Ole Miss ranks top 75 in both interior and perimeter defense. Mississippi State ranks 92nd on the interior and fourth on the perimeter. With that said, the Bulldogs also recently returned Tolu Smith, who vastly improves their interior presence.
As for the spread, Mississippi State has yet to win a road game, which will be a popular talking point. They’ve only played four and two occurred with Smith injured. Their most recent road loss, Smith and a few other players fouled immediately. Despite this, both teams have defensive advantages. Mississippi State wins primarily through their interior with Smith and ranking 278th in three point percentage. Ole Miss plays excellent interior defense behind Jaemyn Brakefield and Moussa Cisse. On the other side, Ole Miss largely wins through their three point shooting, ranking 17th in this metric. However, Mississippi State has been the fourth most efficient defense defending the three.
Despite the tough matchups on both sides, Ole Miss still holds a few micro-edges on top of their home court advantage. The Rebels stand 14th in effective height, which will help neutralize Smith on the interior. They’re also 76th in turnovers forces, while Mississippi State ranks outside the top 250 in turnovers committed. Foul margin also points to Ole Miss, making them playable here.
Best College Basketball Prediction Today: Ole Miss -1 (-110 at Bet365)
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