Look for Kentucky to cover, 3 unders to cash on Wednesday
Our college basketball best bets are 17-11 in this space. Although Tuesdays and Saturdays are considered the most high-profile days in the sport, Wednesday's slate has a ton of ranked conference matchups and some interesting storylines to watch. Here are our best bets for the day.
Texas Tech @ Houston (-11, O/U 129.5)
Houston has the best defense in the country, limiting opponents to 51.4 points per game. Its offense isn't quite as potent, but it's been good enough to lead the team to a 14-12 record.
Texas Tech, meanwhile, has the Big 12's fifth-best defense, holding opponents to 64.8 points per game. However, its offense ranks in the bottom half of the conference. As 11-point road underdogs, it'll be tough for Texas Tech to score consistently.
Expect a low-scoring, defensive-oriented battle in Houston.
Pick: Under 129.5
Mississippi @ Kentucky (-6.5, O/U 154.5)
This is the perfect bounce-back spot for Kentucky, at home after a road loss to Texas A&M on Saturday. Despite its youth, Kentucky has been a top team in the SEC and the country. It's shown remarkable poise and has a multitude of underclassmen capable of scoring. Before their last loss, the Wildcats had rallied off six straight wins to earn a top-10 ranking.
Mississippi State is a physical group that likes to rebound and pound the ball inside. However, Kentucky's equipped to handle that, and Mississippi State doesn't have the offensive firepower to keep up with the Wildcats.
This could be a rout at Rupp Arena.
Pick: Kentucky -6.5
Virginia Team Total: Under 64.5
Virginia's in a free fall after losing three of its last four games, and it's all because of a putrid offense that would struggle to score on a high school team.
Its patented defense is still elite, holding opponents to 57.8 points per game, the country's second-best mark.
However, its scoring offense ranks 319th out of 362 eligible teams. It's hard to win games when you can't score, and Virginia's learning that the hard way as it crawls towards the bottom of the ACC standings.
Virginia's Wednesday night opponent is state rival Virginia Tech, who has the ACC's fifth-best scoring defense. Virginia might squeak by with a win at home, but it won't be pretty as this game could end in the 50s.
Odds: -115 (playable to -125)
Maryland @ Northwestern (-4.5, O/U 132.5)
If you've been following this medium, you know we've been riding the under in Maryland games the last couple of weeks. Why stop now?
Maryland games are going under the total 64.7% of the time and went under in four of the team's last five contests. Its offense is struggling to score consistently and shooting an abysmal 27% from three, the Big Ten's worst mark.
At the other end, Maryland has the conference's best scoring defense, which has propelled the team to two straight wins. It has the league's second-worst scoring offense, but Northwestern has the third-worst. The Terps' stifling defense will make Northwestern earn all its baskets.
If Maryland competes as a 4.5-point underdog, it'll be because its defense comes through in a game that doesn't feature many points.
Pick: Under 132.5
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.