We have one top-25 duel on Wednesday in college basketball, but for the purposes of this piece, I'm searching for the best betting value.
In fact, I've targeted three games for my best bets.
So, read below for college basketball best bets, including three NCAAB expert picks and predictions for Wednesday, February 26.
(A parlay is not my official recommendation, but there's an option for one below.)
College Basketball Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 9 p.m. | |
  | 9:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Belmont vs. Missouri State
Missouri State is 2-16 in the Missouri Valley and in last place in the standings by a full four games.
But that record greatly misrepresents the Bears’ competitiveness in conference play.
Missouri State has lost a staggering seven games by five points or less and another two games in overtime.
That’s nine contests that could've easily swung the other way with a little blessing from Lady Luck.
So even though Cuonzo Martin’s crew is locked into the 12-seed of the MVC Tournament, you can count on it coming to play.
The first game versus Belmont didn’t go well, as the Bears lost by 17 on the road. But again, we need to pull back the layers of the onion to get the whole story.
Missouri State played Belmont to a stalemate in the first 20 minutes and stuck with the Bruins for the first 10 minutes of the second half before Belmont pulled away. Belmont shot a ridiculous 16-of-27 (59.3%) from 3 – almost any team would lose to those numbers.
The Bears also had 20 turnovers — yeah, not great — but Missouri State dominated the paint, shooting 69% from inside the arc while winning the battle on the glass.
Both of those are repeatable feats on Wednesday in Springfield.
If Missouri State can improve its ball security, it should be able to bully the Bruins to buckets. Belmont has zero interior fortitude and is the Valley’s worst defensive squad.
Missouri State should get a multitude of second chances and have its way at the rim.
On the other end, the Bears need to get into Belmont's shooters and hope they cool off a bit. With the way the rebounders stack up, it'll be one shot per trip for Belmont. Plus, Missouri State's perimeter has a nice mix of speed and athleticism to bother Belmont's gunners.
The Bears have lost their last three contests by a combined nine points. Look for them to finally get off the schneid and score a win against a team that it can physically impose its will onto.
Pick: Missouri State +2 (Play to PK)
Texas vs. Arkansas
This is a huge bubble game. Arkansas and Texas are both hovering around the cut line, and both sit at 5-9 in the SEC.
The Razorbacks seem to have turned a corner. On January 18, the Hogs lost to Missouri and fell to 0-5 in the SEC. In that game, they lost stud freshman guard Boogie Fland, and it opened up the rotation for the better.
Since that matchup, Arkansas is 5-4 straight up and 7-2 against the spread. Prized transfer Johnell Davis has taken an alpha role, and the team is simply gelling better.
Texas played one of the worst non-conference schedules in the country, so the Horns are desperate for a Quad 1 win on the road, especially coming off an embarrassing loss at league cellar-dweller South Carolina.
The Razorbacks beat Texas by eight in Austin a few weeks back, but that final score belies how badly the Longhorns were manhandled. Arkansas led by as many as 23 points and controlled the entire contest. Unrelenting defense and better 3-point splits were the keys.
Texas’ offense can be so inefficient at times. The Longhorns rely heavily on isolation and the mid-range, hoping their talented wings and guards can simply out-talent the opposition.
Outside shooting is a weakness, too.
Arkansas’ size up and down its roster makes it a humongous challenge for opponents to score inside the arc. And if John Calipari and Co. aren’t afraid of Texas' 3-point shooters, they can pack the lane and take away the paint and mid-range with success.
Arkansas has a tad more optionality on offense, though it struggles with shooting as well. The Hogs will look to attack the rim and draw fouls on the hack-happy Longhorns — no team in the SEC has allowed a higher free throw attempt rate than Texas.
Bud Walton Arena should be rocking and it should deliver another victory for the March-hungry Hogs.
Texas has won three true road games all season and it'll have an uphill battle grabbing a fourth.
Pick: Arkansas -3.5 (Play to -5)
BYU vs. Arizona State
BYU is one of the hottest teams in America in the past 30 days or so. The Cougars have rattled off four straight wins and have won and covered eight of the past 10 contests.
The former road woes are long behind them, as they’ve taken down the likes of Colorado, UCF, West Virginia and Arizona away from Provo.
