We have 11 ranked teams in action in college basketball on Tuesday, but all eyes are on two top-25 matchups, one in the SEC and one in the Big Ten.
Our focus for this particular piece is on the best betting value, though.
So, read below for college basketball best bets and odds, including three picks and predictions for Tuesday, February 18.
(Even though it's not an official recommendation, you can parlay these picks 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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 9 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. | ||
Purdue vs. Michigan State
Purdue has won five in a row and nine out of 10 in this series, but I think Michigan State fights back tonight in East Lansing.
MSU heads home after an impressive 14-point road victory over Illinois on Saturday, a game where its defense really flexed its muscles late.
The Spartans are now inside the top 15 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings, and just as has long been the case under Tom Izzo, MSU does a fantastic job of keeping opponents off the offensive glass.
So much of what Purdue does in the half-court is predicated on the elite playmaking of Braden Smith, who’s having an unbelievable season.
I expect Izzo to use a revolving door of Jeremy Fears Jr., Tre Holloman and Jaden Akins to try to contain Smith and keep him in check.
On the interior, MSU has the bigs inside to battle with Trey Kaufman-Renn and make him work for his buckets in the paint.
Purdue often struggles to find a consistent third scoring option, particularly if Fletcher Loyer is off the mark from deep. That will be problematic against a physical and disciplined Spartan defense.
On the other end of the floor, the Purdue defense has been somewhat vulnerable all year, and MSU has shot the ball much better inside the friendly confines of the Breslin Center.
Jaxon Kohler should have some success inside, and this feels like a game where Akins could go on a heater.
Purdue has lost two in a row and is somewhat limping into a hostile environment where the Spartans will be ready to go from the jump.
Give me Michigan State to win and cover in an important game for the Big Ten regular season race.
Pick: Michigan State -3 (Play to -4)
Oklahoma vs. Florida
Yes, the situational spot screams Oklahoma.
After four straight losses, the Sooners are now fighting for their NCAA Tournament at-large lives. At the same time, Florida could be in for a letdown spot as double-digit favorites after four consecutive wins, most recently beating lowly South Carolina by 21 at home.
That said, I loathe the matchup for Oklahoma.
The Sooners have been obliterated on the glass in SEC play. They boast a -50 rebounding differential, allowing nearly 12 second-chance points per game (per CBB Analytics).
That’s a death sentence against the Gators. Florida dominates the offensive boards, leading the SEC in second-chance points per game (15, per CBB Analytics) while ranking in the top 10 nationally in offensive rebounding rate (38%, per KenPom) behind the efforts of Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon.
Not to mention that Micah Handlogten made his season debut this week — he led all SEC players in offensive rebounding rate last season (18%, per KenPom) but has been hurt for all of this year. This is an excellent matchup for him to grab some boards and find the bottom of the bucket.
Oklahoma is still a dangerous up-tempo spread pick-and-roll attack. Still, I doubt the Sooners get much against Florida’s elite transition (.82 PPP allowed, first nationally, per Synergy), ball-screen (.75 PPP allowed, 13th nationally, per Synergy) and catch-and-shoot-denial defense.
Jeremiah Fears is a superstar point guard, but he and the Sooners can’t stop turning the ball over, ranking 14th in the SEC in offensive turnover rate (20%, per KenPom). They’ve thrown the ball away more than 15 times in three of the past five games.
If Fears and Co. turn it over and allow the Gators to get out in transition, things will get ugly quickly.
The Sooners are in free-fall, and this is a horrific matchup against a team that will overwhelm them in the shot-volume battle.
I fully expect a blowout.
Pick: Florida -13.5 (Play to -14)
Kansas vs. BYU
The Kansas Jayhawks and the BYU Cougars will clash tonight in Provo for a Big 12 showdown.
Kansas enters the matchup with a record of 17-8.
Bill Self's team entered the season as the top-ranked team in college basketball, but as March approaches, it's one loss away from dropping out of the top 25.
The Jayhawks have lost two of their last three games, including a road defeat on Saturday against the Utah Utes.
Big man Hunter Dickinson leads the squad with 16.4 points per game and 9.5 boards.
BYU has a record of 17-8. With a win tonight, the Cougars could climb into the top 25. It helps that they've won back-to-back games over West Virginia and Kansas State.
Kevin Young's team has been outstanding at home, with a record of 12-2.
The spread has become too inflated to not take a stab at the Jayhawks.
Kansas has been a much better team on the defensive end of the floor this season, allowing 66.7 points per game.
The Jayhawks will be able to slow down this BYU offense and control the pace of this game.
Our Action PRO Report sets this line at 1.3 in favor of BYU, giving us a 6.9% edge with the Jayhawks.
Pick: Kansas +3.5 (Play to +2.5)
