Over the next two nights, the college basketball slate is rather thin. Only five ranked teams are in action, and none of them are playing conference games.
But there's always value to be had from a betting perspective.
That's why Ky McKeon of Three Man Weave is eyeing three games for Wednesday's slate. He starts in the Big East, moves to the AAC and completes his nightly journey with a thrilling West Coast mid-major affair.
Wednesday's College Basketball Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click the team logos for one the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
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| Specific bet 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. | ||
Howard vs. Georgetown
Wednesday, Dec. 15 6:30 p.m. ET FS1 |
Howard +11  |
Wouldn’t it be so Georgetown for the Hoyas to lose this inter-city matchup to little brother Howard? It would be so Georgetown.
Against a Howard team that’s been a stalwart against the number thus far, losing outright is a very real possibility.
The Bison have already gone toe-to-toe with Villanova, covering against the Cats and dropping 81 points against a top-25 defense. Howard also took down a solid Bradley team on the road in mid-November. If Georgetown doesn’t take its opponent seriously, it could be in for a world of hurt.
So far this season, Howard has been one of the best offensive rebounding and 3-point shooting teams in the country. For all of Georgetown’s size, it doesn’t protect the glass too well. And with the volume of 3s Howard is poised to shoot in this game, long rebounds will be aplenty.
The Hoyas have been poor defending the 3 this season, and while they have length, it’s not enough to intimidate a capable Howard perimeter.
Howard’s greatest weakness this season has been ball security. The Bison rank 324th nationally in turnover rate. Thankfully, G’Town isn’t going to punish them like many teams would. The Hoyas do not implement much pressure in their defensive schemes and are among the nation’s worst in forcing turnovers.
Defensively, Howard needs to worry about the glass. While good on the offensive boards, the Bison are atrocious on the defensive glass — a likely consequence of trying to block shots and leaking out early in transition.
Georgetown is without its best offensive rebounder in Timothy Ighoefe, but there is still enough size to be concerned.
Secondly, Georgetown has been a fireball from deep this season, ranking 13th in the country in 3P% at just under 39.5%. While players like Kaiden Rice and Donald Carey are good shooters, they are definitely shooting above their heads currently — as are several other Hoyas.
Just look at the South Carolina game in which Rice went 0-for-8 from deep and the team went 5-for-24 for how streaky Georgetown can be.
Howard is more likely to be hyper-motivated in this matchup. There is no travel, it gets a shot at taking down big brother and it has competed with big-name foes already this season.
Double-digit points are a gift from the gambling gods.
Pick: Howard +11 (Play to +10)
UCF vs. Temple
Wednesday, Dec. 15 7 p.m. ET ESPN2 |
Temple +5  |
Oh no … Temple?
Yes, Temple. Sometimes betting can be scary.
The Owls have been one of the trickier teams to nail down this season. In the preseason, many expected Aaron McKie’s squad to have a mini breakthrough and finally rise up the A-10 standings.
An early struggle with Maryland Eastern Shore cooled expectations, but then the Owls back-doored USC for a surprise cover at home.
Following the USC game, Temple was demolished by Clemson and Boise State. The Owls then covered four of their next six games.
Star guard Khalif Battle went down with injury for the season against La Salle, but without him, Temple still beat and covered against Penn and Vanderbilt.
A historically awful shooting performance against Saint Joseph’s (2-of-20 from deep, 7-of-18 from the FT line) put the Owls right back down.
That’s a lot of narrative to get across the point that Temple is streaky. It can beat any team on any given night and also lose in dramatic fashion. In the first game of AAC conference play, competing at home, I think we get the good Owls tonight.
Temple should find success rebounding against an undisciplined UCF frontline that sells out for blocked shots. And the Owls should live at the foul line. Temple ranks 23rd in the country in free throw rate, while UCF sends opponents to the line with regularity.
Teams have to be able to handle the ball against UCF, and Temple can with talented 6-foot-5 guards Damian Dunn and Jeremiah Williams. Temple is one of the few teams in the country that can match UCF’s perimeter size.
Stopping UCF comes down to securing loose balls and boxing out. The Knights can shoot, but they usually have significant size advantages on the wings. The bigger Temple defenders could cause issues.
Game 1 of conference play brings new motivation. It’s a fresh start. A second chance at a good season.
Temple should come in ready to play and prove it belongs in the thick of the AAC standings. Hopefully a good home crowd will lift the Owls to great heights and a cover against the Knights.
Pick: Temple +5 (Play to +4)
Utah State vs. Weber State
Wednesday, Dec. 15 9 p.m. ET ESPN+ |
Weber State +3 |
The Dee Events Center will be rockin’ Wednesday night for a rivalry game in the Beehive State. Weber State comes in as one of the best mid-majors in the country, while Utah State is one of the bigger early surprises on the national stage.
Weber is 5-3 against the spread and Utah State is 6-3.
The market has been high on USU all season, so it’s no surprise to see it favored on Weber’s home floor.
But to those who know the Dee, it’s a laughable line. Weber is excellent at home and its homecourt advantage is historically strong.
While the Wildcats were trounced against the only top-100 team they’ve played this season (Washington State), that game was on the road and their foe shot a ridiculous 13-of-22 from downtown. Let’s throw that result right out the window.
This game should play more to plan. And Weber has a secret weapon it’s yet to release on the college basketball scene this season. Dontay Bassett, a former Florida transfer, is back after missing the earlier part of the year with injury. He debuted in Weber’s recent non-Division I contest and led the Cats in scoring.
Bassett will be vital in Weber’s efforts to stop Utah State’s Justin Bean, a fringe All-American candidate who has been nothing but spectacular.
In Bassett, Weber gets another big, athletic body to throw at Bean and combat the scrappy Aggies for rebounds and loose balls. In 13 conference games last season, Bassett averaged 10 points and one block per game.
If there is one thing USU struggles against, it’s athleticism. Weber has that in spades with former LMU transfer Seikou Sisoho Jawara, former Marquette transfer Koby McEwen and former Utah Valley transfer Jamison Overton. The Cats are big, athletic and long at every position.
This should be a back-and-forth contest all night long, with the home crowd eventually carrying the Wildcats to victory.
Pick: Weber State +3 (Play to +1.5)
