College basketball has officially taken over Saturday's, especially as we inch closer and closer to March.
In terms of betting value on Saturday, our staff is targeting these four games for their best bets.
So, here's college basketball best bets and picks, including expert NCAAB predictions for Saturday, February 1.
(You can parlay these bets if you so choose.)
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 12 p.m. | |
  | 4 p.m. | |
  | 6:30 p.m. | |
  | 8 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. | ||
Florida vs. Tennessee
No. 8 Tennessee is coming off two brutal losses and is in the perfect revenge spot at home after it lost to the Gators by 30 in the first meeting in Gainesville.
Also, the Vols have won seven straight games against the Gators at home.
Give me the Vols to hand No. 5 Florida its third loss of the season, even though Zakai Zeigler is questionable (shoulder).
Pick: Tennessee -3.5
Kansas vs. Baylor
By Doug Ziefel
The Kansas Jayhawks battled hard last Saturday against the Houston Cougars. While they fell short in overtime, that loss showed that the Jayhawks belong in the upper echelon of the Big 12.
Meanwhile, the Baylor Bears have yet to show they can compete against elite competition despite being just a game behind Kansas in the Big 12 standings.
This strength of schedule disparity is an indicator that we may be getting a road discount on the Jayhawks in this spot. Kansas is the far superior defensive unit, ranking fifth in adjusted defensive efficiency and eighth in effective field goal percentage allowed.
However, it doesn't stop there, as the Jayhawks hold advantages on the other end of the floor. Baylor has allowed its opposition to convert 70% of its attempts from inside the paint, which is where over 35% of Kansas' offense comes from.
Additionally, the Jayhawks have the ability to punish the Bears from beyond the arc if they collapse their defense. Baylor is 331st in 3-point percentage allowed, and Kansas has converted long-range attempts at an average clip this season.
So, while winning on the road in the Big 12 is no easy task, the Jayhawks have the talent, experience and ability to quiet the crowd early.
Don't be surprised if Kansas pulls away in this one and covers the spread handily.
Pick: Kansas +2.5 (Play to -1.5)
Mississippi Valley State vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Bart Torvik slices and dices college basketball statistics for a living. If you want to see who’s been playing the best defense inside the arc in the past two weeks or a team’s odds of capturing a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance, Torvik is your one-stop shop.
His site also generates a “Torvik Thrill Quotient” for every upcoming game. It’s essentially a “watchability” score between 0-100. A colossal top-10 matchup is likely to fall in the 92 to 100 range, whereas a meaningless game between two low-majors can expect to receive a TTQ of 15 to 20.
What’s the score for MVSU and APB? Negative nine. That’s the second-lowest score handed out by Torvik this season for a game that features two Division I teams.
This is the basketball equivalent of a movie that’s so bad it’s good. The Delta Devils are the worst shooting team in America (eFG%, 3P%, FGM) and are in the running to be the worst defensive team, as well.
When they do get an occasional stop they struggle to corral the miss (362nd in DReb%). And their best performance the entire season came against, I kid you not, Mississippi University for Women. No, the Delta Devils didn’t beat up on a women’s basketball team, MUFW has featured men’s sports for the past seven years.
So, why am I eager to back the Delta Devils on the road? Because Arkansas-Pine Bluff is just awful, aside from Doctor Bradley. The college basketball journeyman made previous stops at CS Fullerton, Salt Lake Junior College and New Mexico State before setting the SWAC world on fire.
He’s averaging 22/9/4, but he’s a turnover machine and a dreadful foul shooter (49.5%). If MVSU can hold him below 25 points, it’ll cover this number.
Keep in mind, for as bad as MVSU is, APB is right there in nearly every defensive statistical category.
An off-night for Bradley could allow MVSU to flirt with its first D-I road win in two years.
Pick: Mississippi Valley State +12.5
UConn vs. Marquette
You pay a premium in college sports to bet on high-profile teams that have experienced recent success. UConn is a blue blood and it entered the 2024-25 season in pursuit of the sport’s first three-peat in 52 years.
So it’s natural that oddsmakers inflated UConn lines in the hopes of drawing action in the other direction. The result? An 8-13 start at the window for the Huskies. That’s the worst ATS performance in the Big East.
Now this isn’t just about prohibitive prices, Dan Hurley’s team simply doesn’t look as fearsome as it did in the past two seasons.
This is particularly true on the defensive end, where the Huskies have gone from world-beaters to merely average without Liam McNeeley in the lineup. The Huskies are now middle-class on the defensive end by Big East standards, and mistake-prone on both ends of the floor.
That’s not my opinion, that came directly from Hurley at a presser last week.
Even if McNeeley tests out his injured ankle, Marquette is still well-positioned to take advantage of this vulnerable UConn team at home because it’s been winning without Kam Jones playing hero ball.
The National Player of the Year candidate is mired in a bit of a shooting slump (8-for-32 from 3PT). Despite his shooting woes, Marquette has covered three straight as large favorites.
And the Golden Eagles have demonstrated a knack for playing up to better competition during convincing wins over Villanova, Creighton, Wisconsin and Purdue this season.
I would play this up to the Golden Eagles -8, especially if McNeeley rides the pine for one more game.
Pick: Marquette -6.5 (Play to -8)
