We have a massive Tuesday night college basketball slate, including No. 1 UConn traveling to Omaha to take on No. 15 Creighton, a top-25 duel in the Big 12 and a critical Mountain West affair in Logan, Utah.
Our staff is searching for the best betting value, so, below, we have college basketball best bets and our staff's four top picks for Tuesday, February 20.
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. | |
  | 8:30 p.m. | |
  | 9 p.m. | |
  | 11 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. | ||
Saint Louis vs. Duquesne
By Matt Gannon
We have an A-10 matchup here in Pittsburgh. However, both teams have failed to live up to expectations this season.
Saint Louis visits Duquesne sitting last in the conference. The Billikens lost a ton of production from last year's squad, but they didn’t expect to be last in the conference with March on the horizon.
On the other side, the Dukes were expecting to be in the conversation for the A-10 title at this point of the season, but they’re too far back to make their move.
Duquesne is coming off one of its biggest wins of the season at home against Saint Joe's and has won six of its last eight matchups. It’s safe to say this team has turned a corner.
When you take a look at the metrics on both sides, the Dukes are the better squad — but not by double digits.
Oddly enough, the teams have strengths and weaknesses that mirror each other. Duquesne has struggled offensively, while Saint Louis has had problems defensively. On the other end, Saint Louis has been OK on offense, while Duquesne has been solid on defense.
These two teams match up well, and I expect the Dukes to look past the last-place Billikens. We should see a hard-fought, close battle on both ends, and I wouldn’t be shocked if this game goes down to the wire.
Let's take the points here.
Pick: Saint Louis +9 (Play to +7.5)
UConn vs. Creighton
Connecticut has been absolutely dominant for a long time now, but even the best teams in America are worth a fade in the right spot.
I believe Tuesday night is that chance, with a really good Creighton team at home looking for revenge and sitting as a three-point underdog.
The Bluejays have a ton of balance and are one of a handful of teams in the nation that reside inside the top 25 in KenPom’s Adjusted Efficiency rankings on both offense and defense.
The Jays also have an interior player in Ryan Kalkbrenner who can go toe-to-toe with Donovan Clingan.
Steven Ashworth’s emergence has also given the CU offense a fourth key piece who can score it in bunches, and it has made the Jays all that much more explosive.
I expect the CHI Health Center to be absolutely rocking tonight and for this game to be a back-and-forth brawl all the way down to the wire.
I give the Bluejays a real chance of pulling off the upset, and I see plenty of value with them catching three points in this spot.
Pick: Creighton +3 (Play to +2)
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San Diego State vs. Utah State
By D.J. James
San Diego State is the best team in the Mountain West this year, but Utah State has the same conference record and gets the Aztecs on its home floor Tuesday.
San Diego State has gone 3-8 ATS on the road this season, while Utah State is 8-4 ATS at home. The market has undervalued the Aggies in this context.
When it comes to gameplay, the Aggies are one of the nation’s best teams on the interior. They rank inside the top 25 in points per possession at the rim, per ShotQuality.
Utah State also doesn’t shoot many 3s, and since the SDSU is one of the worst teams in the country at guarding the rim, USU should have an edge in this area at home.
The Aggies get to the free-throw line often, and the Aztecs do as well. That said, this is where home-court advantage should come into play. Both teams foul relatively often, but Utah State could end up benefiting from some favorable whistles down the stretch.
San Diego State does launch 3s more frequently than the Aggies. Utah State ranks in the top-90 nationally in Defensive Open-3 Rate, while San Diego State ranks in the top-35 offensively.
However, opponents are only shooting 28.6% from deep on the Aggies this season, and that number is nearly identical in Mountain West play.
Look for San Diego State’s inefficient 3-point shooting to be a thorn in its side in this matchup.
Take Utah State to -3.
Pick: Utah State -2.5 (Play to -3)
San Francisco vs. Saint Mary's
The No. 18 Saint Mary’s Gaels will look to continue their hot streak as they host the San Francisco Dons this evening on their home court in Moraga, California.
These two programs last met on January 20 and Saint Mary’s was able to emerge the victor in a 77-60 road win. An abysmal 3-point shooting effort was the downfall of the Dons, as they shot 11.7% from beyond the arc.
Tonight, the Gaels will be rested — having last played on Thursday — and will look to protect their perfect conference record.
I have a model advantage on this game, as I'm projecting Saint Mary’s as 9.5-point favorites. The driving force behind this model advantage is the strength of Saint Mary’s defense.
The Gaels aren't only the best defense in the WCC, but one of the best in the nation. They rank fifth nationally in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency (93.1) and first in the nation in 2-point defense (42.7%).
I think that Saint Mary’s matches up well against a San Francisco team that ranks 112th in the nation in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency (109.7) and struggles from 3-point land.
I recommend backing the rested Gaels at home, as they look to remain undefeated in their building while attempting to complete the season sweep of the Dons.
I would lay the chalk at -7.5 or better.
Pick: Saint Mary's -6.5 (Play to -7.5)
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