The World's Most Famous Arena — Madison Square Garden — gets a juicy doubleheader on Tuesday as No. 10 BYU and AJ Dybantsa take on ACC heavyweight Clemson before the past three national champs — Florida and UConn — go head-to-head.
In addition to solid storylines, there's plenty of betting opportunities in the event.
Thus, read below for how to bet the Jimmy V Classic, including picks, predictions and odds for two NCAAB games on Tuesday, December 9.
How to Bet the Jimmy V Classic
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 6:30 p.m. | |
| 6:30 p.m. | |
  | 9 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. | ||
Clemson vs. BYU
By Evan Abrams
It seems weird to take an under in a game that features star freshman AJ Dybantsa and Robert Wright III, but that's what my system — "Stadium Unders" — recommends for this neutral-site, non-conference game at Madison Square Garden.
In college basketball, games played in specific arenas often trend under due to consistent environmental and stylistic factors tied to the venue rather than neutral-court unfamiliarity.
Many of these stadiums, both home and neutral, feature deeper backdrops, unique lighting and court setups that slow pace and limit shooting efficiency.
Teams playing in these environments, especially those coming off an under in their previous outing, tend to continue that pattern as coaches emphasize defense and control over tempo.
Across multiple seasons, these venues have shown a reliable tendency for lower-scoring outcomes, making the under a favorable position in stadiums/arenas where shooting rhythm and offensive flow are historically harder to sustain.
Pick: Under 152.5
Clemson vs. BYU
By Sean Paul
I'm rolling with the Cougars here. They just have a different gear than Clemson. BYU is 26th nationally in average offensive possession length and it seems to go on a couple of bigs runs per game.
I have no clue how Clemson keeps up unless the bigs totally dominate inside. The Tigers want to play slower and can't shoot 3s, but they'll get them up.
I see BYU turning those misses into easy buckets.
Pick: BYU -7.5 (Play to -8)
Florida vs. UConn
I think it’s easy to lay the points with UConn in this early-season matchup of top-20 teams.
UConn has lost just one game this season — Arizona — but Florida has played a far more demanding schedule. The Gators rank sixth in overall strength of schedule, compared to UConn's 95th.
While UConn has played the likes of Illinois, Kansas, BYU and Arizona, it's also peppered in games against Bryant, East Texas A&M, New Haven and UMass.
Florida has been tested a lot more, including a road game against Duke, a tough loss to TCU on a neutral court and, of course, its common opponent with UConn, Arizona.
This Florida team has really struggled from 3 (ranking 344th overall), but I expect positive regression. I also think Florida plays it game, getting out and running to try to outpace UConn.
If they can do those things, they can stay within margin and ultimately maybe win the game.
Pick: Florida +5 (Play to +4, ML if Anything Lower)
Florida vs. UConn
The second game in the Jimmy V doubleheader should be a great one. Both of these teams are so well coached on the defensive end and have the personnel to give opponents fits.
Florida’s bigs give new meaning to “big”. The Gators rotate three centers between 6-foot-10 and 7-foot-1 and if they need to go taller, they can bring in the tallest player in the history of the sport, 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux.
UConn is getting healthier, which is a great sign for the Huskies and a bad sign for their opponents.
Braylon Mullins, a five-star wing, has recovered from a preseason ankle injury and is providing Hurley with the kind of perimeter shotmaking that his vintage championship teams had in spades. Against Kansas last week, he knocked down three triples and scored 17 points in just 23 minutes of action.
The question looming ahead of this one is the availability of Tarris Reed Jr. The senior center was playing the best basketball of his career before he rolled his ankle. In his first three games, he was shooting 74% from the floor while averaging 20 points, nine boards and 2.5 blocks per game.
He will be a game-time decision on Tuesday, but there have been promising practice reports, and we haven’t seen him in a walking boot since the injury.
If he’s a go, I’m pulling the trigger on the Huskies because they own Madison Square Garden and seemingly always get up for games on neutral floors.
Since the spring of 2021, UConn is 14-5 straight up at Madison Square Garden. And in the past five years, Dan Hurley’s team is 30-11 against the spread on neutral floors (73.2%), which is far and away the best percentage at the window for any team with more than 20 such games on its resume.
Pick: UConn -4.5 (Play to -6 if Reed Plays)
