With football in the rearview mirror, attention shifts to college basketball as March Madness looms. Tonight’s Valentine’s Day schedule is substantial, and a few games merit attention.
Here are SportsGrid’s favorite picks for Wednesday’s college basketball action.
7:00 p.m. ET – Georgia Tech at Notre Dame
Spread: Notre Dame (-3.5) | Moneyline: Notre Dame (-165) | Total: 132.5
Where to Watch: ACC Network | Location: Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Notre Dame
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are one of the youngest teams in the country under first-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry. The Irish chose to build through high school recruiting and shunned the portal, and the results have been predictable. Wins have been hard to come by, but there are signs of growth. In their last outing, Notre Dame beat Virginia Tech by eight points, and they have battled all season with Markus Burton leading the way with 16.2 points per game. Georgia Tech has wins over Clemson and North Carolina, but they have completely fallen apart in other contests, losing three straight and six of seven. That includes a loss by 12 points at Louisville in their last game. The Yellow Jackets lost to Notre Dame once, and the Irish are only favored by 3.5. SportsGrid likes them to win by 7.5 and for the game to go over the low total of 132.5. Notre Dame plays at one of the nation’s slowest paces, but Georgia Tech struggles mightily on defense, and both teams will hoist many three-pointers.
SportsGrid’s Best Bets: Notre Dame (-3.5) and OVER 132.5 | SportsGrid Projections: 5-stars
9:00 p.m. ET – Tennessee at Arkansas
Spread: Tennessee (-8.5) | Moneyline: Tennessee (-400) | Total: 150.5
Where to Watch: ESPN | Location: Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR
What is going on in Arkansas? The Razorbacks appear to have quite a bit of talent, but they have been dreadful and are now just 3-7 in the SEC, ahead of only Missouri and Vanderbilt. There are rumors that Razorbacks head coach Eric Musselman has worn out his welcome and is bolting for the Louisville job after the season. The Tennessee Volunteers enter Bud Walton Arena tonight, poised to take full advantage of the dysfunction in Fayetteville. Dalton Knecht is a candidate for SEC Player of the Year, and the Volunteers need a bounce-back performance after a disappointing loss at Texas A&M. SportsGrid’s model loves Tennessee in this game. The model projects the Vols to win by 14.3 points, sees the moneyline as a great bet with Tennessee winning 90% of the time, and likes the over by five points.
SportsGrid’s Best Bets: Tennessee (-8.5), Tennessee (-400), OVER 150.5 | SportsGrid Projections: 5-stars
9:00 p.m. ET – UCONN at DePaul
Spread: UConn (-23.5) | Moneyline: UConn (-5000) | Total: 141.5
Where to Watch: CBSSN | Location: Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL
Are you interested in watching a re-enactment of St. Valentine’s Day Massacre? If you are into that kind of thing, CBS Sports Network has just the thing to end your day as the No. 1 team in the country plays at cellar-dweller DePaul. The Blue Demons are only 3-20 on the season and have no wins in the Big East. They have not even been close. They have lost nine straight games by at least 13 points. Connecticut is bludgeoning everyone in the conference and looks like a real threat to repeat as National Champions. The line is -23.5, but the SportsGrid model does not think that is near high enough, projecting a 33-point UConn route.
SportsGrid’s Best Bets: UConn (-23.5) | SportsGrid Projections: 5-stars
Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
