Despite most of the sports world focusing on Super Bowl LVIII this weekend, true bettors understand that men’s college basketball often offers better opportunities to earn a nice profit. This weekend, oddsmakers have put some enticing odds around three marquee matchups.
What are the best bets for college basketball bettors surrounding Saturday, February 10 games? We’ll cover that topic and preview those games below, offering the best bets for TCU at Iowa State, Illinois at Michigan State, and Baylor at Kansas.
TCU Horned Frogs at No. 14 Iowa State Cyclones
TCU (16-5) narrowly missed the AP Top 25 after winning three straight games, including two over top 15 teams. But last Saturday’s loss to Texas soured voters on the Horned Frogs’ prospects.
Led by senior forward Emanuel Miller, TCU has averaged nearly 83 points this season as Miller has knocked down an incredible 40% of his three-point shot attempts. Iowa State (17-5) has won six of their last eight games.
Three of the Cyclones’ victories during that span were against ranked teams, including a 57-53 win over then No. 2 ranked Houston to start off 2024. Iowa State wins with defense, holding opponents to just over 62 points this season.
Best Bet: Under 146 Total Points
Although TCU ranks among the nation’s best offenses, Iowa State ranks eighth in the nation defensively. Hosting the Horned Frogs means the famously loud Hilton fans will help the Cyclones rattle their Big 12 foe Saturday afternoon.
Expect a final score near the 135-point mark in this conference contest. Let's roll with the Under!
No. 10 Illinois Fighting Illini at Michigan State Spartans
Illinois (17-5) enters the game having won five of their last six contests, including a 87-84 overtime victory over Nebraska last Sunday. The Fighting Illini are led by senior guard Terrence Shannon, Jr., a Chicago native that has poured in 20 points while grabbing 4.1 rebounds per game.
Fellow senior forward Marcus Domask is also averaging 15.7 points per outing for Illinois. Michigan State (14-9) is not having its average season. After a rough start to the Big 10 slate, the Spartans have rebounded to win five of their last seven conference games.
Michigan State is led by senior guard Tyson Walker, a Westbury, New York native that has averaged 19.0 points and 3.0 assists this season.
Best Bet: Illinois (+2.5)
Even with Michigan State rebounding in Big 10 conference play, the Spartans have faced the easiest part of their schedule. Illinois won the first matchup between these two schools.
Despite a change of venue, expect the Fighting Illini to find a way to win this battle Saturday in East Lansing. Take the points with Illinois!
No. 13 Baylor Bears at No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks
Baylor (17-5) is in the midst of its toughest part of their schedule, earning back-to-back wins over ranked Iowa State and Texas Tech teams. The Bears face four more ranked teams to close the season, and a victory over Kansas at Kansas would certainly send a message this Baylor team is ready for the postseason tournament.
Kansas (18-5) has played seven ranked teams thus far, posting victories in five of those seven contests. The Jayhawks are led by their dynamic one-two punch of Kevin McCullar Jr and Hunter Dickinson.
McCullar – a senior guard – is averaging 19.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per outing while Dickinson – a 7’2” center – is pouring in 18.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per outing.
Best Bet: Over 150.5 Points
These two teams are filled with shooters. As a team, Kansas averages shooting over 51 percent from the floor and 35.9 percent from the three-point line.
Baylor is making 49.2 percent of its shots this season, but the Bears are hitting on 40.3 percent of their three-point attempts. Expect the final score to eclipse the 80-point mark for both teams in an offensive battle until the end.
