College Basketball Predictions for Today, 2/3: Houston, Kansas, Duke, UNC
Super Bowl 58 is on the horizon, but Pro Bowl week in the NFL means it's time for a brief intermission. Enter college basketball. Yes, the sport that attracts the masses in March gives us a lovely teaser, with arguably the best weekend slate of the regular season, including four AP Top-10 matchups!
In this article, we dive into three of those four matchups, all taking place Saturday evening as part of an ESPN tripleheader. At 4 PM ET, Big 12 implications are heavy with #4 Houston at #8 Kansas. At 6:30 PM ET, one of the best rivalries in all of sports takes place in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, as #7 Duke battles #3 North Carolina in a duel atop the ACC. Finally, at 8:30 PM ET, #5 Tennessee looks to bolster its SEC standing when they tip on the road at hostile Rupp Arena, facing off against #10 Kentucky.
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COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREDICTIONS TODAY: Houston vs. Kansas Under 133.5 Total Points (-108), UNC -5 (-110) over Duke & Tennessee -1.5 (-110 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
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Expert College Basketball Predictions for Today’s Games
Before we dive into some of the numbers revolving around our college basketball predictions today and before we state our official Houston vs. Kansas best bets, Duke vs. UNC best bets and Tennessee vs. Kentucky best bets, let’s first discuss big picture thoughts regarding these games and the Saturday slate at-large.
Aside from these three major games, #12 Iowa State visits #18 Baylor at 8 PM ET on ESPN2, and before any of our three games tip off, #1 UConn is in a dangerous spot at 12 PM ET on FOX in Madison Square Garden up against Rick Pitino’s St. John’s Red Storm. No matter the outcomes of today, the AP poll will experience a massive shake-up, and we believe St. John’s has a chance to pull the upset before folks get settled for an excellent night of college hoops.
Moving into our college basketball predictions today, we like Kansas to eke out a tight, low-scoring battle at home, protecting their right to reclaim a chance at the Big 12 title against Houston, a formidable newcomer and challenger to the throne. Next, we like North Carolina to make a statement in a bounce-back performance at home against their arch-nemesis. Lastly, we like veteran-laden Tennessee to march into Rupp Arena and emphasize and extend this young Kentucky team’s growing pains.
NCAAB Best Bets & CBB Picks for Today, 2/3
Houston vs. Kansas Best Bets & Predictions
Jumping from our college basketball predictions today into our Houston vs. Kansas best bets, first and foremost, we like Under 133.5 Total Points (-108 at DraftKings), and secondly, we like Kansas ML (+114 at DraftKings). Let’s reason the latter first.
The number to highlight here is Houston’s performance away from home this season. Despite a 19-2 record and a #4 ranking, Houston ranks 356/362 college basketball teams in away-from-home play, per Haslametrics.com. While the number may be more telling of Houston’s suffocating dominance at home, the cause for pause is warranted on the road, especially at Allen Fieldhouse, one of the most raucous environments in the sport.
This is only the second time in Bill Self’s Kansas tenure the Jayhawks are a home underdog, so the crowd and the team should have extra motivation to knock off the Cougars. While Houston has the depth, defense and rebounding advantage, Kansas has the better X and O coach, more offensive firepower and scoring variety. Houston has inefficiencies scoring inside the arc and converting free throws (67.8%).
Houston will likely need to make free throws down the stretch to win a tightly-contested game, and we don’t trust the Cougars to convert. These Houston offensive woes contribute to our confident pick on the under as well, and because the Houston offense plays at a methodical pace and the defense makes opposing offenses grind on the offensive end, Kansas will invite slow play to help their lack of depth, resulting in a low-possession, low-scoring game.
Duke vs. UNC Best Bets & Predictions
Moving into our Duke vs. UNC best bets, we keep this one as simple as we can. Yes, this rivalry has consistently bred instant classic nail-biters left and right, and the last 100 meetings feature a remarkably tight margin with Duke’s 52 wins to UNC’s 48. Considering these two programs’ current standing and Duke winning at the Dean Smith Center each of the past two seasons, it’s generally expected this game should come down to the final possession. We would like to go against the grain and say UNC wins comfortably enough to cover a -5-point spread (-110 at DraftKings).
On paper, these teams are almost a carbon copy of one another and line up with no glaring advantages or exploitable faults. The crux of this matchup could come down to Duke’s perimeter shooting, which ranks 15th in the country at 38.7%, per Kenpom.com, against North Carolina’s perimeter defense, which limits three-point attempts, defending that area well, to the tune of 29.9% against, per Kenpom.com.
The defensive end of the floor as a whole is where we buy into UNC because this group has made magnificent strides in all areas of defense in relation to the past two seasons. Additionally, we love UNC’s ability to offensive and defensive rebound, especially with ample depth in the frontcourt, an area where Duke is thin behind Kyle Filipowski. As talented as Filipowski is, UNC’s bigs are more physical and tenacious inside, and we aren’t so sure Filipowski can take the heat for 40 minutes.
RJ Davis is the best player on the floor, and he wears Tar Heel Blue. The matchup at Duke should come down to the wire, but today we like UNC.
Tennessee vs. Kentucky Best Bets & Predictions
We wrap up our college basketball predictions today with our Tennessee vs. Kentucky best bets. What’s at stake? Well, Kentucky is in danger of a free-fall from the top of the poll, as they have lost two-of-three entering tonight. Meanwhile, Tennessee just lost at home to a surging South Carolina squad and now looks up at three teams in the SEC standings.
This is the first meeting between these two rivals this year and while Tennessee does have a vastly improved offense that can play with pace, the matchups to watch here are Tennessee's defense vs. Kentucky’s offense, and how Tennessee’s veteran physicality aligns with Kentucky’s young run-and-gun finesse game.
Kentucky’s defense is the glaring weakness in this game, and we trust Tennessee to hunt quality looks throughout and impose their will, getting to the rim frequently. While Kentucky may take and make some tough shots with their high talent level, tough shots will be what they take for 40 minutes, as Tennessee’s No. 2 defense, according to KenPom, will force Kentucky to score from the perimeter all night.
This is a game between men and boys, and we side with the men of Tennessee in a battle of contrasting styles. Take Tennessee -1.5 (-110 at DraftKings) to complete our college basketball predictions today.
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Latest College Basketball Odds & Betting Lines for Today, 2/3 via DraftKings
Here are DraftKings’ latest lines concerning the games involved in our college basketball predictions today, and our picks are bolded and linked to DraftKings’ sign-up page.
#4 Houston vs. #8 Kansas - 4 PM ET on ESPN
- Point Spread: Houston -2.5 (-108) vs. Kansas +2.5 (-112)
- Money Line: Houston (-137) vs. Kansas (+114)
- Game Total: Over 133.5 (-112) / Under 133.5 (-108)
#7 Duke vs. #3 North Carolina - 6:30 PM ET on ESPN
- Point Spread: Duke +5 (-110) vs. North Carolina -5 (-110)
- Money Line: Duke (+164) vs. North Carolina (-200)
- Game Total: Over 151 (-110) / Under 151 (-110)
#5 Tennessee vs. #10 Kentucky - 8:30 PM ET on ESPN
- Point Spread: Tennessee -1.5 (-110) vs. Kentucky +1.5 (-110)
- Money Line: Tennessee (-114) vs. Kentucky (-108)
- Game Total: Over 160 (-110) / Under 160 (-110)
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