Best College Basketball Predictions and Picks Today (Will No. 1 Auburn Stay Hot vs. Arkansas?)

Iain MacMillan | Feb 19, 2025

Auburn is a big favorite against Arkansas on Wednesday night. / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Buckle up, we have a great slate of college basketball games ahead of us on Wednesday night, including the No. 1 team in the country, the Auburn Tigers, taking on Coach Cal and the Arkansas Razorbacks.

In this article, I'm going to break down my top three plays for today's games. You'll notice a common theme in my picks for tonight; I'm all in on the underdogs. Let's dive into it.

Best College Basketball Predictions and Picks

All odds via BetMGM Sportsbook

• Penn State -102 vs. Nebraska
• Arkansas +16.5 (-118) vs. Auburn
• DePaul +12.5 (-105) vs. St. Johns

Nebraska vs. Penn State Prediction

You can read my full breakdown for the game in my betting preview. Here's a snippet:

Penn State isn't nearly as bad as its record indicates. The Nittany Lions enter tonight's game ranking 71st in effective field goal percentage while Nebraska ranks just 108th.

Another area that gives the Nittany Lions an advantage is being able to create extra scoring chances. They average +2.1 extra scoring chances per game based off offensive rebounding and the ability to create turnovers while Nebraska ranks 218th at -0.8.

Nebraska's game has fallen apart at times on the road. The Cornhuskers' average scoring margin falls from +12.0 at home to -3.0 on the road. That could hurt them tonight when they head to the Bryce Jordan Center.

I'll back Penn State as an underdog tonight.

Pick: Penn State ML (-102)

Arkansas vs. Auburn Prediction

I broke down my pick for this game in my full betting preview here:

I believe this matchup is a lot closer than the records indicate. These two teams rank a lot closer in most metrics than you'd think at first look. For example, Auburn enters the game ranking 17th in effective field goal percentage and 37th in defensive efficiency while Arkansas ranks 89th and 38th in those two categories.

Yes, Auburn has the advantage in both of them, but is it a big enough advantage to justify a 16.5-point spread? I don't think so. I'll take the points with the Razorbacks.

Pick: Arkansas +16.5 (-110)

St. John's vs. DePaul Prediction

Check out my full betting preview for my breakdown of the game:

There's no doubt St. John's is a great defensive team but I can't lay this many points on a team that ranks 257th in effective field goal percentage. Not only that, but their one weakness on defense is their ability to stop the three pointer, ranking 161st in opponent 3-point field goal percentage.

That could hurt them now that they take on a DePaul team that ranks 26th in 3-point shot rate.

It's also worth noting how much better DePaul has been when playing on its home court. The Blue Demons average scoring margin goes from +9.4 at home to -16.1 on the road. With tonight being a home game for DePaul, don't be surprised if they keep the score within striking range of St. John's.

Pick: DePaul +12.5 (-105)

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