Daily Dunk: Best College Basketball Bets Today (Predictions for Texas Tech-UCF, UConn-Creighton, and More)

Now that the football season is largely in the rear view mirror, Super Bowl pending, Saturdays belong to college basketball. Before we know it, March Madness will be here.

Before we get to that point, it's best to place a few bets on today's loaded slate of games so we can become more familiar with the school's who will be competing in conference tournaments a month from now.

If you want some plays to tail for today's slate, you're in the right place. Let's take a look at three of my favorites.

Best College Basketball Bets Today

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Texas Tech/UCF OVER 159.5 (-115)
UNC -10.5 (-102) vs. Georgia Tech
UConn -6.5 (-114) vs. Creighton

Texas Tech vs. UCF Prediction

Instead of betting on the spread in this game, I'm going to bet the total and take the OVER. Both teams are better offensively than defensively. The two teams rank 29th and 47th in effective field goal percentage, but 132nd and 178th in defensive efficiency.

I'm banking on UCF pushing the pace in this game with the Knights being on their home court. UCF ranks 81st in possessions per game, signalling they play at a faster-than-average pace.

The Knights may struggle to defend the perimeter offense of Texas Tech. UCF ranks 170th in opponent three-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 33.7% from beyond the arc. That's great news for the Texas Tech offense, which leans on three-point shooting.

Let's sit back and root for points on Saturday afternoon.

Pick: OVER 159.5 (-115)

UNC vs. Georgia Tech Prediction

Caleb Wilson is a nightmare for Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets rarely shoot the three-ball, keeping the majority of their offense to the interior. If they want to do that against UNC, that means they need to have an answer for Wilson, who has continuously dominated the interior in every game for the Tar Heels this season. UNC ranks fifth in the country in opponent two-point field goal percentage, keeping teams to shooting just 43.8% from down low.

Even with the stylistic advantage of UNC off to the side, the Tar Heels are generally the better shooting team, ranking 42nd in effective field goal percentage, while Georgia Tech ranks 209th.

I'll lay the points with UNC on Saturday.

Pick: UNC -10.5 (-102)

UConn vs. Creighton Prediction

I'm going to bet on UConn to break its streak of seven straight games of not covering the spread. It's not the Huskies' offense that makes me lean their way in this game, sporting virtually the same effective field goal percentage as Creighton, but it's their defense that will make the difference.

UConn is 10th in the country in defensive efficiency, while Creighton comes in at 209th in that metric. Even more importantly, the Huskies rank seventh in opponent three-point field goal percentage, keeping teams to shooting just 28.5% from beyond the arc. If the Huskies can shut down the three-point shooting of the Bluejays, they're going to have a great chance to win and cover this spread as road favorites.

Pick: UConn -6.5 (-114)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!