Free College Basketball Picks Today for Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021

Free College Basketball Picks Today for Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021
Wed 22nd December 2021

Our free College Basketball picks are out for Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021! Make sure you check our expert College Basketball picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free College Basketball picks for the best games on today’s schedule!

Murray State @ #12 Auburn  – 6pm ET

Both Murray State and Auburn will come into this game with matching records of 10-1 on the season. Both teams are also coming off of victories in their last game. However it is only the Auburn Tigers who are nationally ranked inside the top 25 of the nation. 

Denis Kirilov

Murray State are off to an incredible start this season winning 10 out of their 11 matches so far. This puts them in 2nd place in the Southeastern Conference ahead of teams like Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Their fantastic performance is further supported by the high margins that accompany their victories. They have only lost to East Tennessee State in their fourth game for the season, 66:58. The Racers surprised Memphis a couple of days ago, upsetting them on the road, 72:74. Tevin Brown is unarguably their most valuable player and his 34 minutes per game further supports the fact that he is much-needed for Murray State.

Auburn has a similar record to Murray State as they only lost to UConn after two overtimes, 115:109. They haven’t faced another seeded team which weakens their run, but this dominating performance shouldn’t be underestimated. They outplayed teams like Saint Louis, Syracuse, and Loyola Chicago. The Tigers rely much on their 7’1’’ sophomore, Walker Kessler, who is a beast in defense averaging 7.3 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game. I think that both teams play decent defense, but their offense comes up huge from time to time as well. Hence, I am more leaning towards picking the option for “over points” as I believe we will see a fantastic game display in Auburn. 

Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Over 146 (-110)

Noah Dunlap

These are two teams that both come into this one at 10-1, but the problem is that neither of them have played a tough schedule by any means. Auburn has only played one ranked team all year long, and it just so happens to be their only loss of the year, as that was a double OT loss to UConn. They’ve looked dominant in the rest of their games, but you have to question whether that’s a result of the talent or whether that’s a factor of the schedule. 

Murray State is another team that is 11-1 on the year, but in similar fashion, the schedule has been bad and in all honesty may have been worse than Auburn’s so far this season. They do have a win over Memphis, but until Memphis decides who they are, we’re not sure how good of a win that is. With the questions surrounding both teams, and the weak strength of schedules for both, I’m going to go out on a limb and take a chance here, so give me the Racers to pull off the road upset, not just to cover, but to win outright. 

Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Murray State (+680)

Tony Battalio

Murray State is coming into this game with a record of 10-1 through their first eleven games of the season. They are currently on a seven game winning streak. During the course of the winning streak they went on to claim fifth place in the Naples Invitational by beating James Madison by double digits back on Thanksgiving Eve. Now they will face their toughest opponent yet as they head to Auburn, Alabama to play the Tigers. 

The previously mentioned Auburn Tigers are also 10-1 coming into this game. But the one thing that separates them from their opponents in this game is the fact that Auburn is ranked inside the top 25 of the country. Auburn currently sits at #12 in the Associated Press Poll and with a couple more wins will likely move up even further. Just like Murray State they have won seven in a row and had a fifth place finish in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis. These two teams are very similar and when they take the court and the final horn sounds it may come down to 1 point. Regardless of the final score I have Murray State picking up the upset on the road in this one. 

Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Murray State (+680)

Western Kentucky @ #20 Kentucky  – 6pm ET

Western Kentucky comes into this game with a record of 8-4 through their first 12 games this season. They come into this game with a win over fellow Kentucky school Louisville which continues the ACC’s struggles so far this year. Kentucky comes into this game with a record of 8-2 after an upset loss against Notre Dame. 

Denis Kirilov

Western Kentucky is coming into this fixture on a 3-game winning streak, defeating Ole Miss, Centre College, and surprisingly, Louisville. The team is on an 8-4 run this season and they will do their best to improve from last year’s 20-7. Looking at their schedule, it seems like a doable task. Their team is quite balanced having both quick and athletic players and big stoppers in the paint. Jamarion Sharp is a 7’5’’ center for the Hilltoppers who leads the way for them with 7.8 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game.

Kentucky, on the other hand, looks at an 8-2 start to this season. They started off with a loss to Duke, followed by 7 straight wins against a bit easier opponent. Then, they lost to Notre Dame in a narrow game, 66:62. The team, however, managed to pull it all together against North Carolina, demolishing them by 29 points the previous weekend. Oscar Tshiebwe and Sahvir Wheeler are duo-carrying the team throughout the season. Tshiebwe averages a fantastic double-double (16.3 points and 14.2 rebounds per game). In my opinion, they will be able to cruise past Western Kentucky as they will surely get a chance at covering their spread. 

Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Kentucky -10 (-115)

Noah Dunlap

Western Kentucky has been a decent, but not great team on the year so far, as they come in at 8-4, with a marquee win over Louisville that surprised a lot of people. Outside of that win, they don’t have any huge wins that would boost their resume come March, but they only have one bad loss, and that’s a double digit loss to Buffalo that could come back to haunt them if they struggle through conference play. 


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Kentucky has been a hit or miss team this year, as they have a loss to Duke that certainly isn’t a bad loss, but they also have a slip up to Notre Dame that has to make you scratch your head just a little bit. But on the flipside they have a huge 29-point win over North Carolina this past weekend that should boost their confidence as we move forward in the year. They have been led by Oscar Tshiebwe, who’s currently averaging 16 points and 14 boards a game, and has looked like one of the best players in the country. I’m questioning of the rest of the roster so far this year, but at least for this one I like Tshiebwe to be able to dominate the paint enough that the Cats and get a relatively easy win against a sneaky good WKU team. 

Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Kentucky -10 (-115)

Tony Battalio

Western Kentucky has put together a decent season for themselves up until this point, as they prepare to play one of the toughest teams on their schedule. They are currently on a three game winning streak as they head to Lexington to play the Wildcats. They have multiple wins over power 5 opposition, which will look good on their resume come tournament time if they fail to win automatic qualification. A win over the Wildcats could potentially be enough to push them into the top 25 next week as well. 

As for the previously mentioned Kentucky Wildcats they come into this game with a record of 8-2. Kentucky is also nationally ranked inside the top 25 of the country at number twenty. They will be looking to continue their bounce back from the upset loss at Notre Dame in this one. In their first game after the loss they blew out North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic. As for the result of this game I expect another blow out win from the Kentucky Wildcats. 

Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Kentucky (-600)

Georgetown @ #22 Providence – 6:30pm ET

*GEORGETOWN HAS FORFEITED THE GAME TO THE PROVIDENCE FRIARS*

#6 Arizona @ #19 Tennessee – 7pm ET

This game is hands down the best game of the Wednesday Slate and the best game of the entire week. Two teams both nationally ranked inside the top 25 will meet for a barn burner of a showdown as the 6th ranked Arizona Wildcats meet the 19th ranked Tennessee Volunteers. 

Denis Kirilov

The most compelling fixture for Wednesday in the NCAA puts up Arizona against Tennessee. Both teams are having big ambitions this year as they will surely like to perform better from the last season. Back then, Tennessee was knocked out in the Round of 64 as they lost to Oregon State, while Arizona finished the campaign with just 17 wins and 9 losses. The 6th-seeded team manages to make up for this performance with a perfect 11-0 start this year. The Wildcats are ahead of USC in Pacific-12 who are the other undefeated team in the Conference. UCLA, Colorado, and Utah Utes are left behind Arizona.

Tennessee, on the other hand, enjoys an 8-2 run from the beginning of the season which puts them in 5th place in the Southeastern Conference. They lost to Villanova, 71:53, and to Texas Tech, who outplayed them in overtime, 57:52. The team, however, seems to be feeling good at the moment as even tougher challenges are awaiting them. The Volunteers rely much on Kennedy Chandler and Santiago Vescovi who will need to increase their efficiency as they are still below 50% from the field, leaning towards the 40%-mark. I think that Tennessee is capable of surprising Arizona in this one and I will take the Volunteers as the final winners of this match.

Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Tennessee (-134)

Noah Dunlap

This, on paper at least, is the best game of the entire week in college basketball. Arizona, led by Christian Koloko, has surprised a lot of people so far this year, as they come in with an undefeated record and are currently ranked sixth in this week’s polls. The schedule that they’ve played so far looked good at the time that they played a lot of the teams, but since has fallen off a bit as Michigan has tumbled, and Wichita State and Illinois have both proven to be somewhat inconsistent at times. This is still a really good Arizona team, one of the best in the country in my opinion, but the verdict is still out on how good they can be in regards to the tournament come March. 


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Tennessee has been good, but not great so far this season, as their record is good, but in their two toughest games of the year to date they’ve slipped up. They got demolished by a good Villanova team, and couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean from the beach in a game against Texas Tech. Kennedy Chandler has been one of the best freshmen in basketball this year, and he’s been the leader of this Volunteer squad. Their last game against Memphis got postponed due to Covid issues within the Memphis program, and I think that’s one that’s problematic for Tennessee, as I think that was a solid chance to get a quality non-conference win. As for this one, I just question whether the Vols are ready for prime time, as they’re record to this point is largely due to a weak schedule, outside of those two losses. I wouldn’t touch the spread in this one, but I do feel reasonably confident about taking the Wildcats from Arizona on the moneyline. 

Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Arizona (+112)

Tony Battalio

Arizona comes into this game with an undefeated record and nationally ranked just outside the top five in the country. They are 11-0 on the year coming into this one, and while every game is important this one just feels different. With a win the Wildcats could add a huge name to their resume and extend their winning streak to twelve games to start the still brand new season, before entering PAC-12 Conference play starting in 2022. Arizona has already some big games against Illinois, Michigan and Wichita State this season. Following this one they have another toughest test against the Bruins. 

The Tennessee Volunteers come into this game ranked nineteenth in the nation, according to the Associated Press Poll. They are currently 8-2 coming into this game. They come into this one on a two game winning streak looking to add a huge victory to their resume. However I do not see that happening as I have the Arizona Wildcats picking up the victory in this game, extending their undefeated start to the season before their huge top 5 clash with the UCLA Bruins. 

Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Arizona (+112)

Virginia Tech @ #2 Duke  – 9pm ET

This ACC matchup between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Duke Blue Devils should be your typical competitive, heartstopping, down to the wire Atlantic Coast Conference game. Virginia Tech comes into this game at 8-4, meanwhile Duke is number two in the nation and has a record of 10-1. 

Denis Kirilov

In one of the last matches for the night in the NCAA, Duke takes on Virginia Tech in their Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils are off to a fantastic start in Mike Krzyzewski’s last season as a head coach. They won 10 out of their 11 opening games, losing just to Ohio State in a narrow clash, 71:66. The team successfully outplayed Gonzaga in late November, 84-81. Wendell Moore Jr. and Paolo Banchero are the most valuable players for the Blue Devils so far as they are certainly put on the watchlist of many NBA agents and scouts. Duke is 2nd in the Atlantic Coast and are one win away from taking back 1st place from Wake Forest who are having an incredible season.

Virginia Tech holds an 8-4 record which came as a result of their mixed performance so far. They defeated teams like St. Bonaventure and Maryland, but lost to Wake Forest and Dayton. The Hokies are 5th in the Atlantic Coast, but Clemson, Virginia, and Louisville are right behind them. Virginia Tech depends much on their 6’9’’ forward, Kevel Aluma, who plays well on both ends of the court. If he gets shut down, then things might quickly go south for them. I think this will happen on Wednesday as Paolo Banchero and Mark Williams will be put up to this task. Therefore, my pick here will be in favor of Duke and their spread. 

Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Duke -9 (-110)

Noah Dunlap

This is a decent Virginia Tech team, but I don’t think they’re ready for what they’re about to get into as they travel to Cameron Indoor to take on Duke. The Hokies sit at 8-4 on the season, but they have below average losses to Wake Forest and Dayton, which stick out as being potential difference makers if they find themselves on the bubble come tournament time. 

Duke comes in ranked second nationally, behind only Baylor, and this is due in large part to the play from freshman phenom Paolo Banchero and junior forward Wendell Moore Jr. They’re only loss came on the road in a second half collapse against Ohio State, and since then they look like a team on a mission. While I think this is a pretty good Hokie team, talent should eventually win out in this one, so I’m taking the Blue Devils and the points, as I think Duke eventually manages to pull away late at home.

Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Duke -9 (-110)

Tony Battalio

The Virginia Tech Hokies will be looking for a massive upset victory in this game. They enter this one with a record of 8-4 on the season and a win like this could make them a near lock for an at-large spot in the NCAA Tournament if they win another 10 or so games along with this one. In their last game Virginia Tech blew out Saint Bonaventure in the Basketball Hall Of Fame Shoot Out Showcase. Now they will be looking to make it two in a row with a win in Cameron. 

They say the more that things change the more they stay the same and that is true with the Duke Blue Devils. This may be the last year of the Coach K era but they will look to have no problem moving on without him as they are already basically in a transition period and they are  still one of the favourites to win at all this year. They come into this game with a great record and ranked as the second best team in the nation. As for the result of this game I have them picking up another victory and starting off Atlantic Coast Conference play on the right foot as we head into 2022. 

Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Duke -9 (-110)

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.

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