Our free College Basketball picks are out for Wednesday, February 9th, 2022! 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!
#6 Houston @ SMU – 7pm ET
This American Athletic Conference matchup has the potential for a shocking upset. The sixth ranked Houston Cougars take on the SMU Mustangs in this one. Houston comes into this one at 20-2 while SMU has a record of 16-5 on the season but is still unranked.
Marko Nadin
The SMU Mustangs are currently second in the American Conference with a 16-5 record. SMU is at solid 10-1 at home but is still a 7 points underdog against Houston. They are coming off a 72-57 loss to Wichita State which put an end to their five-game winning streak. The Mustangs are 8-2 in the last ten games and have covered the spread in 6 of those 10. SMU has played under the total point margin in their last 5 games overall and is 1-10 against the spread in their last 11 games following a straight-up loss.
The Houston Cougars are on top of the American Conference with a 20-2 record. The last time they lost was December 11 when Alabama won 83-82. Since then Houston has won 12 straight games. Houston is coming off a 80-58 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats.The only weak part of Houston’s game is their free-throw shooting as they are 318th in the nation with 66.4%. The Cougars have the best defense when it comes to the allowed field goal percentage as they allow only 36%. Houston has won 7 of the last 8 games against SMU, the last one 70-48 on January 31.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Houston (-315)
Tony Battalio
The Houston Cougars have put together a tremendous season thus far. As they come into this game with a record of 20-2 as they are seemingly a lock for the NCAA Tournament at this point. Houston is on a red hot run still as they have won their last 12 games in a row and will look to make it 13 straight against an underrated Southern Methodist team in this one. They are in first place of the American Athletic Conference at the moment as they hold a two game lead over their opponents in this one. With a win in this game they will move one step closer to winning the regular season title, barring any type of slip up throughout the rest of the month of February.
Working hard in Dallas tonight#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/7OPV8a1VMN
— Houston Men’s Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) February 9, 2022
The SMU Mustangs come into this game with a record of 16-5 on the season. They have yet to pick up a big time victory which is likely the reason why they are ranked outside of the top 25 even with their impressive record. The Mustangs will be looking to pull off the biggest upset of the season with a victory in this one at home. They are currently in second place in the American with a record of 7-2 inside of the conference. However as for the result of this game I don’t see an upset happening as I have the Houston Cougars picking up the victory in this one.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Houston (-315)
Noah Dunlap
The Houston Cougars are on a team that seems to have slid under a lot of peoples radars this season, as they come into this one at 20-2, including having run off 12 straight wins. The one thing to keep in mind is that they play in a relatively weak American Athletic Conference, which could play a part in their phenomenal record. They’ve played a few solid teams, including Wisconsin, Alabama, and Virginia, but they only managed to come out on top against the Cavaliers of UVA. That’s the biggest I have with this Cougs team right now, as I’m not sure whether they’re actually ready for the big time.
SMU, on the other side, comes in with a solid 16-5 record, with a 7-2 mark in AAC play. In my opinion they’re probably the second best team in the conference, which is where they currently sit, but I think there issues are similar to what Houston faces, which is the lack of big time wins. This Mustangs team doesn’t have a single win that sticks out as a resume booster, and I think that has the potential to hurt them a bit come tournament time. As for this one, I think Houston has just a touch more talent on their roster, so even with them having to travel to Dallas in this one, I like them to get a tight win.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Houston (-315)
#16 Ohio State @ Rutgers – 7pm ET
The 16th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will travel to New Jersey for this one. They will be playing a scrappy and upset minded Rutgers team. The Buckeyes are currently 14-5 while Rutgers is 13-9 on the year.
Marko Nadin
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are 6th in the Big 10 with a 13-9 record including 11-2 at home. They have lost three of the last five games but are coming off their biggest win of the season, 84-63 against the Michigan State Spartans. Rutgers scores just over 68 points per game and the highest rankings they have when it comes to shooting is 198th place with 33.5% from the three point line. Rutgers is 5-1 covering the spread in the last 6 games and has played under in the last four games against a team with a winning straight up record.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are 4th in the Big 10 with a 14-5 record including 3-4 on the road. They have won 4 of the last 5 games with the only loss coming from Purdue, 81-78. In their last games the Buckeyes defeated Maryland 82-67. Ohio State ranks among the top 35 teams in the nation in field goal percentage with 48.2% and in three-point shooting with 37.1%. Unlike Rutgers, the Buckeyes have played over the total point margin in their last 4 games against a team with a winning straight up record. Ohio State has won the last four games against Rutgers.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Ohio State
Tony Battalio
The Ohio State Buckeyes come into this game ranked 16th in the nation. They currently have a record of 14-5 on the season as well. While they do have some decent wins, especially one standout win over the Duke Blue Devils, they have been prone to upsets this season. Which is not a good thing considering the team they are facing has already racked up a couple of upsets already this season. The Buckeyes are currently towards the middle of the pack in the Big Ten standings and will be looking to continue to climb up the ladder as they keep winning.
The previously mentioned Rutgers Scarlet Knights come into this game with a record of 13-9 on the season. As I said before they already have a few big upsets under their belts as they have wins over the Purdue Boilermakers and Michigan State Spartans. Now Rutgers will be looking to add the Ohio State Buckeyes to that list as they further look to improve their tournament resumes with Selection Sunday quickly approaching. However, as for the result of this game I can’t see that happening as I have the Buckeyes picking up the win on the road in this one.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Ohio State
Noah Dunlap
This Ohio State team is one of the hardest in the country you’ll find in terms of trying to predict. They come in at 14-5, which is certainly respectable, but not great, but the key is that they have a few huge upset victories, including a win over Duke when the Blue Devils were ranked number one. The concerning part of this Buckeye squad is that for virtually every solid win, they have an equally questionable loss. On any given night, they’re one of the best teams in the country, but they also have the ability to completely disappear. This inconsistency is certainly worrisome as we head down the final stretch of the regular season.
Their opponents in this one, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, come in as a sneaky team that has shown real tendency to cause problems for elite squads already this season. They’re only 13-9, but in those 13 victories, they have wins over Purdue and Michigan State, among others. A win in this one would give their resume a huge boost, despite arguably a few too many losses, seeing as the committee seems to oftentimes value big wins better than bad losses. However, I just don’t see that happening here, as I think Ohio State manages to travel to New Jersey and pick up a good, but not great win, over a decent Rutgers squad.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Ohio State
#25 Xavier @ Seton Hall – 7pm ET
This Big East conference clash is set to be a good one on Wednesday evening. As the 25th ranked Xavier Musketeers take on the Seton Hall Pirates in New Jersey. With how good the Big East has been this season, this one could go either way.
Marko Nadin
The Seton Hall Pirates are 7th in the Big East with a 14-7 record and 9-3 at home. They are coming off back-to-back wins over Creighton and Georgetown. The Pirates are a solid defensive team as they are allowing 40.0% from the field and 31.1% from the three-point line. The Pirates are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games against a team with a road winning % of higher than .600. Senior guard Bryce Aiken who is averaging 14.5 points per game this season will not play against Xavier. Seton Hall has won the last games against Xavier 85-68 in December 2020.
The Xavier Musketeers are 5th in the Big East with a 16-6 record including 4-2 on the road. They have lost 3 of the last 5 games including 69-65 against DePaul in their last one. Xavier is a good rebounding team with over 35 rebounds per game which ranks them 42nd in the country. They score 73.2 points per game and allow 64.6. The Musketeers are 1-7 against the spread in their last 8 games overall and in their last 4 Wednesday games. Xavier has won 4 of the last 7 games against Seton Hall.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Seton Hall
Tony Battalio
The Xavier Musketeers have been in a little bit of a slump as of late. They are coming into this all important Big East conference game with a record of 16-6 on the season. They are currently ranked 25th in the nation as they barely made their way into the top 25 this week after three losses in the past two weeks. They come into this game on a one game losing streak after being upset by the DePaul Blue Demons in their last contest. Now they will look to get back on track against a Seton Hall team that is about as underrated as they come.
⚔️ | Musketeers vs. Pirates.#GamedayGuide#LetsGoX
— Xavier Basketball (@XavierMBB) February 9, 2022
The Seton Hall Pirates enter this game with a record of 14-7 on the season. Much like their opponents in this one, Xavier, Seton Hall is also going to be desperate for a victory in this game. However, unlike Xavier, the Pirates are on a two game winning streak after picking up victories over Georgetown and Creighton in consecutive games. Seton Hall is currently holding onto a 5-6 record inside of the Big East conference which they will need to improve to get a better seed as conference tournament time is approaching fast. As for the result of this game I have Seton Hall picking up the victory at home over Xavier.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Seton Hall
Noah Dunlap
The Big East has been wild this year, and this one has the potential to showcase that at its finest. I was a huge believer in Seton Hall through non-conference play, but since conference play started they’ve simply let me down in a major way. They enter this one at 14-7, and 5-6 in Big East play, but the problem is that two of those conference wins have come in their last two, as they’ve won two straight, but they’re against one mediocre team and one downright awful one. That doesn’t lend much confidence in the Pirates as they enter this matchup.
Xavier comes into this one needing a bit of a boost, as they’ve struggled quite a bit as of late. They’ve dropped three of their last five, including a somewhat embarrassing defeat in their last game at the hands of the DePaul Blue Demons. The good news is that I think the talent on this Musketeers roster has the ability to bounce back in a big way, which is what I think they do in this one, on the road at The Hall in New Jersey. Give me Xavier to pick up a much needed win in a close one.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Xavier
#10 Baylor @ Kansas State – 8pm ET
This Big 12 clash could likely be one of the most lopsided games of the evening. The tenth ranked Baylor Bears will travel back to Kansas to take on the Kansas State Wildcats in this one. Both teams will be desperately searching for a victory in this game.
Marko Nadin
The Kansas State Wildcats are 6th in the Big 12 with a 12-10 record including 8-4 at home. They have won the last two games against TCU and Oklahoma State after losing the previous three. The Wildcats are ranked 39th in the country allowing only 63.3 points per game but are awful at the other end scoring 67.5 points per game which puts them 279th in the nation. The Wildcats have covered the spread and played over the total point margin in the last four games following a straight up win. Guard Selton Miguel who is averaging 7.9 points and 4.8 rebounds this season will not play against Baylor.
The defending champions Baylor Bears are currently second in the Big 12 with a 19-4 record and 5-2 on the road. They are coming off a 83-59 blowout loss to the Kansas Jayhawks which was their fourth loss in the last 8 games. The Bears are among the top 40 teams in the nation with 77.9 points per game, 62.3 allowed points per game and 47.2% from the field. The Bears are over in the last 6 games following a straight up loss of more than 20 points and have covered the spread in 5 of those 6 games. LJ Cryer who is averaging 13.9 points per game will not play against Kansas State. Baylor has won the last 6 games against the Wildcats, most recently 74-49 in January.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Baylor (-250)
Tony Battalio
The Baylor Bears started out the season as the most dominant team in college basketball. They looked like a sure fire pick to win their second straight national championship as well. However, in recent weeks the wheels have started to come unhinged little by little. Now the Baylor Bears come into this game with a record of 19-4 on the season. They are currently ranked tenth in the nation as well. Their Big 12 conference record currently sits at 7-3 as 75% of their losses have come in conference games. They will be looking to bounce back in this one after being blown out by the Kansas Jayhawks in their last game.
The Kansas State Wildcats will be looking to be the second Kansas school to hand Baylor a loss in their last two games. The Wildcats come into this game with a record of 12-10 on the season. They will need to start picking up some big victories to impress the selection committee if they don’t manage to win the Big 12 conference tournament as Selection Sunday quickly approaches. The Wildcats are currently in sixth place in the Big 12 conference with a losing record of 4-6. As for the result of this game I don’t look for it to get much better for the Wildcats as I have Baylor picking up the win in this one on the road.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Baylor (-250)
Noah Dunlap
The defending national champion Baylor Bears looked a different they were going to try to cruise to a second straight title, at least until recently. After starting the year as the unanimous most dominant team in the country, they’ve stumbled a bit lately, especially in conference play, as they come in at 19-4, but three of their losses are in Big 12 play. While part of that is due to sincere struggles, I think part of that is them also being somewhat bored, assuming they can turn things on whenever they need to. Coming off a huge loss to Kansas in their last outing over the weekend, I like them to be excited to get a chance to avoid the state sweep, especially against the worst of the two programs.
Kansas State has had a bit of a disappointing year to this point, as they enter at 12-10, and barring some sort of magical run I think they’re already virtually knocked out of tournament contention. While Manhattan is oftentimes a tough place to play, I think Baylor comes in with just too much talent, and having struggled lately, looking to get back on track against an overpowered team. Give me the Bears in a big way in this one.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Baylor (-250)
#9 Texas Tech @ Oklahoma – 9pm ET
The second featured Big 12 clash of the Wednesday evening slate has the potential to be a much better game than the first one. As the 9th ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders take on the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman.
Marko Nadin
The Oklahoma Sooner are 8th in the Big 10 with a 13-10 record including 8-4 at home. They have lost 7 of the last 8 games including the last three. The Sooners are coming off a 74-65 loss to the local rivals Oklahoma State. Oklahoma is 24th in the country with 48% shooting from the field but they score only 69.7 points per game which ranks the 224th in the nation. The Sooners have covered the spread only once in their last five games. They have played under the total point margin in 22 of the last 30 games against a team with a winning record.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are ranked 9th in the country and are currently second in the big 12 with a 18-5 record. They have won 5 of the last 6 games, most recently 60-53 against West Virginia. Texas Tech is a great defensive team as they are 15th in the country allowing only 60.1 points per game and 12th when it comes to allowed rebounds with 27.1. Offensively, the Red Raiders are a bad three-point shooting team with only 32%. The Red Raiders are 11-1 ATS in their last 12 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record. Guards Adonis Arms and Terrence Shannon are out of the lineup for the game against Oklahoma.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Texas Tech (-162)
Tony Battalio
The Texas Tech Red Raiders come into this game with a record of 18-5 on the season. They are currently ranked just inside the top ten as ninth in the country. Texas Tech is currently on a three game winning streak after picking up wins over West Virginia, Texas, and Mississippi State. They have won four out of their last five and the fourth win was the first of two wins over West Virginia. Now the Red Raiders will look to make it four straight and five out of six with a win over the Sooners in Norman in this one.
Norman Ŧakeover pic.twitter.com/BWWbXYMgpX
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) February 9, 2022
The Oklahoma Sooners head into this contest with a record of 13-10 on the season. They have hit a rough patch as they have lost three games in a row and four out of their last five games overall. They will be looking to break their current skid with a huge top 25 upset victory in this one at home over the Red Raiders of Texas Tech. However, as for the result of this game I don’t see it happening as I have the Texas Tech Red Raiders picking up the victory with relative ease over the Oklahoma Sooners.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Texas Tech (-162)
Noah Dunlap
Texas Tech comes into this one as one of the biggest surprises of the season, in my opinion. They’re ranked ninth in the latest polls, as they come in at 18-5, and the key is that they have multiple big time wins, including victories over Kansas, Baylor, and Tennessee, as well as a few others. They enter this one having won their last three, and four of their last five. Now they take on an Oklahoma team that, after a solid start to the year, has struggled in a major way as of late.
Oklahoma enters this one at 13-10, but they’ve four of their last five, and three in a row. This was a team that, before this skid, seemed like a virtual lock for the tournament, but now it looks like they’re probably on the outside looking in. The other issue is that despite playing a difficult schedule, they’ve only managed to pick up one real quality win, which was a close victory over Arkansas. In every other contest against what would be considered elite competition they’ve come up short, which also plays a role in terms of their resume moving forward. As for this one, I like Texas Tech to march into Norman and pick up another pretty good win, with this one coming behind the strength of their defense.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Texas Tech (-162)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
