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Top College Basketball Picks for Tuesday, February 2nd, 2021

A bunch of top-25 teams is in action, #2 Baylor visits #6 Texas. You do not want to miss this!

Top College Basketball Picks for Tuesday, February 2nd, 2021
Picks & Predictions
Mon 1st February 2021

Purdue vs Maryland 

The #24 Purdue Boilermakers are back in the AP Top 25 Poll after winning five of their previous six games. During that stretch, the Boilermakers outlasted #23 Michigan State 55-54, #15 Ohio State 67-65, and #21 Minnesota 81-62. They are tied for the fourth spot in the Big Ten Conference, three and a half games ahead of the Maryland Terrapins. 

Purdue continues to improve defensively, posting the 25th-best defensive rating in the nation (92.0). The Boilermakers will look to continue with a strong performance against the Terrapins who score 111.9 points per 100 possessions (33rd) on 46.2% shooting from the field (79th) and 35.8% from beyond the arc (84th). 


Maryland is not an elite defensive team, yielding 95.5 points per 100 possessions (64th), but the Terrapins should have enough offensive weapons to make this clash very interesting to watch. The hosts opened as slight 1.5-point underdogs, and we suggest you buy a few points on the Terrapins. 

These two schools already met each other in December, and the Boilermakers outlasted the Terrapins as 6-point home favorites, 73-70. Maryland trailed by 13 points at halftime but rallied in the second half, as we entered the final minute with the schools tied at 70-70. Purdue is 3-2 SU and 0-5 ATS in its last five matchups with Maryland. 

College basketball pick – Maryland by 4. 

Baylor vs Texas 

The Big 12 Conference showdown at Frank Erwin Center in Austin will be a hard-fought battle as two super talented teams take on each other, and the #2 Baylor Bears should have enough firepower to outlast the #6 Texas Longhorns. Both teams lean on a stout defense, but the Bears are a better offensive team than Texas. 

Baylor scores 121.4 points per 100 possessions (3rd in the nation) while making 50.2% of their field goals (14th) and a ridiculous 43.4% of their 3-pointers (1st). On the other side, Texas tallies 113.9 points per 100 possessions (19th) but shoots 45.3% from the field (114th) and 34.4% from beyond the arc (136th). 

The Bears are still undefeated, going 16-0 overall and 8-0 in the conference play. They are coming off an 84-72 victory to Auburn as 13-point home favorites, and the Bears are 5-2 ATS over their last seven showings.

The Longhorns (11-3, 5-2 Conf.) haven’t played since last Tuesday when they suffered an 80-79 defeat to Oklahoma as 3-point home favorites. They are 1-4 ATS in the last five outings. 


Texas has dropped two of its previous three home contests. Along with that narrow defeat to the Sooners, the Longhorns lost to Texas Tech 79-77, so they can certainly keep very close against any team in the Big 12. However, the Bears have been playing at the highest level since the opening day of the season, so we’re backing them to win this clash and extend their dominance over Texas. 

Baylor has won nine of its last ten encounters with Texas, covering the spread seven times in the process.


College basketball pick – Baylor by 6. 

Michigan State vs Iowa  

Both Michigan State and #8 Iowa will look to bounce back in this Big Ten Conference showdown at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The Spartans are riding a three-game losing streak following a 79-62 defeat at Ohio State, while the Hawkeyes have dropped two straight games to Indiana 81-69 and at Illinois 80-75. 

Michigan State is undefeated in five straight encounters with Iowa while covering three times in the process, but the Spartans will have a mountain to climb this Tuesday. They’ve been a disaster over the last few weeks, scoring 54 points in a 1-point home loss to Purdue and a paltry 37 points in an embarrassing 30-point defeat at Rutgers. 


On the other side, Iowa battled bravely against the Fighting Illini following a disappointing home loss to the Hoosiers. The Hawkeyes continue to play poor defense, but their prolific offense should be enough against the struggling Spartans. 

Iowa scores 124.6 points per 100 possessions (2nd) on 48.3% shooting from the field (30th) and 38.5% from downtown (29th). Michigan State, on the other side, ranks outside of the top 200 in both FG% and 3P%. The Spartans are 1-4 SU and 0-5 ATS in their previous five road contests, while the Hawkeyes are 7-1 SU and ATS in their last eight home tilts. 

College Basketball Pick – Iowa by 10. 

West Virginia vs Iowa State 

The Iowa State Cyclones are the worst team in the Big 12, going 2-9 overall and 0-6 in the conference play, so the #17 West Virginia Mountaineers shouldn’t have any problems winning this game. Also, the Cyclones are winless in four straight encounters with the Mountaineers, covering the spread just once in that span. 

Iowa State is on a five-game losing streak following a heavy 95-56 defeat at Mississippi State this past Saturday. They failed to cover for the third straight outing, and the Cyclones are only 3-8 ATS over their last 11 games overall. 


The Mountaineers will be keen to bounce back from an upsetting 85-80 home loss to Florida, searching for their third consecutive straight-up and ATS victory. West Virginia continues to play solid offense, and another good performance will be enough to see off the Cyclones’ challenge. 

Iowa State ranks 297th in opponent FG% while yielding 77.2 points per game (306th). Also, the Cyclones couldn’t score more than 65 points in four of their last five showings. 


College basketball pick – West Virginia by 11. 

Tennessee vs Ole Miss 

The #11 Tennessee Volunteers have won two straight contests, coming off an excellent 80-61 victory over the #15 Kansas Jayhawks as 3.5-point home favorites. The Vols shot 52.8% from the field and 61.5% from beyond the 3-point line (8-for-13) while allowing the Jayhawks to make just 37.7% of their field goals. 

Tennessee dropped 40 points on Kansas in each half. Yves Pons led the way with 17 points and five rebounds, while John Fulkerson added 11 points, six boards, and three assists. These two senior forwards are key players for Tennessee this season, but the Vols mostly rely on their stout defense. 


The Volunteers score 109.4 points per 100 possessions (63rd) and yield only 86.6 in a return (2nd) while playing at a very slow pace of 66.0 possessions per 40 minutes (305th). As well as Tennessee, Ole Miss averages 66.0 possessions per 40 minutes and surrenders 91.6 points per 100 possessions (23rd), but the Rebels score only 104.5 in a return (122nd). 

Ole Miss has lost two straight games at Arkansas 74-59 and Georgia 71-61. The Rebels will have another tough night on the offensive end when they welcome the Vols, so grab Tennessee to win and cover. The Volunteers are 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in their last five encounters with the Rebels. 

College basketball pick – Tennessee by 5. 

Penn State vs Wisconsin 

For the second time in four days, the Penn State Nittany Lions and Wisconsin Badgers will square off against each other. The Badgers fell five places to No. 19 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll following an 81-71 loss at Penn State last Saturday, and we’re backing them to get revenge Tuesday on the home court. 


Wisconsin allowed 50 second-half points to Penn State on Saturday. The Badgers committed 12 turnovers while forcing just six in a return. They shot only 25.0% from deep, so the Badgers can only improve this time. Wisconsin has the eighth-best defensive rating in the country (89.6), so the Badgers should’ve learned a few lessons from their previous loss. 

The Nittany Lions score 114.4 points per 100 possessions (16th) but surrender 96.3 in a return (79th). They rank 309th in opponent FG% (47.0), so the Nittany Lions lean heavily on their prolific offense that could easily struggle in the rematch with the Badgers. 

We expect the hosts to storm the front and shut down the Lions out of the gate. The Badgers have won 13 of their last 14 meetings with Penn State. They are 5-2 ATS over the previous seven matchups with the Nittany Lions. 


College basketball pick – Wisconsin by 7. 

Kansas State vs Kansas 

As we’ve mentioned above, the Kansas Jayhawks got routed by Tennessee last Saturday, recording their fourth loss in the last five outings. They fell eight spots to the No. 23 in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll, and it’s fair to say that Kansas is in serious crisis. 

Anyway, the Jayhawks have a great opportunity for a rebound, as they welcome the hapless Kansas City Wildcats who lost eight straight contests. Kansas City is coming off a 68-61 home loss to Texas A&M, and the Wildcats are 0-4 ATS over their previous four showings. 


Over their last 17 games overall, the Wildcats went 4-13 against the spread. Furthermore, they are 1-12 straight up and 4-7-1 ATS in the last 13 encounters with the Jayhawks and 0-14 SU and 3-11 ATS in the last 14 visits to Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence. 

Don’t overthink this one. Take the Jayhawks and points, as the hosts will be keen to prove their worth. Kansas is only 1-5 ATS in its last six contests. 

College basketball pick – Kansas by 18. 

Kentucky vs Missouri 

The #18 Missouri Tigers barely outlasted TCU in overtime this past Saturday, 102-98, but that’s still a huge boost following an 88-82 defeat at Auburn. Mizzou has won four of its last five games and will look to stay on the right track against the struggling Kentucky team that has dropped four of its last five tilts overall. 


The Wildcats had to postpone their previous game due to the COVID-19 issues, and it’s still unknown who will sit out Tuesday’s clash against Missouri. They’ve been pretty unpredictable thus far, suffering some surprising losses, but also thrashing off Florida 76-58 and LSU 82-69. 

Kentucky can be quite shorthanded in this one, so we’re backing the Tigers to win and cover a 4.5-point spread. Mizzou has played well on both sides of the ball so far this season, and the Tigers will be fired up to beat the Wildcats after 11 defeats in their previous 12 encounters. 


College basketball pick – Missouri by 5. 

Florida State vs Boston College 

The Boston College Eagles have some serious issues with COVID-19. They can count on just four scholarship players, so don’t hesitate to jump on the #20 Florida Seminoles despite a huge spread. 

The Eagles are 3-10 on the season and 1-6 in the conference play. The Seminoles (10-3, 6-2 Conf.) have just snapped a five-game win streak with an 80-70 defeat at Notre Dame, so this is a nice opportunity for them to bounce back. 


Boston College allows 100.0 points per 100 possessions (136th), so the shorthanded Eagles won’t stand a chance against the Seminoles who score 114.7 points per 100 possessions (13th). Florida State is 11-3 straight up and 9-4-1 ATS in its last 14 games against Boston College. 

College basketball pick – Florida State by 13.

Illinois vs Indiana  

The Big Ten showdown in Bloomington will wrap up Tuesday’s slate, and the Hoosiers opened as 3.5-point home dogs. They’ve been pretty much hit-or-miss lately, going 2-3 SU and 3-2 ATS over their previous five outings. Indiana is coming off a 74-70 home defeat to Rutgers as a 5-point fave, and the Hoosiers are 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS in their last five showings on the home court. 


The Hoosiers love to play at a slow pace, racking up 66.3 possessions per 40 minutes, and will have to slow down the Fighting Illini who average 70.4 possessions per 40 minutes.

Indiana will deal with one of the best offensive teams in college basketball, as Illinois scores 116.9 points per 100 possessions (7th) on 50.8% shooting from the field (11th) and 39.9% from downtown (8th). 

The Fighting Illini will search for their third straight victory, coming off an 80-75 home win over #7 Iowa. They already beat Indiana this season, 69-60 as 6.5-point home favorites, and will look for their third consecutive win over the Hoosiers, too. 

Ayo Dosunmu went off for 30 points and five assists versus Indiana in December, while Kofi Cockburn added 15 points and 15 boards. We’re looking for this duo to make the difference once more. 


College Basketball Pick – Illinois by 4.

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