Best Bets for Wednesday’s College Basketball Slate: UConn’s Big East Opener & a Top 15 Matchup

It’s time for some midweek matchups in college basketball with eight AP Top 25 teams in action, including a ranked vs. ranked matchup to close out the night. We break that down and an intriguing Big East opener in downtown Hartford in this Wednesday’s edition of best bets!

Let’s examine the matchups, including tip times, television coverage, betting odds, a brief preview of what to watch, and the best bet.

More CBB: UConn Season Preview | St. John’s Season Preview | Marquette Season Preview

How to Watch Xavier vs No. 11 UConn

• TV: FS1 | Streaming: FOX Sports App
• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET  |  Location: XL Center – Hartford, CT

Xavier vs No. 11 UConn FanDuel Odds

• Spread: Xavier +13.5 (-110) | UConn -13.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Xavier (+680) | UConn (-1100)
• Total: OVER 147.5 (-115) | UNDER 147.5 (-105)

When the schedules were released a few months back, this had the makings of a blockbuster showdown in downtown Hartford just ahead of the holidays. It was a disappointing opening month of the season for Xavier, paired with recent long-term injuries to key players Zach Freemantle and Lassina Traore. They will also have some memories of last year’s disaster game at the XL Center, where the Huskies beat them down 99-56 in one of the worst losses for the Musketeers in recent memory.

UConn will also enter the matchup short-handed in their frontcourt. Starting big Samson Johnson has already been ruled out for the contest, leaving Tarris Reed with most of the paint duties for this evening. He has battled some foul trouble even in limited minutes this season, so he will need to be careful if he doesn’t want to force the team to get deep into their bench or play some small ball.

If the Huskies are forced to do that, it plays into the hands of the over. And if he can stay in the game, there isn’t enough size or post presence on this team without Freemantle to handle Reed’s versatile skillset. This UConn defense is still too suspect for us to lay this many points with them, so we’ll back the over and expect plenty of points in this Big East showdown.

The Pick: Over 147.5 (-115)

How to Watch No. 24 Michigan vs No. 14 Oklahoma

• TV: FS1 | Streaming: FOX Sports App
• Time: 6:30 p.m. ET  |  Location: Gampel Pavilion – Storrs, CT

No. 24 Michigan vs No. 14 Oklahoma FanDuel Odds

• Spread: Michigan -3.5 (-102) | Oklahoma +3.5 (-120)
• Moneyline: Michigan (-154) | Oklahoma (+128)
• Total: OVER 151.5 (-110) | UNDER 151.5 (-110)

What a neutral court showdown we have to round out the Wednesday night slate in Charlotte for the Jumpman Invitational. It’s only been two losses across 20 combined games for these programs, each of which came from the Wolverines at the hands of Wake Forest and Arkansas.

While the Sooners are just one of four undefeated teams remaining in the country, KenPom has not been impressed with their early-season tear. After starting the year at 40th in the rankings, they have only elevated two spots and currently sit at 38th, which is why they remain an underdog in this spot. Some late-game luck and favorable outcomes that helped them take down the Battle 4 Atlantis may be where the metrics see through this team after they won three games by a combined margin of just 12 points last month.

The size of Michigan feels like the biggest advantage for either team in this matchup. The Wolverines are the seventh-tallest team in the country, and head coach Dusty May has not strayed away from playing his two talented seven-footers, Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf, at the same time throughout the year. It’s difficult to see how the Sooners find an answer for so much size in the paint, and that’s what forces us to lean with Michigan in this spot.

The Pick: Michigan -3.5 (-102)

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