NCAA Basketball Best Bets: Top Picks for Tuesday (January 27)

College hoops is back in full swing. With 2026 off and running, there are betting opportunities nearly every day between now and April. We’ve got you covered for Tuesday!

Where to Watch Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Michigan Wolverines

Venue: Crisler Center
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Where to Watch: Peacock
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Michigan Wolverines Betting Odds

Spread: NEB +10.5 (-115) | MICH -10.5 (-105)
Total: Over 156.5 (-106) | Under (-114)
Moneyline: NEB +390 | MICH -610

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Michigan Wolverines Kalshi Odds

Chance: NEB 20% | MICH 80%
Spread: MICH -10.5 Yes (47¢) | No (53¢)
Total: Over 156.5 Yes (53¢) | No (47¢)

Get ready for the Big Ten’s marquee game of the regular season! On Tuesday, the No. 5 Nebraska Cornhuskers (20-0) will head north to meet the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines (18-1). Unless they face off in March Madness, this will be the lone contest of 2026 between the two elite squads.

Under head coach Dusty May, Michigan is one of the top defensive teams in college basketball. Heading into their 20th game of the season, the Wolverines have a 91.9 defensive rating, which ranks fourth in Division I. Additionally, U-M has allowed just 68.6 PPG from opponents.

Undefeated Nebraska enters this bid with unrivaled confidence. The Huskers play a well-rounded brand of basketball under head coach Fred Hoiberg, which has them at their highest spot in the AP Poll in school history. Scoring 80.9 PPG, can Nebraska hang with the big boys in Ann Arbor?

I don’t think the Cornhuskers have the size to match up with the Wolverines, especially when looking at 7-foot-2 Michigan center Aday Mara. Still, laying 10.5 points when taking on an undefeated squad feels overambitious. I’ll take the points with Nebraska — a team that is 12-8 (60%) ATS in 2025-26 — in this spot. SportsGrid’s prediction model agrees, showing Michigan winning by seven points at home.

Best Bet: Nebraska +10.5 (-115)

Where to Watch Kentucky Wildcats vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

Venue: Memorial Gymnasium
Location: Nashville, TN
Where to Watch: ESPN
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Vanderbilt Commodores Betting Odds

Spread: UK +6.5 (-102) | VAND -6.5 (-120)
Total: Over 159.5 (-110) | Under (-110)
Moneyline: UK +270 | VAND -345

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Vanderbilt Commodores Kalshi Odds

Chance: UK 26% | VAND 74%
Spread: VAND -6.5 Yes (52¢) | No (48¢)
Total: Over 158.5 Yes (53¢) | No (47¢)

For an SEC affair in Nashville, let’s have a look at the Kentucky Wildcats (14-6) versus the No. 18 Vanderbilt Commodores (17-3). Notably, Kentucky has a 158-50 all-time record against the Commodores, but this Vanderbilt team is looking to turn the tables in 2026.

The Commodores are enjoying their best basketball season of the millennium. However, following a 16-0 start, they dropped three consecutive games. Vandy returned to the winner’s circle after defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs last weekend, but can they start a new streak against UK? The Commodores can certainly score the rock—they are averaging 90.1 PPG at this juncture.

In 2025-26, blue-blood Kentucky is not dominating the SEC as it is used to. Earlier in January, they lost back-to-back conference games to the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Missouri Tigers. Regardless, the Wildcats have snapped off five consecutive victories since then.

Kentucky has been mediocre on defense this season. The Wildcats display a 101.2 defensive rating, which leads me to believe that UK will have a tough time containing Vanderbilt’s uptempo offense. From there, KenPom has Vandy (13th) listed 15 spots higher than Kentucky (28th).

I like Vanderbilt -6.5 at home. Kentucky has gone 8-12 (40%) ATS this year, and that clip for the Wildcats is even worse on the road (1-3 ATS). SportsGrid’s predictive analytics also prefers laying the points on the Commodores, labeling Vandy -6.5 as a five-star play.