This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series.
Wednesday's CBB betting slate brings us another helping of pivotal conference clashes throughout the country. Today, my best bets highlight a few underdogs I like in some SEC and Big East battles.
Top College Basketball Best Bets for Today
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Tennessee 
at Georgia 
Tennessee's offense has a gargantuan advantage over Georgia.
The Vols boast the nation's highest rebounding percentage, while the Bulldogs have been dreadful on the defensive glass, ranking 307th. These season-long trends have played out exactly as we'd expect against SEC competition: the Vols rank second in offensive rebounding percentage during the conference season, while the Bulldogs rank last.
This advantage is exactly as critical as it sounds. According to KenPom's data, Tennessee's offensive production is significantly correlated to its success, to an extreme extent, with the correlation value nearly as high as that of its effective field goal percentage. Additionally, when Georgia's defense fails to secure rebounds, its offensive rating is more negatively affected than its defense, suggesting that Georgia's offense is fueled by opponents' missed shots.
At the other end of the court, Tennessee has generally performed up to its usual defensive standards. Head coach Rick Barnes has made elite defense a signature of Tennessee, and this year's squad has mostly upheld that tradition. The Vols have the 14th-best adjusted defensive rating and rarely give up easy looks. They are holding opponents to the 19th-lowest effective field goal percentage nationally, including under 48 percent on two-point attempts (50th).
The interior defense is important in this matchup because Georgia cannot reliably score from the perimeter. The Bulldogs have made 32 percent of three-pointers for the whole season (262nd), including 33 percent against SEC opponents, so Tennessee appears built to stop them.
Given Tennessee's monster advantage on offense and its usual top-of-the-line defense, I'm taking the Vols in this matchup.
College Basketball Best Bet: Tennessee +2.5
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Texas 
at Auburn
The Longhorns don't always show up on defense, but their offensive attack is proving to be a dangerous unit. Primarily on the strength of their scoring abilities, Texas has already defeated N.C. State, Alabama (on the road), and Vanderbilt, underscoring its high ceiling.
Auburn's defense has played well at times, but it's also allowing many open looks against league opponents. Since the conference season began, Auburn has allowed the second-worst effective field goal percentage in the SEC. Coincidentally, Texas's offense has the second-highest effective field-goal percentage over the same span.
Wednesday's matchup presents a tough challenge for the Longhorns' defense, but they appear capable of making stops based on the opponent's skill set. Specifically, Auburn has increasingly been unable to score from the perimeter. The Tigers have made under 33 percent of three-point attempts (233rd), and they've gone particularly dry in recent weeks, making under 27 percent against SEC opponents, the second-worst mark in the league. During the conference season, Auburn has scored just 20 percent of its total points off of three-pointers, the lowest mark in the SEC.
This is welcome news for the Longhorns' defense, as they've been much better at guarding the paint than the perimeter. Texas is holding opponents to under 48 percent on two-point attempts (46th), including holding SEC opponents to 51 percent, the fifth-best mark in the league.
There's a chance Texas will get torched on defense, but I'm betting its offense will keep pace with an Auburn team that has played inconsistent defense. Texas already has multiple wins against teams with higher offensive and defensive ratings. I'm taking the points in this spot.
College Basketball Best Bet: Texas +6.5
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Xavier 
at Seton Hall
It's not unusual to hear the notion, almost a cliché, that a team is "close" to a breakthrough or to turning a season around. And yet, this sentiment almost perfectly describes Xavier.
The Musketeers have won just two of their last five games, and all three losses in that span easily could've flipped in their favor. Two of the losses were by a single point on the road, with the deciding basket coming on the final made shot of the game. The most recent loss was by five points to St. John's, a game in which Xavier held a 16-point lead in the second-half and a one-point lead with a minute remaining.
Looking ahead to Wednesday's matchup, Xavier appears to have the right skillset to get back in the win column. The Musketeers aren't the best defensive team in the Big East, but they're among the best at defensive rebounding, posting the second-highest percentage during conference play, an essential skill when facing Seton Hall because offensive rebounding is the only thing the Pirates do well.
Seton Hall is the worst offensive team in the Big East, ranking last in league play in the following: efficiency, effective field-goal percentage, and two-point and three-point field-goal percentages.
On the other end of the court, the Pirates are arguably elite defensively, though that hasn't prevented them from losing their last four games, during which they've scored fewer than 67 points each.
Seton Hall can be a tough defense to crack, but Xavier faced a very similar team in the Cincinnati Bearcats earlier this year, and the Musketeers still scored 79 points in a win over a team with a very comparable defense. During Big East conference play, Xavier ranks in the top five in effective field goal percentage, turnovers, and three-point field goal percentage, giving them a puncher's chance in most matchups.
For these reasons, I'm going with the Musketeers on Wednesday.
College Basketball Best Bet: Xavier +6.5
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Wednesday College Basketball Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best college basketball bets for Wednesday:
- Tennessee +2.5
- Texas +6.5
- Xavier +6.5
For up-to-date information on the latest college basketball betting odds and props from multiple sources, check out the college basketball odds page on RotoWire.
