3 College Basketball Best Bets: One ACC Angle, One Big Ten ML, One Big 12 'Dog

In my line of work, there are two mandatory days for betting on college basketball now that football season is over, and March Madness is around the corner: Tuesday and Saturday. For instance, there are 10 games featuring top-25 teams scheduled for Tuesday. 

Disclaimer: I'm parachuting into the college basketball season, rather than being a diehard fan. However, this helps me take a non-biased approach to betting college hoops. (Sort of. St. John's University is my alma mater, so every pro-Red Storm has my bias baked in.) 

My process involves examining team profiles, betting splits, head-to-head and situational trends, and other random sh*t. Does it work? Not at the moment. Either way, I need something to write about to justify my employment in the non-football months. With that in mind, here are my looks for Tuesday.

College Hoops Bet Slip

• NC State Wolfpack -7 (-110), up to -8, vs. North Carolina Tar Heels via Caesars Sportsbook, risking 1.1u.
• Iowa Hawkeyes moneyline (-120)*, up to -135, vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers via FanDuel, risking 1.2u.
• Kansas State Wildcats +4 (-110), down to +3, vs. Baylor Bears via Caesars Sportsbook, risking 1.1u.

#16 North Carolina Tar Heels at NC State Wolfpack (-7), 7 p.m. ET 

First of all, NC State head coach Will Wade is much better than North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis. Wade’s last four teams have won 20+ games under him, including McNeese State, which won 56 games and made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments before Wade signed with the Wolfpack this offseason. 

All of my UNC fan buddies think the program has regressed since Davis took over for Roy Williams in 2022. More importantly, the Tar Heels are missing their best player, superstar freshman big Caleb Wilson, who leads the team in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks per game. Lastly, NC State has a better net rating in ACC play, which includes Wilson for most of the season. 

Prediction: NC State 88, North Carolina 78

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#9 Nebraska Cornhuskers at Iowa Hawkeyes (-120)*, 9 p.m. ET 

The "asterisk" is because I already gave Iowa's moneyline out in Tuesday's OutKick newsletter. 

My analysis of the Big Ten showdown between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Iowa Hawkeyes in college basketball Tuesday for the OutKick newsletter. 

Baylor Bears at Kansas State Wildcats (+4), 9 p.m. ET

I'm betting on Kansas State getting a "dead-cat bounce". This is when a team plays better after firing their head coach, and the Wildcats gave now-former head coach Jerome Tang his walking papers for trashing his players following a 14-point loss to Houston Valentine's Day. Given Tang's comments, this is the perfect example of a "dead-cat bounce". 

I mean, Tang ripping into his former team was justified. Kansas State is 10-15, 1-11 in Big XII games, and just three years removed from an Elite Eight appearance. Plus, with NIL, these college basketball players in power conferences are getting paid, so they can't hide behind the "student-athlete" label anymore. 

Besides the "dead-cat bounce," I'm fading Baylor as a road favorite. This line is suspiciously low considering KSU's situation, and the Bears are 4-8 against the spread in conference play and have lost three straight games. Lastly, I watched my Johnnies crush Baylor earlier this season, and I don't think this team is good. See, my St. John's bias comes full circle. 

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Follow me on X (or Twitter, whatever) @Geoffery-Clark, and check out my OutKick Bets Podcast for more betting content and random rants. Track my 2025-26 college basketball best bets here.