Best College Basketball Bets for Wednesday, March 4: Featuring Texas, Arkansas, SMU, and Miami

• Arkansas leads the all-time series vs. Texas, 89-68

• SMU leads the all-time series vs. Miami, 3-0

The best college basketball bets this week will probably not involve Duke, Michigan, Florida or any other team widely expected to make the Tournament field. No, the best games will involve “bubble” teams, guys that are still fighting for a spot in March Madness.

We’ll go over two such games in today’s Best College Basketball Bets post, starting with an SEC battle between the Texas Longhorns and No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks.

Texas Longhorns vs. No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks Odds & Pick

• Spread: Texas +7.5 (-110) | Arkansas -7.5 (-110)

• Moneyline: Texas +290 | Arkansas -375

• Total: OVER 165.5 (-110) | UNDER 165.5 (-110)

Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook. Join FanDuel and claim your welcome offer: Bet $5, Get $100 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins. Get more info on the FanDuel Promo Code in our detailed overview.

Texas started to slide last week with back-to-back losses to Georgia (91-80) and No. 7 Florida (84-71). But managed to stop the bleeding with a 76-70 victory over Texas A&M in College Station, giving them their sixth Quad 1 win of the season.

The Longhorns have a fairly balanced offensive attack, with four players averaging over 13 points per game, led by Dailyn Swain (the most efficient scorer in Division I) at 17.7 points per game. However, they are inconsistent from the three-point range, have struggled against aggressive defenses, and have trouble closing out games.

Texas is a .500 team on the road this season, 5-5.

As for Arkansas, the Razorbacks are coming off a bad loss to Florida State, 111-77, and have lost two of their last four (the second being a 117-115 2OT loss to Alabama).

Against most teams, scoring points has not been an issue for them. Arkansas has the No. 5 scoring offense in the country at 89.8 points per game (No. 5 in the country). Stopping opponents from scoring, however, has been a challenge (No. 322, 79.7 points per game).

• My Pick: OVER 165.5 at FanDuel

Such a TOTAL is asking an awful lot from both offenses, but it is something they can deliver on.

Texas has one of the worst perimeter defenses in the SEC; the Razorbacks are going to light them up from behind the arc. Arkansas’ dreadful defense has let opponents hit 56.8% of their 2-point shots, which plays right into the Longhorns’ inside game.

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No. 22 Miami Hurricanes vs. SMU Mustangs Odds & Pick

• Spread: Miami +1.5 (-115) | SMU -1.5 (-105)         

• Moneyline: Miami +102 | SMU -122

• Total: OVER 160.5 (-110) | UNDER 160.5 (-110)

Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook

This line makes no sense.

Miami has a better record, 23-6, 12-4 ACC, compared to SMU's 19-10, 8-8 ACC. The Mustangs have a great offense (No. 19 in the country, 85.8 points per game), but struggle on defense (No. 292, 78 points per game).

Miami scores well (82.6 points per game; No. 49) and does a solid job on defense, too (70 points per game). The Hurricanes are also coming into this game on a two-game win streak with victories in six of their last seven.

SMU has lost its last two and three of its last five. But the Mustangs have been great at home this season (15-2). Miami’s defense is efficient, but it will not slow down the Mustangs’ high-scoring offensive attack too much. SMU has an edge from three-point range, but Miami has a solid, balanced offense that will put up some points on the Mustangs lackluster defense. 

• My Pick: Miami ML at +102 via FanDuel

SMU is a good team, but with its faults. It can and should be competitive against Miami. But I can see no reason as to why they are the betting favorite. They haven’t been playing better, nor have they played better in recent weeks. 

Okay, SMU is hosting; that will get you a couple of points.

But Miami is the better team in this game. It may stay close in the first half if SMU heats up from three-point range and the Miami offense gets off to a sluggish start. But the Hurricanes will adjust in the second half and take control of the game.

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