This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series.
Wednesday's college hoops slate turns it up a notch, as many more teams join the conference tournament fray. Here are my predictions for a pair of SEC clashes and a tight Big East battle.
Getting ready for March Madness? For the latest in the projected field of 68 for 2025 NCAA Tournament, head to the RotoWire Bracketology page.
Texas 
vs. Vanderbilt
The Longhorns have been struggling over the past month, losing seven of their last nine games. Their only wins in that span were a four-point home win against Kentucky, a game where they trailed by five with four minutes remaining, and an overtime win against Mississippi State. The wins count all the same, but these weren't very convincing performances. And, although the SEC is stacked this season, it's worth noting that one of the Longhorns' recent losses came against South Carolina, the team at the bottom of the standings after winning just two total conference games.
In contrast, the Commodores have won three of their last five games, including three consecutive wins against Mississippi, Texas A&M (on the road), and Missouri. Their success has been primarily due to their scoring output, with defense being less of a priority. During the SEC conference season, they finished with the worst defensive efficiency rating, though it's worth noting they were respectable in two important areas that should help them on Wednesday. First, Vanderbilt recorded the fourth-highest defensive turnover percentage in the SEC and the ninth-highest defensive rebounding percentage. Both of these are better than Texas' offense, which ranks fifth in turnovers and 11th in offensive rebounding.
The Commodores have had much greater success when playing in the other direction. Vanderbilt posted the 25th-highest offensive efficiency rating in the nation and recorded the ninth-best rating during the SEC conference season, a respectable standing this year considering the competition. Texas, for comparison, was 52nd in defensive efficiency and 11th among SEC teams, giving Vanderbilt's offense the overall edge. The Commodores' best traits are their low turnover percentage, 31st in the nation, and concentration on the glass, where they're 101st in offensive rebounding percentage. The Longhorns rank 134th on the defensive glass and don't cause many turnovers, being 197th among all D-1 teams. Vanderbilt should be able to get a shot off on most possessions. The Commodores made 49 percent of two-point attempts against SEC opponents and 33 percent of three-point attempts, yielding the 11th-highest effective field goal percentage in the league.
Overall, I prefer Vanderbilt because it has the better offensive attack and the more aggressive defense. It doesn't always succeed, but when it does, it's capable of holding a team like Kentucky to just 69 points in a five-point victory. When Vanderbilt and Texas first clashed in Nashville in early February, the Commodores won by eight points. Based on the matchup, I believe they'll emerge victorious once again. I'm taking Vanderbilt.
College Basketball Best Bet: Vanderbilt -1.5
New to the world of college basketball betting? Review our college basketball betting promos to get the best deals for new customers.
Butler 
vs. Providence
These two teams have similar profiles, the difference being Butler has a substantially better offensive attack.
The Bulldogs recorded the 42nd-highest offensive efficiency rating among all D-1 teams and had the fifth-highest rating during the Big East conference season. These two marks are significantly better than the Friars' defense, which ranked 135th in the nation and fourth-worst in the Big East. We see a similar difference down the line in other important categories. For example, Butler's offense ranks in the top four of the conference in effective field goal percentage, turnover percentage, and free-throw attempt rate. In contrast, Providence's defense ranks seventh or worse in the same areas. It's worth noting that the Bulldogs will likely have a pronounced advantage at the charity stripe, as they have the second-best free-throw attempt rate in the Big East, and Providence has the third-worst allowed. Butler made 75 percent of its foul shots, which is top 100 in the nation, so this is an area that could make a difference if Providence's fouling habit continues.
We have a much tighter matchup at the other end of the court, where Providence's offense finished the Big East conference season with the eighth-best efficiency rating, and Butler's defense finished ninth. Butler's biggest defensive weakness is its lack of turnovers, logging the worst percentage in the league. Conveniently for the Bulldogs, Wednesday's opponent had the worst turnover percentage on the offensive side of the court. Specifically, the Friars had the second-worst offensive steal and non-steal turnover percentages, suggesting that their giveaway issues are just as much unforced as they are forced. Either way, this problem has hindered Providence throughout the season, regardless of the opponent. Even though Providence's offense has a slight edge in efficiency, Butler's defense has it beat by a slim margin in other key categories such as rebounding and free-throw attempt rate. Additionally, the Friars have scored 39 percent of their total points off three-pointers, the 20th-highest percentage among all D-1 teams. This reliance on a perimeter attack might pose a problem against a team like Butler, which has had success against long-range shots, holding opponents to under 32 percent.
These two teams split the season series, with each team holding serve on its homecourt. Anything is possible with a team that hoists up three-pointers as often as Providence, but I'm betting that the better overall and fundamentally sound offensive team will advance to the next round of the Big East tournament. I'm going with Butler in this one.
College Basketball Best Bet: Butler -1.5
Looking for a sportsbook to get started with? Find the best college basketball betting sites and apps for 2025 March Madness.
Oklahoma 
vs. Georgia 
The Bulldogs will pose a stern defensive test when the Sooners have the ball on Wednesday. Oklahoma went undefeated during the non-conference season, mainly on the strength of its offense. It recorded the 24th-highest offensive efficiency rating for the whole season, but it wasn't nearly as productive during league competition, ranking 11th among SEC teams. At the same time, Georgia's defense has played at a high level throughout the entire season. Coincidentally, Georgia has the 24th-best efficiency rating on defense, and, unlike the Sooners, it played well against the SEC gauntlet, ranking sixth in efficiency during the conference season. The most significant mismatch is in the turnover department, where the Bulldogs constantly hound opponents and have earned the seventh-highest turnover percentage in the SEC. The Sooners' offense is at the other end of the scale, recording the fourth-worst offensive turnover percentage in the league. It is also the third-worst in non-steal turnovers, so a good amount of the giveaways are of the unforced variety. Aside from turnovers, Georgia exhibited great overall defense, ranking fifth in two-point and three-point field goal percentages allowed, matching or beating Oklahoma's offense in the same categories. Add everything up, and Georgia's defense has a decisive edge at this end.
When the Bulldogs have the ball, they will clash against a somewhat underwhelming defense. Oklahoma ranked 69th in defensive efficiency for the whole season but ranked third-worst among SEC teams during conference play. The Sooners have the eighth-highest turnover percentage but rank 11th or worse in the league in effective field goal percentage allowed, rebounding, and free-throw attempt rate. The latter might haunt them on Wednesday as Georgia's offensive strengths lie on the glass and at the charity stripe. The Bulldogs had the fourth-highest offensive rebounding percentage during league play and the sixth-highest free-throw attempt rate, giving them multiple ways of scoring if their initial shot attempts don't fall.
The bottom line is that Georgia has a much better defense and a key offensive rebounding advantage. Given these two facts, I'm taking the Bulldogs.
College Basketball Best Bet: Georgia -3
Think your team has what it takes to win it all in March Madness? Find College Basketball National Championship Odds and other college basketball futures bets across multiple sportsbooks on RotoWire.
Wednesday College Basketball Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best college basketball bets for Wednesday:
- Vanderbilt -1.5
- Butler -1.5
- Georgia -3
For up-to-date information on the latest college basketball betting odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the college basketball odds page on RotoWire.
