Pair of SEC showdowns highlight Wednesday's CBB bets
We almost swept the board on Tuesday night, but a Baylor push gave us a 2-0-1 night. Let's keep it going for Wednesday's slate. Here are our favorite plays.
Alabama @ Auburn (-5.5, O/U 164)
Alabama sits in first place in the SEC, but Auburn only trails by one game.
Auburn's hit some bumps in the road but is undoubtedly an SEC contender. These teams met on Jan. 24 at Alabama, and the Crimson Tide escaped with a four-point win. Auburn shot 20% from three in that contest. Auburn's by no means an elite 3-point shooting team, but it's unlikely to shoot that poorly Wednesday night.
The Tigers have the luxury of playing at home, where they're 7-4 as a favorite. Auburn is ranked fifth on KenPom, two spots ahead of Alabama. The Tigers don't turn the ball over and rebound it well, especially at home. If they can successfully do those two things, they should handily defeat the Crimson Tide.
Pick: Auburn -5.5
Texas A&M @ Missouri (+4.5, O/U 140.5)
It's never fun to take road favorites, but fading Missouri - regardless of venue - has been a profitable strategy. Missouri is 2-10 against the spread at home this season.
The Tigers have a case as the worst team in the SEC and are in the midst of a nine-game losing streak. They've yet to win a single conference contest (0-9) and are 1-8 against the spread in conference games. The Tigers can't consistently score and struggle to stop opposing offenses.
It's hard to trust an inconsistent Texas A&M group - which beat Missouri by six at home a couple of weeks ago - but the Aggies have an impressive win over Kentucky and close losses to Florida and Ole Miss. However, this is more about a broken Missouri team than an up-and-down Texas A&M squad.
Pick: Texas A&M -4.5
Northwestern team total: Over 73.5 points
Northwestern welcomes Nebraska to Evanston, Illinois, as the Cornhuskers attempt to bolster their resume to solidify an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, Northwestern is well on its way to another tournament appearance.
The problem for Nebraska is it struggles on the road, which could hurt its resume when Selection Sunday arrives. The Cornhuskers are 1-6 away from home.
Northwestern's offense is more prolific at home and is going up against a suspect Nebraska defense. Nebraska has the Big Ten's fifth-worst scoring defense.
Northwestern averages 86.2 points per game at home against conference competition, while Nebraska has allowed 84 points per game to conference opponents on the road this season.
Nebraska beat Northwestern earlier this season at Nebraska, so the Wildcats should be extra motivated to avenge that loss.
Odds: -125 (playable to -140)
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.