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Saturday College Basketball Best Bets | February 8, 2025
Written by: Colby Marchio
Last Updated:
Read Time: 5 minutes
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Saturday’s college basketball slate offers plenty of value, and we are focusing on two games. Virginia and Georgia Tech recently surprised the ACC, but do not expect an exciting matchup when these defensive teams meet in Charlottesville. Out west, Northwestern’s struggles on the road collide with Washington’s fast-paced offense, setting the stage for an intriguing Big Ten showdown.
Let’s get into the best bets!
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Georgia Tech vs Virginia Best Bet
How will Virginia respond after their biggest win of the season?
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Heading into Saturday’s slate, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Virginia Cavaliers are fresh off their biggest wins of the season. The Yellow Jackets upset Clemson on the road as 12-point underdogs, while the Cavaliers took down Pitt on the road as 13-point underdogs. Now, with Virginia hosting this matchup, the under at John Paul Jones Arena feels like the right play.
Rock Fight Incoming
Virginia loves to run at retirement speed—a slow, methodical pace. They lean heavily on their defense to stay competitive, and their offense ranks among the worst in the ACC. The Cavaliers are third-worst in adjusted offensive efficiency, offensive rebounding, and free throw rate. They rank 11th out of 18 in two-point percentage and sit 10th in effective field goal percentage. Historically known as an under machine, Virginia has flipped the script a bit this season, going 13-9 to the over. However, they are coming off their best game of the year, shooting 56% from the floor, 45.5% from beyond the arc, and dominating the boards against Pitt. Some regression feels inevitable.
On the other side, Georgia Tech has been a reliable under team. In 13 games as underdogs, the Yellow Jackets are 10-3 to the under. Road games have been a struggle, with Georgia Tech ranked 15th worst away from home, per Haslametrics. Their win over Clemson was their Super Bowl. Offensively, they mirror Virginia’s struggles, sitting near the bottom of the ACC. They are inefficient from beyond the arc and the free-throw line, ranking in the bottom 50 nationally in both categories. Defensively, they hold their own, ranked 53rd in adjusted defensive efficiency. They excel at forcing turnovers and play disciplined defense, ranking top five in the conference in both categories when on the road.
With both teams riding high from their biggest wins of the season, there is only one direction to lean in this game—root for bricks. Expect points at a premium. Take the under.
Best Bet: Full Game Under 131.5 (-109) on BetOnline
Northwestern vs Washington Best Bet
Can Washington bounce back after their loss to Nebraska?
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After hitting a game-winner against USC on Tuesday, the Wildcats head out west for the first time since non-conference play. This will be Northwestern’s longest trip of the season, and now they face a Washington Huskies team coming off a home loss to the Cornhuskers on Wednesday.
Jetlag Cats
Road games have been a major struggle for the Wildcats this season. They are 2-7 away from home and 0-6 in true road games. The furthest they have traveled for true road games was to Dayton, Ohio, back on November 9th. According to Haslametrics, Northwestern ranks as the 85th worst team away from home. Their issues include poor interior defense, frequent fouling, and an inability to get to the free-throw line themselves.
Washington will look to control the pace, pushing the tempo at a top-110 speed. The Huskies are middle of the pack on both ends of the court. They defend the three-point line well, are efficient around the rim, and rank in the top 150 in defensive rebounding. However, they are coming off a game where they allowed Nebraska to shoot 52.7% from the field and an alarming 57.9% from deep.
If Washington can shut down Northwestern’s 227th-ranked three-point offense, force turnovers, capitalize at the free-throw line, and dictate a faster tempo, the Huskies should come out on top.
Best Bet: Washington Moneyline (-134) on BetOnline
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Former D1 (club) baseball player, Colby has been betting since his college days at DePaul, where he had to endure the worst collegiate basketball the Big East has ever seen. He is an advanced analytics nerd who spends his free time on Bart Torvik, Ken Pom and Batters-Box.com. He has never seen an underdog he has not liked. Hot. Corn. Bull. It does not matter the dog he loves them all.
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