The 2025-26 college basketball season is in full swing, and we’re here to help you cash in on the action. Let’s dive into the top college basketball best bets today for Tuesday, February 24th. We have multiple Top 25 teams on the schedule with plenty of intriguing matchups on tap. Don’t miss out on the best college basketball picks below as you cash your own bets. Note all odds and betting lines are accurate as of this writing, but are always subject to change. Good luck! 

College Basketball Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 2/24

Our college basketball best bets today begin with an SEC matchup between Kentucky and South Carolina. Can the Wildcats break their losing streak tonight? Plus, we break down a late-night Big 12 battle as BYU hosts UCF. Check out more college basketball predictions below for other games today, including Arizona vs. Baylor and Duke vs. Notre Dame. Let’s jump in.  

 

 

 

Kentucky vs. South Carolina Prediction: Tuesday, 2/24

Kentucky has now dropped three straight games after losing a nail-biter on the road at Auburn over the weekend. The Wildcats could’ve easily pulled out the win, though they lost in the final seconds. Tuesday night’s matchup at South Carolina presents a nice get-right opportunity for Mark Pope’s squad, which should be motivated to get back in the win column.  

These recent losses for Kentucky have all come against formidable SEC opponents currently in the NCAA Tournament picture – Florida, Georgia, and Auburn. Before that, the Wildcats won 8 of their previous 9 games. The competition now gets much easier tonight, even on the road. 

South Carolina is just 3-11 in SEC play. It did beat Mississippi State over the weekend, but that was against an opponent that’s 3-9 over its last 12 contests. Before the win, the Gamecocks had lost 7 straight games, 5 of them by double digits. They also lost 10 of their previous 11 games before Saturday’s victory. 

Kentucky should be licking its chops at this matchup. Per KenPom, South Carolina has the SEC’s worst defense and the second-worst offense during conference play. The Gamecocks’ offense has been especially dreadful. They rank dead last in three-point shooting, two-point shooting, and offensive rebounding in league action. 

UK’s defense has had some issues lately, but that’s also come against the potent offenses of Florida, Georgia, and Auburn. The Wildcats still rank 33rd nationally in defensive efficiency this year. South Carolina tends to be a one-man offensive show with guard Meechie Johnson as the focal point. Kentucky has enough backcourt defense to keep him in check. 

On the other end, the Gamecocks rank 312th in the country in defensive turnover rate and 276th in defensive rebounding rate. Combine those weaknesses with Kentucky shooting an improved 35.9% from three in conference play (3rd in SEC). It should be enough for the ‘Cats to build and maintain a lead. 

Furthermore, South Carolina is just 2-5 SU and ATS as a home underdog in conference play this season. Plus, three of those losses were double-digit deficits to Florida, Vanderbilt, and Missouri. We could add Kentucky to the list on Tuesday. This is a game the ‘Cats need to win and gain confidence from before ending the season with Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, and Florida. 

UCF vs. BYU Prediction: Tuesday, 2/24

After losing to Arizona last week, BYU bounced back in a big way with a 10-point home win over Iowa State on Saturday. The arrow is pointing up for the Cougars now as they gear up for the postseason. Let’s back them to get another comfortable victory with UCF coming to town. 

On the surface, BYU and UCF have similar resumes. The Cougs are 20-7 overall and 8-6 in the Big 12. Meanwhile, the Knights are 19-7 overall and 8-6 in conference play. However, the advanced and predictive metrics tell a different story. BYU is currently ranked 19th in the NET, 21st at KenPom, and 25th at BartTorvik. UCF is 46th, 49th, and 50th in those respective ranks. 

BYU is a slight tier above UCF this year. Yes, the Cougars are just 4-6 over their past 10 games. Yet, 5 of those losses have come against top Big 12 teams like Houston, Arizona (twice), Kansas, and Texas Tech. They’ve mostly taken care of business against teams worse than them, like UCF tonight. 

The season-ending injury to Richie Saunders is still something BYU has to deal with. However, Saturday’s game was an encouraging sign that the offense can adapt. Kennard Davis stepped up with 17 points, while senior big man Mihailo Boskovic put up 13 points in his new starting role. Plus, AJ Dybantsa is doing his thing with 29 and 35 points in the past two games without Saunders. 

BYU still has plenty of offensive firepower to make up for Saunders’ lost production. It’s not ideal, but the role players outside of Dybantsa have the upside. Plus, let’s not forget about Robert Wright being a 1B playmaker in the offense. 

The BYU offense can set the tone at home tonight and make it tough for UCF to keep pace. The Cougars are averaging 83.8 PPG in conference play, while the Knights are allowing 79.1 PPG to league opponents. BYU’s interior scoring will especially be a factor. It ranks 1st in the Big 12 in two-point shooting percentage (40th in Division I), while UCF is dead last in two-point defense (and 291st nationally). 

In an uptempo game tonight, we could see BYU put up 90 points or more and stretch out a lead. Dybantsa and Wright can both score plenty in the paint with their elite abilities to get to the rim. Plus, UCF doesn’t exactly have a defensive stopper to match up with Dybantsa on the wing. 

The UCF offense has shown upside this year, and BYU’s defense has also been inconsistent over the last month. Still, the Knights may be in a tough spot tonight. Leading scorer Riley Kugel is questionable to play after missing the last game. In his absence, the offense leaned way too heavily on point guard Themus Fulks. That may have worked against a bad Utah team, but BYU is better defensively. 

It’s also notable that UCF has previously struggled to compete in its tougher road conference games so far. It lost by 30 points at Iowa State and by 24 at Houston. The Knights even suffered 20 and 11-point defeats at Cincinnati and Oklahoma State, respectively. Let’s take BYU to cover as the double-digit home favorite. The Cougars are overdue for a blowout win, and it could be coming tonight. 

 

 

 

Best College Basketball Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 2/21

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