Best College Basketball Picks Today: Top Two Big East Teams Fight For No. 1 Spot

Tuesday night’s college basketball slate features an enthralling Big East battle between the Marquette Golden Eagles and St. John’s Red Storm. 

The winner of that game will either create separation for the top spot in the Big East (St. John’s) or overtake it (Marquette).

Additionally, the Indiana Hoosiers will look to snap a 27-year long road losing streak to the Wisconsin Badgers.

Does it get any better than this? Find our best college basketball picks today for these two must-watch matchups below!

Odds for today's college basketball games are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Place a $5 bet at FanDuel and Get $200 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins

Indiana @ No. 21 Wisconsin

• Date: Tuesday, February 4

• Time: 9:00 PM ET

• Moneyline: Indiana +390 | Wisconsin -530

• Spread: Indiana +9.5 (-102) | Wisconsin -9.5 (-120)

• Total: Over 150.5 (-115) | Under 150.5 (-105)

All odds are available via FanDuel Sportsbook but are subject to change.

PICK: Wisconsin -9.5 (-120) at FanDuel

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Simply put, Wisconsin is a much better team on both ends of the floor than Indiana. 

The Badgers have the seventh-ranked offense (KenPom) in the country behind a trio of elite guards, including Max Klesmit, John Blackwell, and John Tonje.

Wisconsin also shoots the highest free throw percentage in college basketball, which does not bode well for the Hoosiers, who commit nearly 19 fouls per game on the road.

The Badgers have also been shooting the lights out of the ball from deep recently, firing at a 40.6% clip from behind the arc over their past three games.

The road losing streak against Wisconsin will continue for the Hoosiers on Tuesday night.

Wisconsin Prediction

Expectations for the Wisconsin Badgers were certainly not that high after they lost leading scorer AJ Storr, veteran point guard Chucky Hepburn, and talented big man Tyler Wahl in the offseason.

Storr and Hepburn transferred to Kansas and Louisville, respectively, while Wahl ran out of eligibility.

Despite losing so much firepower, the Badgers have the seventh-ranked offense in the country behind John Tonje, their talented three-level scoring guard.

Recently, Tonje has been unstoppable, averaging 25.3 points on 53.2% shooting from the floor and 56.8% shooting from 3-point land.

While senior guard Max Klesmit has struggled shooting the ball this season, he could get hot at any time, especially against an Indiana team that he has had previous success against in the past.

In fact, Klesmit had a 26-point outing against the Hoosiers during the Badgers’ 2023-24 campaign, converting on eight of his 11 shots from the field.

If Klesmit finds some of that magic again on Tuesday, and Tonje shoots as well as he has been in the past few weeks, the Hoosiers could be in for a world of hurt.

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Indiana Prediction

It has been nearly 27 years since the Indiana Hoosiers beat the Wisconsin Badgers on their home floor. 

Yes, it’s true. 

The last time Indiana was able to secure a road win over Wisconsin, Bill Clinton was the President of the United States, and Bob Knight was the Hoosiers’ head coach.

Now, the Hoosiers hope to snap that streak and secure a Quad 1 win, which will be imperative if they want to find themselves in the Field of 64 when the NCAA Tournament rolls around.

Indiana almost upset top-ten rival Purdue on the road in its last outing but fell short due to a late-game collapse.

The Hoosiers got improved play from Trey Galloway, who posted 13 second half points to keep them within striking distance at the end of the game. 

Further, Mackenzie Mgbako was on fire, pouring in 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting, while Luke Goode also chipped in 13 points.

It was undoubtedly the best performance from the Hoosiers this season; however, rivalry games can bring out the best in all sorts of teams, whether bad, average, good, or great.

And one impressive performance does not make this Indiana team great, or even good.

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No. 11 Marquette @ No. 12 St. John’s

• Date: Tuesday, February 4

• Time: 6:30 PM ET

• Moneyline: Marquette +126 | St. John’s -152

• Spread: Marquette +2.5 (-102) | St. John’s -2.5 (-120)

• Total: Over 146.5 (-110) | Under 146.5 (-110)

All odds are available via FanDuel Sportsbook but are subject to change.

PICK: Marquette +3 (-115) at FanDuel

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St. John’s chaotic pace and defensive pressure usually results in opponents turning the ball over. Thus, the Johnnies are able to find easy offense in transition. 

That is where the Golden Eagles pose a bit of a problem for St. John’s; they almost never turn the ball over, ranking first nationally in turnovers per game.

If Marquette slows this game down, it will have the obvious advantage, as it has a top 30 offense behind elite scoring guard Kam Jones.

Additionally, Marquette can focus on packing the paint in the half-court defensively since the Johnnies shoot 30% from the 3-point line this season, one of the worst marks in the country.

Unfortunately, they have shot even worse in their past three games, so scoring will be hard to come by for them. I’ll take the Golden Eagles with the points.

Marquette Prediction

The big question for the Marquette Golden Eagles entering their 2024-25 campaign was how they would fare without star point guard, facilitator, and floor general, Tyler Kolek, who departed for the NBA.

Kolek spearheaded Marquette’s offense, averaging just shy of 8 assists per game on a hyper efficient 50/39/85 shooting split in 2023-24. 

Without Kolek, who would step up as the primary playmaker and facilitator?

Kam Jones quickly answered that question; he has averaged just shy of 7 assists per game this season while also pouring in 19 points per game on 49% shooting.

Jones, along with other returners David Joplin, Stevie Mitchell, Chase Ross, and Ben Gold, have kept Marquette afloat, as the Golden Eagles have the 28th-ranked offense and 16th-ranked defense, per KenPom.

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St. John’s Prediction

It should come as no surprise that head coach Rick Pitino has built a strong program at St. John’s; however, it is a bit surprising how quickly the Johnnies have become nationally relevant.

As a matter of fact, they sit in 16th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin and boast the fourth-ranked defense nationally.

Part of St. John’s strategy is to play at a neck-breaking pace (49th in adjusted tempo) that makes opponents uncomfortable.

The Johnnies like to apply pressure and, consequently, force a ton of turnovers (seventh in opponent turnovers per game).

Entering this game, the Red Storm have a 10-1 record in Big East play, and a win against Marquette would give them a bit more breathing room. 

They are 14-0 on their home floor and have the 11th-highest average scoring margin nationally, so a win is possible, even against a tough Marquette team.

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