Best College Basketball Picks Today: Can Tennessee Shake Off Rough SEC Start

Despite being the fourth-ranked team, the Tennessee Volunteers have had a tough start to their conference season, winning just five of their nine SEC games thus far.

While an SEC regular season championship is not in the cards, the Vols can still work towards locking down a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

Tonight’s game against Missouri would certainly help their cause.

Keep reading below to find out which team we think will win this SEC showdown and our best college basketball picks today!

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

No. 2 Duke @ Syracuse Odds

• Date: Wednesday, February 5

• Time: 7:00 pm EST

• Moneyline: Duke -3200 | Syracuse +1400

• Spread: Duke -18.5 (-110) | Syracuse +18.5 (-110)

• Total: Over 143 (-110) | Under 143 (-110)

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

PICK: Duke -18.5 (-110) at FanDuel

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Duke should cruise to a victory behind Flagg and the rest of this uber talented Blue Devils squad.

The Blue Devils have appeared to be virtually unbeatable during their 15-game winning streak and a Syracuse team that is missing their second-leading scorer won’t have nearly enough offensive firepower to keep this one close.

Further, the Orange are allowing opponents to shoot 45% from the floor, which will be a problem against this highly efficient Duke offense.

Syracuse Prediction

It was evident that Syracuse might be in for another down season when it won its first two games of the season against Le Moyne and Colgate by four and two points, respectively.

The Orange have had a few (somewhat) inspiring moments, including two narrow, two-possession losses to Texas and Texas Tech; however, the 2024-25 campaign has largely been a disappointment.

The Orange are led by junior guard JJ Starling, who has averaged nearly 18 points per game on 43% shooting from the field, and double-double machine Eddie Lampkin Jr (10.1 PPG, 9.0 RPG).

Unfortunately, Syracuse will continue to miss standout freshman forward Donnie Freeman, as he is healing from a foot injury suffered in early January.

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Duke Prediction

Since losing to the Kansas Jayhawks in late November, the Duke Blue Devils have rattled off 15 consecutive wins.

The key to unlocking the Blue Devils’ seemingly limitless ceiling has been Cooper Flagg, who is leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals per game. 

The sharpshooting Kon Knueppel and 7-foot-2 interior anchor, Khaman Maluach, have also been unsung heroes for a Duke team that boasts a top five offense and defense nationally.

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No. 15 Missouri @ No. 4 Tennessee Odds

• Date: Wednesday, February 5

• Time: 7:00 pm EST

• Moneyline: Missouri +365 | Tennessee -490

• Spread: Missouri +9.5 (-110) | Tennessee -9.5 (-110)

• Total: Over 134.5 (-110) | Under 134.5 (-110)

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

PICK: Tennessee -9.5 (-110) at FanDuel

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Missouri has been a tremendous story this season but this is not a game the Tigers can realistically keep close.

The Vols are going to obliterate Missouri on the boards, particularly the offensive glass, as they rank 12th in offensive rebounding percentage. 

Meanwhile, the Tigers pull down just over two-thirds of their opponent’s misses on the road, a mark that won’t cut it in this spot.

Missouri Prediction

It has been a mind-bogglingly impressive start to the 2024-25 season for the Missouri Tigers, who were projected to finish 13th out of 16 teams in the SEC.

After all, the Tigers finished last season with zero wins in SEC play and rode a 19-game losing streak by the time it was all said and done.

Now, Missouri has the 13th-ranked offense in the country behind Tamar Bates, who was riding the bench in most games for the Indiana Hoosiers last season.

Defensive rebounding has been the Achilles heel for this team thus far and could be a problem against a physical Vols team.

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Tennessee Prediction

The Vols rank first nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, second in opponent points per game, and first in opponent effective field goal percentage.

Tennessee has a stout and physical frontcourt, featuring Felix Oxpara and Igor Milicic Jr; however, Zakai Zeigler is the star of the show on defense.

Zeigler is one of the best point-of-attack defenders nationally and has helped the Vols rank first in opponent 3-point percentage.

The issue for Tennessee this season has again been on the offensive end of the floor, where it ranks 37th in adjusted offensive efficiency (KenPom).

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