NCAA Basketball Best Bets (Feb. 18): UConn Men and Women Highlight Wednesday Schedule

It is a great day to be a fan of UConn Huskies basketball. Why? Not only do you have the No. 5 men’s team facing a conference rival (Creighton), but the No. 1 women’s team will face one as well (Villanova). Both are favored, of course, but is the smartest play to bet on Connecticut? The short answer?

Yes, of course. But are we talking about laying the points, moneyline or maybe going with the TOTAL? Let’s examine both games and figure it out.

Photo by Getty Images

All the odds I used in making my picks for the pair of UConn games taking place today can be found at DraftKings.

No. 5 Connecticut Huskies vs. Creighton Blue Jays Prediction

At 24-2, UConn is clearly one of the best teams in basketball and certainly one of the hottest, having gone 14-1 in Big East play. They’ve got the fourth-best offense in the conference (79.3 points per game) and second-best defense (65.1 points per game allowed). The Huskies are a solid all-around team.

Are they going to win? Probably, but is it worth the risk to take the moneyline at -1650? That means you’ll need to risk $1650 to win $100. No? Okay, but they have not been a great time against the spread this season, especially of late.

Bets on UConn ATS are taking a chance based on recent games

While they are 24-2 straight up, they are just 8-18 ATS. To get a little more focused, they are 5-10 ATS in conference play (when a spread was set) and 2-8 in their last ten. At 15.5 points, the spread is not small. With how UConn has done ATS, can we count on them to cover?

• My Pick: UConn -15.5 at -112

Short answer—yes. Yes, you can. As it turns out, UConn’s previous game against Creighton (Jan. 31) was one of the five conference games where the Huskies did cover. They were 7.5-point road favorites and went on to win 85-58. Creighton has lost its last two games and five of its last six (including the UConn game) and has struggled on the road this season (2-7).

UConn may not blow them out as badly tonight, but the Huskies will cover.

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No. 1 Connecticut Huskies vs. Villanova Wildcats Prediction

At this stage of the season, it is almost a pointless exercise trying to find a team that can beat the UConn women’s basketball team. The Huskies (27-0, 16-0 Big East) are easily the most dominant team in the sport, with no noticeable flaws. At best, you can hope for a competitive opponent, but that's even pushing it these days.

Could Villanova (21-5, 14-3 Big East) be such a team?

On paper, the Wildcats look like a solid squad. Their offensive output is respectable (73 points per game), and they hold opponents to 12 points less per game. They move the ball around well (18.5 assists per game, No. 9 in the country), and they are a good 3-point team (36.6%)

History says UConn is the smart play Wednesday

There’s just one problem: we've already seen this play out. UConn crushed Villanova on January 15 in Storrs, Conn., 99-50. The Huskies outscored the Wildcats 26-8 in the first and never looked back. Connecticut was a 35.5-point favorite in that game.

UConn leads the all-time series vs. Villanova, 48-7. Villanova last beat the Huskies on February 9, 2022, 72-69.

• My Pick: UConn -28.5 at -110

When it comes to playing the Huskies, no opponent has home-court advantage over them. Connecticut is the best team in the country in too many ways for something as simple as the location of a game to have much of an impact on the outcome. UConn won by 49 points in the first meeting. They’ll win by at least 30 in this one.