We've reached a critical point in the college basketball season.
Tonight's picks will decide if you should fade me for the rest of the season, or if I was just in a bad funk.
I lost all but one of my college basketball bets on Tuesday night. Thanks Auburn for not letting me get shutout.
The losses all came in brutal fashion and made me believe for a minute that I am cursed when it comes to college basketball.
Time to give it one more shot as a college basketball expert. If it doesn't work out, we'll just turn this into a Fade Me column.
Wednesday CBB Picks
Overall Record: 68-87-1 (1-6 Tuesday; Yes it was that bad.)
Temple at UCF (-10.5) (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Temple is not particularly good this season.
The Owls are 7-6 overall and have lost three of their last four games, including a 65-48 loss to UCF at home on December 15.
UCF won its last four home games by double figures and its defense is better across the board than Temple. The primary mismatch is Temple's 308th-rated three-point offense against UCF's 33rd-ranked three-point defense.
Bowling Green at Buffalo (Over 161.5) (7 p.m. ET, ESPN3)
When you're down, you have to go back to your old reliable bets.
The Buffalo Over has been one of the cornerstones of my college basketball betting profile in the last two seasons, so I'm running with it tonight for good reason.
Buffalo and Bowling Green both rank in the Top 20 in adjusted tempo on KenPom. Both offenses average over 80 points per game and the two defenses concede over 70 points per contest.
The matchup is tailor-made for one of the highest overs of the week to hit.
Purdue Fort Wayne at Cleveland State (-10.5) (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
It's almost like the gambling gods are setting me up for success. (Positive Vibes Only!!!)
Cleveland State was one of my favorite mid-majors to bet last season and I'm going back to Vikings tonight to help with the good gambling vibes.
The Vikings just beat Purdue Fort Wayne by nine points on December 30. That was the first game in two weeks for both squads.
Cleveland State has a clear advantage against IPFW. The Mastodons rank 320th or worse in four defensive metrics on KenPom.
Cleveland State should play with more confidence on Wednesday after getting its legs under it in the last meeting with IPFW. Look for the Vikings to pull away with ease in this matchup.
Texas Tech at Iowa State (-6) (9 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Texas Tech has the bare minimum amount of players available for its trip to Ames, Iowa.
The Red Raiders will not have their two top scorers on the floor and they are facing an Iowa State squad in the perfect bounce-back position after its Saturday loss to Baylor.
Iowa State is 5-1 against the spread in its last six games and it will have many more key contributors available on Wednesday night.
For what it's worth, Texas Tech is 2-4 against the spread in its last six games and it would have had a tough time at full strength inside Hilton Coliseum.