BetIQ Daily: Kentucky vs. Tennessee and Villanova vs. Providence Picks

Tuesday picks in BetIQ cover the Tennessee vs. Kentucky showdown and two Big East clashes, including Villanova and Providence.

February 15, 2022 - by Jason Lisk

Tennessee and Kentucky meet in a big SEC matchup on Tuesday (Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire)

Football may be over, but that means March is just around the corner here at BetIQ.

Tonight’s schedule includes a big SEC game between rivals, as well as a Big East clash that could decide who finishes at the top of the standings this year.

1) Tennessee -1

  • NCAAB Spread Pick
  • vs. Kentucky, Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
  • This is a playable model pick for Tuesday at 55.3 percent cover odds, according to our Ensemble Forecast model.
  • Ensemble Forecast picks with above 55.0 percent cover odds are 5-0 in February.
  • This is a heavyweight showdown between two AP Top 20 teams, with Tennessee needing a win to stay in contention for SEC title.
  • Volunteers are 7-1 since their 28-point loss at Kentucky in mid-January, with only loss coming by one point at Texas.

2) Butler +3.5

  • NCAAB Spread Pick
  • at DePaul, Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. ET on FS1
  • This is right on the cutline of playable, according to our Ensemble Forecast model (52.3 percent).
  • This is being added as a play based on recent form with a new lineup, as Butler’s current starters have played seven games together.
  • Over that stretch, Butler is 10 points better than its team performance in all other games, and 5-2 ATS.
  • That run includes wins over probable tourney teams Creighton and Marquette and close road losses at Providence, Creighton, and Xavier.
  • DePaul is coming off a close overtime loss at Providence and is switching roles to now being favored.
  • DePaul is 1-8 ATS against Butler over the last five years.

3) Villanova -4

  • NCAAB Spread Pick
  • at Providence, Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network
  • This is not a playable pick according to our Ensemble Forecast model, but all models do show slight value on Villanova.
  • Showdown at top of the Big East conference, but Villanova is No. 9 in our predictive ratings while Providence is at No. 44.
  • Over the last decade under head coach Jay Wright, Villanova is 28-12 SU and 24-15-1 ATS as a road favorite of six points or fewer.

Top Pick Performance Trends

Our algorithmic models use over a decade of data to predict every game across five sports.

As of post time, here are some highlights of prediction performance from our primary Ensemble Forecast model this season for playable-rated picks (52.5% confidence or better) against game-day betting lines:

Get notified when new BetIQ Daily posts are published: