Which Home Underdog is the Best Bet on Tuesday's College Basketball Slate?

We have a loaded Tuesday college basketball slate with a ton of high major conference games. Over the course of the season teams are in different "spots."

Teams are on short rest, looking ahead, deflated, etc. All of those are all somewhat of a cliché for sports bettors, but it's helpful when handicapping sports. It's part of the puzzle of finding valuable bets. For today's spot we are going to look at live home underdogs. Again, there are different reasons as to why these particular teams could be worth wagers, but one sticks out in particular.

Here are a handful of underdogs in conference play that may be live based on a myriad of factors with odds courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

College Basketball Conference Matchups, Tuesday February 1st

• Maryland (+120) vs. Michigan State
• Iowa State (+110) vs. Kansas
• Louisville (+145) vs. North Carolina
• Georgetown (+240) vs. Seton Hall

Iowa State (+110) vs. Kansas

The betting value in this one has been driven by the news out of the Kansas team with star player and National Player of the Year candidate Ochai Agbaji being ruled out due to COVID-19 Protocols.

Kansas was 4-point favorites before the news but the loss of Agbaji can't be overstated for an offense that has been treading water for some time. The team won by 1 at home against Iowa State in a wild game before squeaking out a pair of road wins against Oklahoma and Kansas State. Last week, the team played Texas Tech to double overtime and then got blown out by Kentucky.

So, Kansas was a house of cards that finally gave out over the weekend. While it appeared that this was a spot for them to get back on track against a feisty Iowa State team that is trending downward in conference play, the loss of Agbaji foils that theory, tilting the scales in favor of the home team. Every team is in a spot, but some spots appear better than most. Agbaji is a spot changer, taking Kansas from a bounce back spot to a "down our best player and could be flat on the road" spot.

On the court, point guard Remy Martin has been hobbled and clearly doesn't look himself, which can be an issue against the high ball pressure for the Cyclones that is third nationally in turnover rate. Agabji's sterling 46% three-point rate has covered a lot of creation issues for the Jayhawks of late, especially as big man David McCormack struggles with finding his consistency.

Ames is known for their rocking home crowds and Kansas is always a game that is circled for opponents. Iowa State had a shot in the final seconds to win at Allen Fieldhouse, and I expect they are motivated to get some revenge at home and solidify their NCAA Tournament berth in February.

With no Agbaji, I don't believe we have found the floor on this spread and moneyline and will play Iowa State at any + money price.

PICK: Iowa State +110