Wednesday Best Bets: One College Basketball Side, Two NBA Props

We went 2-for-4 with Tuesday’s Best Bets. While that’s a “shrug-worthy” mixed bag, we’ll take it as positive momentum compared with Monday’s shutout.

NBA Props improved to 8-4 on the season thanks to Jrue Holiday sailing Over 18.5 points for the Bucks. We’ll transition from “Uncle Jrue” to “Uncle Drew” on Wednesday, looking for Kyrie Irving to keep his hot shooting touch.

On top of that, The Bostonian vs. The Book crew managed to find a quality college basketball side to consider. The Sweet 16 doesn’t start until Thursday, but the guys unearthed a nugget from the NIT. You gotta love it!

Throw in BetPrep’s Prop of the Day, and we have a solid betting trio for you to consider.

Without further ado, let’s jump into Wednesday’s Best Bets!

Best Bets Track Record

Tuesday: 2-2
Year-To-Date: 25-24-1

Bostonian vs. The Book: 7-8-1
BetPrep Prop of the Day: 6-10
NBA Props: 8-4
NHL Props: 4-2

College Basketball Side: BYU Cougars Vs. Washington State Cougars

The bet: BYU -1.5 (vs. Washington State)
The odds: –110
Where to bet: Caesars Sportsbook
From: Matt Perrault via The Bostonian Vs. The Book Podcast

Matt Perrault, host of The Bostonian Vs. The Book Podcast, looks to get back on track after starting the week 0-for-2 on Best Bets.

After coming up a whisker short on Tuesday’s NHL prop (Penguins-Blue Jackets Over 6.5 goals), Perrault is diving headfirst into the NIT action. He recommends backing BYU -1.5 vs. Washington State in a battle of Cougars.

“Washington State has had some decent victories here, but I think playing in Provo is hard,” Perrault said, referring to BYU’s campus location of Provo, Utah. “And when a power conference goes into Provo, [BYU] gets fired up.”

Podcast co-host Dave Sharapan agreed with that assessment.

“BYU has a real home-court advantage,” Sharapan said. “I think the place will be super excited for this game.”

Adding to the atmosphere: Win or lose, this is BYU’s final home game of the season, as the winner of this contest heads to Madison Square Garden for the NIT Final Four next week.

You can find BYU at -1.5 for -110 juice at Caesars Sportsbook.

Perrault listed three other bets he likes during Tuesday’s Bostonian vs. The Book podcast — all college basketball sides. You can listen to the replay on Youtube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

NBA Prop: Brooklyn Nets – PG Kyrie Irving

The bet: Over 2.5 made 3-pointers (at Memphis)
The odds: –165
Where to bet: DraftKings Sportsbook
From: Spencer Limbach via Wednesday NBA Props

The Nets are on the road tonight, so Irving will get to suit up. It’s quite possible the Nets’ point guard has a chip on his shoulder because of the ambiguous rules surrounding his playing status in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. He can attend games (without a mask), but can’t play? Interesting.

That’s a different topic for a different day. For now, let’s focus on nailing down this NBA prop. Irving has seemingly used his frustration as fuel when he does get an opportunity to take the court. The former top overall pick has racked up 38-plus points in three of his last five outings. That includes a 60-point effort (tied for most in the NBA this season) in his last game (March 15 at Orlando).

You better believe Irving has been chucking up a whole lotta 3-pointers lately! Never one to turn down an open (or not) shot, Irving is seizing every opportunity when he actually gets to play. And he’s been delivering from deep, drilling 9, 5, and 8 treys over his past three games, respectively.

Irving’s 3-pointer prop stands at 2.5 at DraftKings. Sure, there’s -165 juice to the Over, but for good reason: “Uncle Drew” has glided past this number in 11 of his last 14 games. And he should get plenty of opportunities to fire away from long range in what’s projected to be a high-scoring date with the Grizzlies. (The 238.5-point Over/Under is the highest among the 11 NBA games slated for Wednesday.)

Lay the price and roll with the Over.

NBA Prop: Utah Jazz – G Donovan Mitchell

The bet: Over 4.5 assists (at Boston)
The odds: -122
Where to bet: FanDuel Sportsbook
From: BetPrep Prop of the Day via BetPrep.com

The BetPrep crew swung and missed Tuesday, as Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr. failed to eclipse 9.5 rebounds. Looking to get back on track, they decided to inject a little-star power into Wednesday’s selection, rolling with Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell Over 4.5 assists at Boston.

Here’s the rationale behind this BetPrep Best Bet:

• Mitchell has gone Over 4.5 assists in 17 of his last 20 games, notching 6.1 apg in that span
• The Jazz guard has dished five-plus assists in eight of his last 10 road games

On top of that hot streak, Mitchell piled up six assists on Dec. 3 in his lone matchup with the Celtics this season.

You can find Mitchell Over 4.5 assists (-122) at FanDuel Sportsbook.