The 2026-27 college basketball season tipped off this week, and Wednesday's schedule features another busy slate, with well-known programs such as Auburn, Butler and Saint Mary's taking the court against teams from smaller conferences. All three bigger-name schools are significant favorites, and the SportsLine Projection Model sees good reason for that, backing each of them to cover the spread as part of its Wednesday best bets.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the new season on an 11-1 run with its top-rated over/under picks dating back to 2025, and it has gone 28-22 on its top-rated side picks in that span. Those who have followed its selections have seen strong returns.
The model's Wednesday best bets are Butler as a 27.5-point favorite against Fairleigh Dickinson, Auburn as a 29.5-point favorite against SE Louisiana, and Saint Mary's as a 13.5-point favorite against North Dakota State. Combining the three picks into a parlay would pay out at +601, meaning a $100 risk would win $601. Odds are subject to change.
Butler opened its season with a 96-60 win over Lafayette on Monday, holding the Leopards to 37% shooting from the field and just 17% from 3-point range. All five Butler starters scored in double figures in the victory.
Fairleigh Dickinson presents a steep drop in competition. The Knights went 11-21 last season, including 8-10 in the Northeast Conference, a far cry from the Big East competition Butler is used to facing. Fairleigh Dickinson also went 2-8 against the spread in non-conference games last year and opened this season with a 120-45 loss to Illinois. The model projects Butler to cover in 63% of simulations.
Auburn is a perfect 5-0 all-time against SE Louisiana and owns the longest active non-conference home winning streak in the nation at 67 games. SE Louisiana went 9-22 last season, including 6-16 in the Southland Conference, and has lost 35 consecutive games against SEC opponents. The Lions opened last season with a 30-point loss to Ole Miss.
The Tigers return second-leading scorer Tahaad Pettiford, and three of Auburn's first four victories last season came by at least 30 points. The model projects Auburn to cover the 29.5-point spread in 56% of simulations.
Saint Mary's is coming off its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance after going 27-6 last season and sharing the West Coast Conference regular-season title with Gonzaga. Head coach Randy Bennett departed for Arizona State, but the Gaels opened with a 90-85 win over Illinois State on Monday under new head coach Mickey McConnell, the former associate head coach and a former player under Bennett, so familiarity remains within the program.
North Dakota State arrives having won the Summit Conference title and reached the NCAA Tournament last season, but the Bison lost all five of their leading scorers from that team. The model projects Saint Mary's to cover in 65% of simulations. Picks against the spread, on the total and on the money line are available for every game on the Wednesday slate.
