College basketball conference tournaments are in full swing, and the NCAA Tournament is right around the corner! We’ll have you covered with our top picks and predictions leading up to the Madness of the bracket. Here are our best college basketball bets and predictions for Friday’s games.
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Best College Basketball Bets & Predictions: Friday
Big East Tournament Best Bets
Marquette vs. St. John’s
In the first meeting between these teams at Madison Square Garden, St. John's earned two massive advantages. It won the shot volume advantage in a big way, securing 21 offensive rebounds to Marquette's five.
In addition, the Red Storm made almost as many free throws (17) as Marquette attempted in the game (18).
Some would wonder then why St. John's only won that first matchup by six points, and the easy thing to pinpoint would be that it shot just 54.8% from the free throw line (17-for-31).
St. John's has the defensive versatility to take Marquette out of what it wants to do offensively, with its ability to switch all of the Golden Eagles' ball screens.
The fact that the Red Storm grabbed 19 more offensive rebounds and shot 21 free throws in the second meeting suggests they play with a level of physicality that Marquette has trouble matching.
With the Madison Square Garden crowd ready to roar at a fever pitch for the best St. John's team it has seen in years, I am comfortable laying the points.
Pick: St. John’s -4.5 (-115)
Check out all of our Big East Tournament predictions >>
SEC Tournament Best Bets
Kentucky vs. Alabama
Kentucky fought off a late Oklahoma surge to earn their spot in the quarter-finals with a last-second bucket from end-to-end by Otega Oweh. It truly was a spectacular game and now we get another treat tonight with Kentucky-Alabama. The first time these two teams faced off against one another almost 200 points were scored in Kentucky while the Wildcats dropped the second by double-digits in Tuscaloosa. Tonight should be a treat.
Both teams rank inside the top 30 in pace of play with a top-50 bench minutes rate. Lamont Butler might miss today's game, which is a detriment to their defense. Alabama has shown no mercy with its scoring ability, putting up 94 against Florida and 91 on the road at Auburn (it was in overtime but still 1.13 points per possession). The thing is, anytime any team gets in a slump, it's an easy point to live bet the over because both teams can go on runs at any time.
Alabama's rim and three rate is 13th-highest in the nation and their ShotQuality defense is 68th. In conference play, their defensive efficiency plummeted. Despite Kentucky's playing much better at home, a game under their belt in Bridgestone Arena will only help their shooting feel and momentum.
They left points on the floor with missed free throws and open looks and will need to play on all cylinders to avenge their losses. I expect this to be one of the most entertaining games of the year and can’t wait to watch it. This number only continues rising, so go grab it before it gets over 180, which is what I’d play it to.
Pick: Over 179.5 Points (-105 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Check out all of our SEC Tournament predictions >>
Big Ten Tournament Best Bets
Wisconsin vs. UCLA
When these two teams met in the regular season, they combined for 168 points, as the Bruins picked up the home win by a final score of 85-83. Will we see another offensive explosion today? Or will the defenses show up? After all, the Bruins are allowing just 65.1 points per game and the Badgers scored only 70 points in their win yesterday.
While it wouldn't be a surprise to see this be a lower-scoring game than many expect, I'm taking the over. These two teams are very evenly matched and while I believe the Badgers are the better team, they may not be at their sharpest after playing a pretty close game against Northwestern yesterday. With the spread off the table, the best thing to do is back a high-scoring affair.
The Badgers are averaging 80.4 points per game. While the Bruins have allowed fewer than 70 points in five of their last six, they've been a part of high-scoring games throughout the season. The Badgers' defense is decent, allowing just over 70 points per game, but the Bruins' offense should have no problem getting the best of them. And even if the defenses show up, the fact this number is set more than 20 points below the total these two produced earlier this year makes the over a must-play.
Pick: Over 142.5 Points (-110)
Check out all of our Big Ten Tournament predictions >>
Big 12 Tournament Best Bets
Arizona vs. Texas Tech
The Wildcats (21-11) take on the Red Raiders (25-7) in the second Big 12 semi-final matchup.
Texas Tech eased by Baylor in the quarter-finals on Thursday, winning 76-74, although the Bears covered as 6.5-point underdogs as the over (142) connected. The Red Raiders advanced despite hitting just 39.1% (25-of-64) from the field, but they were 44.1% (15-of-34) from behind the three-point line. They also registered 40 rebounds, 16 assists, four blocked shots and just seven turnovers. JT Toppin was good for a team-high 26 points with 10 rebounds and three blocked shots while hitting an efficient 10-of-19 from the field. He also hit a pair of three-pointers. Elijah Hawkins had a double-double, too, going for 12 points and 11 assists with three triples.
The Red Raiders played just eight players against Baylor. Kevin Overton struggled off the bench, misfiring on all seven of his field-goal attempts to finish with four points. The bench managed to go just 3-of-14 (21.4%) from the field, posting 12 points, 10 rebounds and one assist.
Arizona avenged an 83-76 loss at Kansas in the regular-season finale, ousting the Jayhawks 88-77 in the quarter-finals on Thursday night in the late sesh. The Wildcats shot 53.4% (31-of-58) from the field while hitting 44.4% (8-of-18) from behind the arc. It was also a very efficient 85.7% (18-of-21) from the free-throw line, while playing Kansas even in rebounds and assists. Arizona was +4 in steals and had three fewer turnovers than its counterparts. Henri Veesaar and KJ Lewis came off the bench for 19 points apiece, with Veesaar going for four rebounds, two assists and a pair of three-pointers. Trey Townsend went for 16 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting.
The last time these teams met, Arizona topped Texas Tech 82-73 at the McKale Center in Tucson as a 3.5-point favorite on February 8th as the over (150) cashed. On January 18th, the Red Raiders won at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, 70-54, while covering as a 4.5-point favorite as the under (150) cashed.
Arizona is just 4-5 SU in the past nine games despite its quarter-finals win. They are still just 3-6 ATS in that span. The over has cashed in three straight games.
Texas Tech has won four in a row, but it is just 4-6 ATS in its past 10 games, while the over is 3-1 in the past four outings. We’ll side with Arizona catching the points and go with the over based on the trends for both teams lately and the result of the most recent matchup.
Picks: Arizona +2.5 (-115) & Over 147.5 Points (-105)
Check out all of our Big 12 Tournament predictions >>
ACC Tournament Best Bets
North Carolina vs. Duke
The amount of history stepping onto the court for this game is insane. Between Duke and North Carolina, we're talking about 38 Final Fours, 11 National Championships, 53 regular season ACC titles and 40 ACC tournament victories. North Carolina has the advantage in the series with an overall record of 145-119.
Tonight, they play No. 265.
Duke won both regular season matchups this year. The first on February 1st was not pretty for the Tar Heels. The Blue Devils got out to a 47-25 halftime lead and never looked back. They won by 17 points, 87-70. North Carolina put forth a much better effort in the second game on March 8th. At the end of the first half, they were down by a single point, 43-42.
But the second half didn't go quite the same way. Duke took charge, outscoring the Tar Heels 39-27 for a final score of 82-69.
However, there is going to be one major difference in this game compared to the other two - no Cooper Flagg. Duke's superstar sprained his ankle in the quarter-final game versus Georgia Tech.
Duke will not be too concerned about this game, as they'll be much more concerned with Flagg and getting him ready for the NCAA Tournament. That said, they still have an incredibly deep and talented team without Flagg, and they'll play to win. North Carolina will want to take advantage of Flagg's absence and avoid losing to Duke for a third time this season.
I'm not sure they can, but it will be an excellent game. If the Tar Heels fail to win, they will not lose by more than seven points.
Pick: North Carolina +7.5 (-115)
Check out all of our ACC Tournament predictions >>
