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College Basketball Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Sunday (2/26)

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Welcome to the Monday college basketball slate. March Madness is right around the corner and the bubble is starting to take shape. Be sure to check out my bracketology article which I'll continue updating as March gets closer. There are some solid matchups today but remember not to force any bets you don't love, there is still plenty of season left.

Here are my best bets for Monday. 

Past Week: 7-11
This Season: 95-107-8

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Best College Basketball Bets for Sunday

Illinois at Ohio State

Despite the computers loving the Buckeyes for one reason or another, now is the perfect time to be facing Ohio State with their 363rd-ranked momentum. This is a lost season for OSU – but Illinois still has something to play for.

The Illini are coming off a huge comeback win against Northwestern and are in the thick of contention for a double-bye in the Big Ten tournament. Terrance Shannon's return gave a big boost to Illinois and I imagine them to ride that wave moving forward. 

Brand Underwood and Co. represent a deadly defense with top-10 interior play. With Ohio State's preference for interior scoring, I imagine them having a tough time finding the lane today. Illinois offensively excels at finding second chances and their near-proximity shooting is money. I'd be surprised to see Ohio State cover tonight. 

Play: Illinois -4.0 (DraftKings)

Northwestern at Maryland 

Elsewhere in the Big Ten world, we have two tournament teams who continue fighting for standings in the Big Ten. To understand how close the Big Ten is, at the beginning of the day yesterday, Maryland was in a spot to be mathematically finished as high as second and as low as 11th in the division.

As I previously mentioned, Northwestern is coming off an awful, second-half collapsing defeat at Illinois on Thursday. Their perimeter defense fell apart and their offense was nowhere to be seen. What helps the Cats is Maryland's 319th-ranked perimeter shooting and their preference for the near-proximity looks.

The Terps are also solid at home with none of their eight conference losses coming in College Park, showing their ability to handle great teams at home such as their double-digit point victory over Purdue. Still, that game was low scoring. Considering how well these two defenses line up against each other, and the slow paces they both exhibit, I imagine this game to be low scoring.

Play: Under 130.5 (DraftKings)

Other Plays:

St. Bonaventure -2.5 (FanDuel)
Providence -6.5 (PointsBet)
Belmont/UNI Over 148.5 (FanDuel)
Fairfield/Canisius Under 136.5 (BetMGM)
UIC +6.5 (DraftKings)
Duquesne -4.0 (DraftKings)
Wichita State/Tulane Under 149.5 (DraftKings)
Penn State -2.0 (BetRivers)
Bradley -2.5 (FanDuel)

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Be sure to follow me @rcoleman98 on the BettingPros app, as I post all my selections there that may not make it in these articles. Remember to monitor injury news because if you can beat the curve, there is plenty of value to be had on any given game day.

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