Welcome to the Predictem NCAA basketball section where you will find free college basketball picks and handicapping information that is sure to make you a better handicapper and increase your odds of beating the bookie!
What you’ll find here are game day predictions against the spread made by professional handicappers (at absolutely no cost to you), daily previews with analysis (while in season), articles to bolster your handicapping knowledge and advice on the best places to bet on college hoops as well. Yes, that’s right, not all sportsbooks are created equal!
We also offer FREE MARCH MADNESS PICKS with analysis throughout the NCAA Tournament from beginning to end!
NCAA Hoops Predictions and Analysis
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Monday, April 2: Michigan vs. Villanova Pick ATS (Keith)
Saturday, March 31st: Loyola-Chicago vs. Michigan Pick ATS and Villanova vs. Kansas Pick ATS (Keith)
Kevin’s Final Four Pick: Michigan Wolverines -5.
Friday, March 30th: North Texas Mean Green -4 (Kevin).
Thursday, March 29th: Penn St. Nittany Lions -4.
Wednesday, March 28th: Northern Colorado Bears -10.5.
Tuesday, March 27th: Mississippi State Bulldogs +2.5.
Monday, March 26th: The North Texass/San Francisco game doesn’t have any edges so we have to pass.
Sunday, March 25th: Duke vs. Kansas Pick ATS
Kevin’s Play: I’m not comfortable with either game so am taking a pass..
Saturday, March 24th:
Loyola-Chicago vs. Kansas State Pick ATS
Florida St. vs. Michigan Pick ATS
Kevin’s Play: Florida State Seminoles.
Thursday, March 22nd: Loyola-Chicago vs. Nevada Pick ATS
Kentucky vs.Kansas State Pick ATS
Kevin’s Pick: Texas A&M Aggies +3. I think this team has a shot to win it all at 28-1.
Wednesday, March 21st: Jacksonville State Gamecocks +1.
Tuesday, March 20th: No value; Passing.
Monday, March 19th: Washington Huskies +10.
Sunday, March 18th: Michigan St. Spartans -9.5.
Saturday March Madness Predictions: Florida Gators +1.5.
Friday March Madness: Texas vs. Nevada Pick ATS (RC)
Kevin’s MM Plays: Lipscomb +22, Michigan St. Spartans -13.5, Florida State Seminoles -1.
Thursday March Madness: Loyola-Chicago +2 (3:10PM EST), North Carolina State +3 (4:30PM EST), Houston Cougars -4 (7:20PM EST), Florida Gators -5.5 (9:55PM EST)
Wednesday, March 14th: Brigham Young Cougars +2.5.
Tuesday, March 13th: St. Bonaventure Bonnies +3.5.
Monday, March 12th: Hartford Hawks +10.
Sunday, March 11th: Passing.
Saturday, March 10th: West Va. Mountaineers -1.5.
Friday, March 9th: Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks +3.5 (8:30PM EST)
Thursday, March 8th: UNC vs. Miami Pick ATS
Kevin’s Thursday CBB Play: Marquette Golden Eagles +10.5.
Kevin’s Wednesday, March 7th: Colorado State Rams +6.
Tuesday, March 6th: Georgia Tech vs. Boston College Pick ATS
Kevin’s Pick: Sacramento State Hornets +7.5.
Monday, March 5th: BYU at St Mary’s Pick ATS
Kevin’s Top Play: Ohio Bobcats +3.5.
Sunday, March 4th: Michigan vs. Purdue Pick ATS
Saturday, March 3rd: UNLV/Utah State OVER 155.
Friday, March 2nd: Cornell at Harvard Pick (Rich)
Kevin’s Pick: Eastern Michigan Eagles +5.5. (6PM EST Tip!)
Thursday, March 1st: USF at Memphis Pick (Rich)
Kevin’s Play: South Alabama Jaguars +7.
Wednesday, February 28th: Rutgers vs. Minnesota Prediction
Kevin’s Play: San Jose State Spartans +7.
Tuesday, February 27th: Oklahoma State at Iowa State Pick ATS
Monday, February 26th: Texas at Kansas Pick ATS
Sunday, February 25th: Colorado Buffaloes +2.
Saturday, February 24th: Oregon Ducks on the money line at -265.
Friday, February 23rd: St. Peters Peacocks +1.5.
Thursday, February 22nd: Southern Utah Thunderbirds +4.
Wednesday, February 21st: Georgetown Hoyas +5.5.
Tuesday, February 20th: Indiana Hoosiers +3.
Monday, February 19th: Kansas Jayhawks -8.5.
Sunday, February 18th: Evansville Purple Aces +5.5.
Saturday, February 17th: Cronell Big Red +5.5.
Friday, February 16th: Columbia Lions +2.
Thursday, February 15th: Drexel Dragons +10.5.
Wednesday, February 14th: Western Illinois Leathernecks +11.5.
Tuesday, February 13th: Miami Hurricanes +6.
Monday, February 12th: Fairfield Stags +6.5.
Sunday, February 11th: Taking a pass due to no edges to be had.
Saturday, February 10th: Florida State Seminoles +1, San Jose State Spartans +9, Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix +16.5, SIU Edwardsville Cougars +13.5, Oral Roberts Golden Eagles +6.
Friday, February 9th: Dartmouth Mean Green +7.
Thursday, February 8th: Idaho State Bengals +6.5.
Wednesday, February 7th: Virginia Tech Hokies -6.
Tuesday, February 6th: Passing.
Monday, February 5th: Southern Jaguars +2.
Sunday, February 4th: Passing.
Saturday, February 3rd: Illinois St. Redbirds money line -240, Vanderbilt Commodores +11.5, Eastern Washington Eagles +5, Tennessee Martin SkyHawks +10.5.
Friday, February 2nd: Disgusting loss last night with FDU down 2 with 4 mins left and seemingly didn’t score for the rest of the game and losing by 14. Ouch. Friday’s card is fairly weak. I believe Princeton wins by 12 but I HATE laying 8 points so I’m taking a small postition on the money line at -375.
Thursday, February 1st: Farleigh Dickinson Knights +8. (6PM EST Tip!) ***3 UNIT BEST BET ALERT***
Wednesday, January 31st: Butler Bulldogs +2.
Tuesday, January 30th: Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks +14.5.
Monday, January 29th: Monmouth Hawks +6. (Rotation Number: 729)
Sunday, January 28th: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets +2.5.
Saturday, January 27th: Congrats on last night’s win! Alabama Crimson Tide +1 (2:15PM EST), Denver Pioneers +8.5 (6PM EST), Oregon State Beavers +8 (8PM EST), Iowa/Nebraska OVER 148 (8PM EST), Pacific Tigers +12 (9PM EST), Montana Grizzlies -18.5 (9PM EST)
Friday, January 26th: Nice tidy straight up win with Utah last night as an 8 point dog. Unfortunately we kissed our sister (pushed) with Santa Clara at +8. Weird game as I pushed and had other people tell me they had +9 and one guy advising he lost with +7.5. I’m not a huge advocate of buying points but here is a case where the guy wouldn’t have gotten hurt if he would have bought the half point for an extra $10 and would have had our number rather his books shrewd number. We’ve never done a study on such and probably never will but nonetheless, it was painful to hear about a guy losing while we pushed and others won. On an unrelated note, we’re getting closer to starting our personalized service that will cover college hoops and MLB. We’re getting more comfortable with how things have played out lately and we’re close to rolling that out. Why the delay? We have spent EXTENSIVE time studying the NBA to try to include both as a service but are likely to sh*itcan that idea because no matter how you look at it, it’s VERY difficult to kill that sport long term. Simply put, there are players that mail it in some nights, take nights off with no notification, lazy, etc. It’s too unpredictable to get a stronghold on and that’s coming from a guy who has spent 10 hours a day studying every single tidbit of news I could get my hands on. We may include some NBA in the service part of our site, but it sure as hell won’t be consistent because today’s NBA is tough to beat when you’re looking at making more than a few plays per week. Friday’s college hoops picks the Dartmouth Big Green at +5.5 on the road vs. the Brown Bears.
Thursday, January 25th: Utah Utes +8, Santa Clara Broncos +8.
Wednesday, January 24th: Drake Bulldogs +2. (Posted at 7:26PM EST)
Tuesday, January 23rd: Miami-Ohio Redhawks +7.5.
Monday, January 22nd: Nebraska Cornhuskers +11.5.
Sunday, January 21st: Washington State Cougars +10.5. (Note: This play BARELY qualified. It’s more of a “best of the rest”. Don’t go bonkers on it.
Saturday, January 20th: Northern Arizona Lumberjacks +10.5, Montana State Fighting Bobcats +7.
Friday, January 19th: No value; Passing.
Thursday, January 18th: Idaho St. Bengals +8.
Wednesday, January 17th: San Jose State Spartans +17.
Tuesday, January 16th: Ole Miss Rebels +9.
Monday, January 15th: Miami Hurricanes +4.5, West Virginia Mountaineers -5.5.
Sunday, January 14th: Virginia Cavaliers -14.5. ***3 UNIT BEST BET ALERT*** Cavs by 20! (6PM EST)
Saturday, January 13th: Portland State Vikings +1. (Game Tips at 4PM EST!)
Friday, January 12th: (Posted at 7PM EST – Tip is 8PM EST) Columbia Lions +9.
Thursday, January 11th: UNC Greensboro Spartans +8.5, Florida International Panthers +9, Idaho State Bengals +2, UC Riverside Highlanders +3.5, Sacramento State Hornets +9.5, Portland State Vikings -8.5.
Wednesday, January 10th: Louisville Cardinals +6.
Tuesday, January 9th: Vanderbilt Commodores +1.5.
Monday, January 8th: Today’s card is JUNK. We scoured all 3 games from top to bottom and these lines are TIGHT. Some pretty poor teams playing as well, which makes things much harder to predict. As always, we never force a plays so have to pass.
Sunday, January 7th: NC Wilmington Seahawks +3.5 (2PM EST Tip)
Saturday, January 6th: San Diego Toreros +13.5.
Friday, January 5th: James Madison Dukes +7.5, Princeton Tigers +2.5, UNC Wilmington Seahawks +10.
Thursday, January 4th: Idaho State Bengals -5.
Wednesday, January 3rd: Note: Jer’s computer predictions have started! Find these in the upper right menu on any page in our college basketball section! Today’s plays: LSU Tigers +2.5, Utah St. Aggies +1, New Mexico Lobos +9, Evansville Purple Aces +5.
Tuesday, January 2nd: Colorado State Rams +7.5.
Monday, January 1st: Today’s short card doesn’t offer any value so we’re sitting the sideline. Have a GREAT New Year’s Day!
Saturday, December 30th: St. Mary’s Gaels -1.5.
Friday, December 29th: Is it possible to have a loss worse than a bad beat? If so, we surely witnessed it last night with the Pilots being down 3 in the second half and then COMPLETELY collapsing to lose by 25. A 21 point second half, 4-13 from the line and their center going scoreless in 30 minutes aren’t typical occurences. Especially for a team that averages 77 points. BRUTAL. We ran out of time today so have to pass on college hoops.
Thursday, December 28th: Portland Pilots +19. Bet this one quickly as we expect there to be some downward line movement as it gets closer to game time!
Wednesday, December 27th: Passing.
Saturday, December 23rd: Today’s card had ZERO value so we have to pass. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it! We’ll see ya on the other side!
Friday, December 22nd: No value; Passing.
Thursday, December 21st: Idaho State Bengals +19.
Wednesday, December 20th: I’m sorry but we have to pass today. I was up all night with a nasty tooth ache. Got up late, ran late all day and ran out of time to properly handicap today’s card.
Tuesday, December 19th: South Dakota Coyotes +7.5.
Monday, December 18th: Santa Clara Broncos -1.5.
11/12/17: No action.
New Coach: The Georgetown Hoyas have named former player and NBA All Star Center Patrick Ewing as their new coach. – 4/5
One and Done: Kentucky Wildcats freshman guard Malik Monk has declared for the NBA draft. – 4/4
Championship Monday: What a bittersweet day today is… On one hand there’s the excitement of March Madness and on the other, a good-solid season where we dominated comes to an end. We won all season long because we studied every game and narrowed the picks down to games in which we held a distinct advantage. As with any playoff format, the deeper we go, the less advantage there is to be had. Tonight’s Zags/Heels game is a perfect example of a game that is impossible to predict a point spread winner. Both teams are very solid and there is just no edge to be had. People are in love with the Zags and they may very well win the game, but there are two glaring variables that prevent us from making them our pick… Justin Jackson is the best player on the floor and in college basketball, you simply cannot fade a guy that can single-handedly take over a game. This guy has ridiculous skills for a college player and this type of player has a way of taking over a game on a big stage. We’re also a bit spooked by strength of schedule. Gonzaga took a fairly easy path to get here. UNC played MUCH tougher opponents throughout the season and that weighs in a ton in this type of matchup. So there you have it. Our hearts like the Zags but our brain is saying UNC. With that being said, we’re not making a play on tonight’s game. Cheers to a great season. We hope you’ll join us next season and we hope that you’ll jump on board our hockey picks which have done well this season and that you jump on our MLB plays which will be the best you will find online as our MLB capper is a walking/talking encyclopedia of baseball knowledge! Thanks to everybody for reading us this season. Nobody appreciates your time more than we do! We’re a very small mom and pop biz and we really do appreciate each and every one of you! – Kevin and Gary
Sunday: No games scheduled. – 4/2
Saturday: Gonzaga Bulldogs on the money line at -260 and Oregon Ducks +4.5. – 4/1
Friday: Wyoming Cowboys -8. – 3/31
Interesting Read: 2017 March Madness Facts and Trends
Thursday: Texas Christian -4. – 3/30
Wednesday: Wyoming Cowboys -8.5. – 3/29
Tuesday: There are no clear advantages in today’s games so we have to pass. – 3/28
Monday: We’re taking a pass on today’s lone NCAA game. – 3/27
Sunday March Madness: Florida Gators -3. – 3/26
Saturday CIT Pick: Campbell Fighting Camels +6. – 3/25
Friday Sweet 16 Prediction: Florida Gators on the money line at -115. – 3/24
Thursday Sweet 16 Pick: West Virginia Mountaineers +3. – 3/23
Wednesday NIT Play: Central Florida on the money line at -165. The Illinois Fighting Illini have lost every game this season in which they haven’t shot 40% from the field. We have them projected under that figure tonight. We hate laying points (in most instances) so are chicken-boning it tonight and buying them off with a money line play. – 3/22
Tuesday NIT Pick: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets/Ole Miss Rebels UNDER 144 points. – 3/21
Monday College Insider Tournament Pick: Campbell Fighting Camels -1. (Rotation number 632) – 3/20
Sunday College Hoops: Arkansas Razorbacks +11. – 3/19
Saturday March Madness Pick: Northwestern Wildcats +10.5 (5:15PM EST). – 3/18
Friday March Madness Picks: USC Trojans +7 (3:10PM EST), Rhode Island Rams -2 (4:30PM EST), Kent St. Golden Flashes +18.5 (9:55PM EST) – 3/17
Thursday: Florida Gators -10 (3:10PM EST), Middle Tennessee St. -1.5 (4PM EST), North Dakota Fighting Hawks +17.5 (9:50PM EST) – 3/16
Wednesday: NC Central Eagles -3.5. – 3/15
Tuesday: Ole Miss Rebels +2. Note! Jer has resumed college basketball computer picks and will be posting them for the duration of March Madness. You can find the link these in the upper right menu of any page in our college basketball section. – 3/14
Sunday: No value so we have to pass. – 3/12
Saturday: Notre Dame Fighting Irish +4.5 (10PM EST on ESPN). – 3/11
Friday: Iowa State Cyclones -4.5. – 3/10
Thursday: UTEP +1.5 (3PM EST), Houston Baptist -2.5 (6PM EST), Fordham +4 (6PM EST), Stephen F. Austin -2 (8:30PM EST). – 3/9
Wednesday: Western Kentucky ML (12:30PM EST), Utah St. -4.5 (2PM EST), Southern Miss +11.5 (3PM EST), Lehigh +4.5 (7:30PM EST). – 3/8
Tuesday: Gonzaga Bulldogs -5, Southern Utah Thunderbirds +9. – 3/7
Monday: UNC Greensboro Spartans +5, Coppin St. Eagles +2.5. – 3/6
Sunday: Illinois State Redbirds +6.5 and UNC Greensboro Spartans -1.5. – 3/5
Saturday: San Diego St. Aztecs -1, UC Davis Aggies +8, Santa Clara Broncos +1, Southern Utah Thunderbirds +6.5. – 3/4
Friday: Princeton Tigers -7. – 3/3
Thursday: UL Monroe Warhawks +8.5, UL Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns -6.5, Southern Utah Thunderbirds +9.5, Holy Cross Crusaders +2. – 3/2
Wednesday: Georgia Bulldogs -5, St. Louis +6.5, Washington St. Cougars +12.5. – 3/1
Tuesday: St. Bonaventure Bonnies +3. – 2/28
Monday: West Virginia Mountaineers +1. – 2/27
Sunday: East Carolina Pirates +5. – 2/26
Saturday: Pacific Tigers +1.5. – 2/25
Friday: Columbia Lions +7.5. – 2/24
Thursday: Southern Utah Thunderbirds +12. – 2/23
Wednesday: Utah State Aggies +1. – 2/22
Tuesday: As the old baseball show said..”It’s a homerun or nothing in homerun derby!” Last night’s Appalachian St. game was brutal. We were on the right side though. “But we lost!” you say? Yes, we did. There is no shoulda, coulda, woulda in betting. We win or we lose and that’s that. My point is that it was a “good loss”. We lost by 3 despite App. St. missing a ton of layups at the rim, getting outshot 46% to 40%, only hitting 27% from 3-point range, hitting a measly 44% from the line, getting outrebounded by 9 and not getting any help from the refs as Troy was only called for 7 fouls. This is one of those plays that if you bet it 100x, you would win 60-65 of them. And THAT is how we as bettors need to look at sports betting. We’re going to win and we’re going to lose. This was one of our 40 losses. Can’t win’em all and the sooner you as a sports investor accepts that the sooner you will be on the road to figuring out this puzzle and realizing that it’s a long term grind, not a get rich quick endeavor. Tonight’s play is the Evansville Purple Aces at +21. Grab the Pepto Bismol if you’re going to watch this one because it will surely be scary, but we should sneak in under the number. Tonight’s card is loaded with good teams playing but very little wagering value as many of the spreads are right on and others are a complete coin flip. – 2/21
Monday: Appalachian State Mountaineers +7. – 2/20
Sunday: UConn Huskies +3. – 2/19
Saturday: Cornell Big Red +10.5. – 2/18
Friday Ivy League Action: Columbia Lions +8. – 2/17
Thursday: San Jose St. dominated the first half yesterday and then got destroyed in the second half. How a team controls the game and leads by 5 at half and ends up losing by 18 is baffling. Let’s get’em back today with the following! UAB Blazers +2.5, Florida Atlantic Owls +12, Oregon St. Beavers +10.5, BYU Cougars -15.5, North Dakota Fighting Hawks -4.5. – 2/16
Wednesday: San Jose State Spartans +7.5. – 2/15
Tuesday: What a rough day yesterday! Syracuse goes into overtime and absolutely everything went wrong that could and we get edged by a point. Fairfield loses by a bucket. Texas State covered but it was too close for comfort. After doing this gig for over 20 years, it still amazes me how a 1-2 day could have very easily been a 3-0 day with a play or two in our favor. More importantly, in order to be an effective handicapper and successful sports bettor, we can’t let situations like last night fester in our minds. We have to have no conscience and only look forward to what today has to offer. Today’s pick is the Toledo Rockets at +7.5. Get this line quick because it’s likely to drop. – 2/14
Monday: Syracuse Orange +3, Texas State Bobcats +1, Fairfield Stags -3.5. Note: Jer is back from vacaction and resumed his computer picks. These can be found in the right menu of any page in our college basketball section. – 2/13
Sunday: Temple Owls +6. – 2/12
Saturday: Gonzaga Bulldogs -4.5. – 2/11
Friday: Dartmouth Big Green +15, Cornell Big Red +16, Niagara Purple Eagles +10. – 2/10
Thursday: UC Riverside Highlanders +2, Oregon State Beavers +17, Pepperdine Waves +9, Northern Arizona Lumberjacks +5. – 2/9
Wednesday: Air Force Falcons +1. – 2/8
Tuesday: Marquette Golden Eagles -1.5 – 2/7
Monday: St. Peter’s Peacocks -3.5 – 2/6
Sunday: Clemson +7 – 2/5
Saturday: Arizona/Oregon UNDER 138.5 – 2/4
Friday: Cornell Big Red -3 – 2/3
Thursday: Colorado Buffaloes +2. – 2/2
Wednesday: Florida State/Miami UNDER 143.5. – 2/1
Tuesday: Iowa State Cyclones +3. – 1/31
Monday: Drexel Dragons +9.5. – 1/30
Sunday: St. Peter’s Peacocks +6. – 1/29
Saturday: Rough beat yesterday getting a push in a game where we were ahead most of the game and then down 1 (getting 6) with 8 seconds left and Harvard goes on to nail a 3-ball and 2 free throws to force the push. I probably shouldn’t complain though as we got a garbage bucket to cover the Sixers game with seconds remaining lol. Today’s plays are William and Mary Tribe +6, Pacific Tigers +5, Columbia Lions +2.5, Utah St. Aggies +1.5 and Idaho Vandals +6.5. The Idaho play will be especially strong if Ahmaad Rorie is officially ruled out. It would qualify for a 2 unit play if Walter Wright is out as well. – 1/28
Friday: Cornell Big Red +6. – 1/27
Thursday: Eastern Washington Eagles +6.5. – 1/26
Wednesday: Indiana-Purdue (IUPUI) Jaguars +7, Oral Roberts Golden Eagles +7.5. – 1/25
Tuesday: So Illinois Salukis +17, Virginia Cavaliers +1, Drake Bulldogs +9.5, Penn State Nittany Lions +15.5, Ball State Cardinals +7, Tulane Green Wave +16. – 1/24
Monday: South Alabama Jaguars +8.5 and American University Eagles +8. – 1/23
Sunday: Arizona State Sun Devils +9. – 1/22
Saturday: Fordham +9.5, James Madison +7.5, Pacific +8.5, South Dakota St. +4, Sacramento St. +6.5. – 1/21
Friday: Wisc-Milwaukee Panthers -1, Fairfield Stags +9, Quinnipiac Bobcats +3.5, Manhattan Jaspers +13.5, Eastern Michigan Eagles +4.5. – 1/20
Thursday: Arizona State Sun Devils +18. – 1/19
Wednesday: South Dakota State Jackrabbits +7. – 1/18
Tuesday: NC State -3.5, Wisconsin-Milwaukee +4.5 and a late addition (6:41PM EST) of Miami Ohio +10. – 1/17
Monday: Seton Hall Pirates +14, Cleveland State Vikings +14, Providence Friars +6.5. – 1/16
Sunday: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets +8.5. – 1/15
Saturday: Utah Utes +3, Pepperdine Waves +3.5, San Diego Toreros +10.5 Portland Pilots +2. – 1/14
Friday: Rider Broncs -1. – 1/13
Thursday: James Madison Dukes +4, Iowa Hawkeyes +6, Morehead St. Eagles +4.5. – 1/12
Wednesday: Loyola Chicago Ramblers +15.5, Seton Hall Pirates +5.5, Bradley Braves +3.5, North Dakota St. Bison -2. – 1/11
Tuesday: George Mason Patriots +4, Missouri Tigers +1 and Vanderbilt Commodores +11.5. – 1/10
Monday: Appalachian State Mountaineers +5. – 1/9
Sunday: Oakland Golden Grizzlies/Illinois Chicago Flames UNDER 153. – 1/8
Saturday: Getting stuck out in inclement weather and a crappy internet connection prevented our college basketball handicapper from getting in the proper work today so we have to pass. – 1/7
Friday: Iona Gaels +5.5. – 1/6
Thursday: Northeastern Huskies -11.5, James Madison Dukes +7.5, Ohio State Buckeyes +3.5, Cal Bears +10.5, SIU Edwardsville Cougars +6. – 1/5
Wednesday’s Plays: UMass Minutemen +3.5, St. Louis Billikens +15.5, Notre Dame Fighting Irish -1, SMU Mustangs -11.5, Utah St. Aggies -1. Also, Jer has started doing his computer picks again. Find these in the upper right menu of this page! These have worked GREAT for over/unders in the past! – 1/4
Tuesday: TCU Horned Frogs -11. – 1/3
Monday: Western Carolina Catamounts +8. – 1/2
Sunday: Drake +7. – 1/1
OUR 2016 college basketball picks will start Monday, January 2nd! We had planned on starting earlier, but we’re just not ready. Please set a reminder to check back then!
Monday NCAA Basketball Championship Game: Congrats to all who have been along for the ride in what has been a very successful college hoops season! Statistically speaking, Villanova and UNC look very similar on paper. I don’t believe this to be the case though… When I envision this matchup, I see North Carolina DOMINATING in the paint. Their ability to play above the rim is so far superior to Villanova. I believe the Tar Heels defense is much better as well. The Cats are vulnerable to allowing up to 50% field goal shooting. UNC will likely only allow 42% or less. While I don’t think it’d be responsible as a handicapper to say a blowout is going to happen tonight, it COULD happen. I’m very confident that North Carolina wins and covers tonight. Thank you for sticking with us this season. I hope that you will consider swinging over to our baseball section as I will be handicapping small ball for the next 6 months and plan on grinding out a winning season there as well! – 4/4
Saturday: North Carolina Tar Heels -9.5 and Oklahoma Sooners +2.5. – 4/2
Friday: Tonight’s CBI matchup between Morehead St./Nevada looks
too easy. This is a bit concerning as generally speaking, when something
looks this easy it’s usually a trap. Nevada is a good home team with a 15-3
record on their own court. Their strength of schedule was tougher, they
hold advantages in almost every statistical category, they were in the game AT Morehead St. and beat them by 9 at home, they play much
better defense and Morehead State isn’t a good road team. So why would the
line open with the Wolfpack as -4.5 favorites and drop down to -3? All the
while, over 70% of the action is coming in on Nevada, yet the line moves
the other way? It’s fishy to say the least. Let’s investiage why line moves
real quick… The first is that a game is getting one sided (Money flowing
in huge on one team). This SHOULD cause Nevada’s line to go up to -6 or
-7. The second is that sharp’s/betting syndicates are siding with the less
popular team and the books respect their opinion. Another and what I think
is the most likely scenario here is that a “head fake” is in play here.
Betting syndicates are groups that move LARGE amounts of money on one side
of a game. At times, they will “head fake” their action by hammering one side of the line for a huge amount of money which forces the line down. Then, they come back later and hit the other side for twice as much (or more). What they’ve essentially done here is lower the line to a more favorable position. It’s not a common move but it does happen. I guess we’ll know as gametime nears and if the spread shoots back up higher prior to tipoff. There’s always a chance that it’s a trap line as well. I’ve scoured this game high and low and can’t find any reason why Nevada doesn’t win this game by 6 or more points. With that being said, I wouldn’t be unloading on this game. We’re recommending a single unit play on Nevada at -3. I fully expect this line to go back up later in the day so grab this while it’s low. – 4/1
Thursday: I was very impressed when George Washington not only didn’t have a letdown after beating Florida, they went out and absolutely blasted a pretty good/well coached San Diego St. team. Valparaiso is a fundamentally sound team but who did they play this season? GW beat Virginia! The Colonials strength of schedule was a full 4 points tougher than Valparaiso’s. Wrong team favored here. I’m betting the George Washington Colonials +2. – 3/31
Wednesday: Do I have any regrets laying a -280 moneyline and winning by 23 points when we could have won almost 3x more by laying the -6.5. NO! When college teams play back to back games fatigue is a variable that must be taken with serious consideration. Anything that lessens the strength of a play (especially on the road and laying points) is worth sidestepping. In most cases, the right move would have been to pass. In this case, we’ve been so hot and are so in tune with what’s going on in college hoops because there’s so few games (more time to spend digging into each game) that taking a pass wasn’t in the cards. Tonight, we’re in a back to back to back situation with teams playing their 3rd game in 3 nights. This is a rarity in college hoops. Oakland likes to push the ball and try to score 100 each game and Old Dominion is more methodical and relies a bit more on defense. In theory, the running team SHOULD be the higher risk to succumb to fatigue. In this case, 4 of the Monarch’s key players were on the court for over 30 minutes yesterday vs. UC Santa Barbara. A few other things that really stand out here is that Oakland shoots 10% better from 3, 8% better from the line and despite both teams showing the same strength of schedule on paper, Oakland is a better road team and Oakland has taken on much stronger opponents (and hung in there) such as Virginia and Michigan St. That experience is golden. I hate siding with such a public play (public backing Oakland 73%) but all arrows point to another win and a Vegas 16 tournament championship for the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. – 3/30
Tuesday: Hopefully we’ll be thanking East Tennessee St. twice within the same 24 hours as we’re involving them in another play, however, we’re fading them tonight. We’re riding the Oakland moneyline at -280. All of tonight’s games have very tight lines and too many unstable variables to roll with a spread bet. We’re pretty sure Oakland wins straight up here, but are never comfortable laying points so are making a rare moneyline favorite play. Big moneyline favs aren’t a very wise decision as if this game loses, a guy has to win 3 straight spread bets in a row to break even. There is however a time and a place for such a bet and it’s today. After watching last night’s game, it was very clear to me that ETSU is very vulnerable to good guard play and they’ll be up against it tonight facing one of the better guards in small college basketball. ETSU played well last night but showed their hand while blowing a couple of big leads. In all candidness, Louisiana Tech played BAD for most of the game. Furthermore, they’re in a potential letdown spot here as this was a big emotional win for the team and they played late into the night which opens up the door for fatigue. Yes, Oakland only played 2.5 hours prior to East Tenn. St., but that could be a difference maker. – 3/29
Monday: Today blesses us with yet another opportunity in which the wrong team is favored. While there are no such things as locks in sports betting, this game offers great value and we consider it a strong play. East Tennessee State/Louisiana Tech go at it in Vegas in an 8 team single elimination tournament at the Mandalay Bay Resort. The game opened with La. Tech as -1 point favs and has gone up to -2.5. The line move has been driven by public money as the squares are hitting on the Bulldogs at a whopping 72%. This is a bit surprising as East Tennessee St. comes in healthier, shoots the ball better (especially from long range), plays better D, has a higher strength of schedule and is older/more experienced than their opponent. Whether it be that L.T. has a more recognizable name or that their star player has a fat stat line, they are unfustifiably getting all the action and ETSU is getting no respect, a spot we LOVE to side with! We’re recommending an 80% play on East Tennessee St. at +2.5 and a 20% play on the ETSU moneyline at +125. – 3/28
Sunday: (ND vs. UNC) This will be the 3rd matchup of the year between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and North Carolina Tar Heels. UNC thumped ND just two weeks ago (on a neutral court) in the ACC tournament by a score of 78-47. In the first matchup between these teams, ND won on their home floor, however, they only gave gave up two turnovers and only won by 4 points. They were outplayed but managed to get to the line a whopping 38 times which is far from normal and will not happen today.
Offensive rebounds and turnovers should be the difference here and the Tar Heels should dominate in both categories. In their last matchup, UNC outrebounded ND by 18 (49-31), they outboarded them on the offensive end 18-5 and crushed them in the turnover battle 17-10. UNC is great in transition so these numbers (or even lesser) spell disaster for ND. Another bad sign for ND is that they’ve been weak in the first half of their tournament games. They were down 41-29 at the half vs. Michigan, were only up by 1 vs. Stephen F. Austin and down by 4 to Wisconsin. They’ve been down in the 2nd half of all 3 games. While ND did come back and win all 3 games, the “Comeback Kids” mantra isn’t going to fly vs. UNC who plays way better defense than ND’s previous 3 opponents. A first half play on UNC is definitely worth a look.
ND is offensively challenged at times which plays right into the hands of a NC team that is playing GREAT defense and that is only allowing 38.4% from the field over their last 5 games. Expect a couple/few good runs from the Tar Heels in which they break the game wide open.
ND couldn’t have asked for an easier schedule to get into the elite 8 as they beat Michigan by 7, Stephen F Austin by 1 and Wisconsin by 5. In doing so, they only scored 70, 76 and 61 points. Against AVERAGE teams. Against the best defense they’ll have seen in the tourney, we’re forecasting them to score in the high 60’s with a ceiling of 70. We expect the Heels to put up at least 85+, which makes this a GREAT value play. It’s a bit odd to see a blowout this deep into the tournament, but it COULD happen. There will be a lot of broken hearts today as the public is backing the Irish and the reason the line has dropped from +10 to +9. Take the North Carolina Tar Heels to win and cover the -9 and I’ll see you at the Cashier’s Cage!
Free Printable March Madness Bracket: 2016 March Madness Tournament Bracket
Saturday: Oklahoma Sooners +2. Both of today’s March Madness games are great matchups where it’s really difficult to determine a clear-cut winner. This play barely qualified as a pick so if you’re looking for an easy winner, this ain’t it. This play is solely based on guard play and SOS (strength of schedule). The Ducks are a good team, however, their Pac 12 opponents simply aren’t as strong as the teams that the Sooners have faced this season. More importantly, guard play is HUGE in college basketball. A good college hoops guard can take over and control a game. Buddy Hield is no joke. We’re looking at a future NBA all star here. I look for him to hog the ball bigtime today and put up giant numbers tonight vs. the Ducks. Lastly, if the Ducks have a weak spot it’s road play. I don’t see a big margin here, but do believe the Sooners win this game straight up. I’d throw 80% on the +2 spread and 20% on the moneyline to get a taste of the good stuff! Good luck and enjoy your Saturday. It’s a great day to be alive! – 3/26
Friday: Syracuse Orange +4.5. We hear the media chirping about how Gonzaga is peaking at the right time having won 7 games in a row and by a margin of 14+ points but who have they played? Their schedule this year was fairly weak. If I told you I was 28-7 in boxing, but most of my opponents were 12 year olds, it’s not quite as exciting lol. Syracuse took on quality opponents all season long. Strength of schedule is always something you should give serious consideration to when betting on college sports. Throw in the fact that the Zags will be facing a zone defense that they’ll be completely unfamiliar with as nobody in the WCC plays that style of D and you’ve got a potential disaster here. The wrong team is favored. It should be Syracuse favored by 4.5. We love the Cuse to win this game straight up tonight. We recommend putting 67% of your wager on the spread at +4.5 and the remaining 33% on the moneyline at +185 so you can get a taste of the good stuff. – 3/25
Thursday: Oklahoma Sooners -3. Nice letdown spot here for a TAMU team that may have blown their load during their miracle comeback/win. Letdowns are for real and this is a PRIME spot for one. Even if that variable doesn’t come into play, the Sooners guard play is too strong. I like the Sooners to win by 10+ and that’s saying a lot because as you know, I hate wagering on favs! – 3/24
Wednesday: Florida Gators +2. This team appears motivated to win the tournament. Florida’s strength of schedule makes their numbers look worse than they actually are. GW has looked suspect on defense lately as well. The game will probalby be close throughout but we believe the Gators win straight up here. – 3/23
Tuesday: Valparaiso Crusaders on the moneyline at -155. – 3/22
Monday: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets +3.5. – 3/21
Sunday: Syracuse Orange -6. – 3/20
Saturday March Madness Pick: Virginia Cavaliers -7.5. -3/19
Friday: Xavier Musketeers -13. – 3/18
Thursday: Fresno St. Bulldogs +9. – 3/17
Wednesday: Virginia Tech Hokies -3.5. – 3/16
Tuesday: Vanderbilt Commodores +3.5. – 3/15
Monday: Passing. – 3/14
Sunday: Texas AM +4 and Purdue +5. – 3/13
Saturday: Virginia Cavaliers +2.5. – 3/12
Friday: Nevada +7.5, Nebraska +8 and Cal St. Bakersfield -11.5. – 3/11
Thursday: Nebraska Cornhuskers +6. – 3/10
Wednesday: Washington State Cougars +9.5. – 3/9
Tuesday: Sacramento State Hornets +2.5. – 3/8
Monday: Pepperdine Waves +7.5. – 3/7
Sunday: Maryland Terrapins +5. – 3/6
Saturday: Portland Pilots +15.5. – 3/5
Friday: Delaware Blue Hens +7. – 3/4
Thursday: UMass +10. Get this one quick as we believe the line is going to drop. – 3/3
Wednesday: St. Bonvaventure +3.5. – 3/2
Tuesday: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets +13. – 3/1
Monday: Tennessee-Chatanooga/VMI OVER 144 points scored. – 2/29
Sunday: Colorado St. Rams +2.5. – 2/28
Friday: Rider Broncs +9.5. – 2/26
Thursday: Stanford Cardinal at a pick’em. – 2/25
Wednesday: Wyoming Cowboys +4.5. – 2/24
Tuesday: Rutgers Scarlet Knights +12.5. – 2/23
Monday: Kansas State Wildcats -1. – 2/22
Sunday: Washington State Cougars +10. – 2/21
Saturday: Georgia Southern Eagles +5.5. – 2/20
Friday: Yale Bulldogs +3. – 2/19
Thursday: We fell victim of one of the “flukier” games you’ll ever see in which Auburn had shot 29%, 23% and 25% in their last 3 games and low and behold they come out AT Arkansas and shoot 61% from the field, 65% from 3 and lose the turnover battle 21-12 and win straight up. Surely one of the bigger head scratchers you’ll ever see. If you’re going to handicap college hoops (or any sport for that matter), these type of clunkers are going to happen. You can’t have a conscience. We have to put it behind us and move on. We don’t celebrate blowouts and we don’t get down about bad losses. ONWARD! Today we like the Portland Pilots at +10. The Gaels haven’t scored more than 68 points in their last 5 games. Portland is extremely efficient from 3 at home and is more than likely to stay within the number here. – 2/18
Wednesday: Arkansas Razorbacks -15.5. We’re forecasting a win here with a low floor of 17 points and a ceiling of 29. – 2/17
Tuesday: Texas Longhorns on the moneyline at -145. – 2/16
Monday NCAAB: Quinnipiac Bobcats +15 and Morgan State Bears +10. – 2/15
Sunday: Minnesota Golden Gophers +19.5, USC Trojans +9.5 and Niagra Purple Eagles +9.5. – 2/14
Saturday: Brown Bears +4. – 2/13
Friday: Rider Broncs +4.5, Arizona St. Sun Devils +1 and Brown Bears +6.5. – 2/12
Thursday NCAAB Pick: San Francisco Dons +8. – 2/11
Wednesday: Marquette Golden Eagles +1.5. Get it fast as I expect this line to drop as it gets closer to tip-off. – 2/10
Tuesday: Ole Miss Rebels +9. – 2/9
Monday: VMI +12. – 2/8
Sunday: Passing. – 2/7
Saturday: Air Force +11.5, New Mexico +5, Fresno St. +2.5, San Diego +13.5, Cal Poly SLO +3.5, Northern Arizona +4.5, Southern Utah +10.5. – 2/6
Friday: Man oh man did we get snake-bit yesterday. Southern Utah had HUGE value as Idaho was coming in missing their top 2 players. Low and behold, Southern Utah suspends their top two scorers prior to tip for a violation of team rules. Absolutely Sickening! Today we’re doubling up, laying 2.2 units to win 2 units on Dartmouth at +1. (Not to chase losses, but because it’s a solid play) – 2/5
Thursday: Southern Utah +2. Get on this one fast as it’s likely the line will drop closer to tip-off. – 2/4
Wednesday: Cal State Northridge +5. – 2/3
Tuesday: Rider Broncos on the Moneyline at -125. – 2/2
Monday: Northern Kentucky Norse +6. – 2/1
Sunday: South Florida +8. – 1/31
Saturday: Pacific Tigers +11.5, Pepperdine +11 and San Diego State +4. – 1/30
Friday: Northern Kentucky +8. – 1/29
Thursday: Southern Utah +5.5. – 1/28
Wednesday: There is a lack of value on today’s slate so we’re forced to pass. It sucks to take a day off in the middle of a heater but it’s the right move. – 1/27
Tuesday: West Virginia Mountaineers -10.5. – 1/26
Monday: Miami Hurricanes on the moneyline at -175. – 1/25
Sunday: We got bunched up badly with football stuff this morning so didn’t have time to handicap today’s card. There are very few games left so we’re going to take a pass. – 1/24
Saturday: San Diego Toreros +5.5 and Pepperdine Waves +2.5. – 1/23
