College basketball picks: Odds, best bets for UNC-Clemson, BYU-Houston and other tournament matchups
Here's a look at the best bets for some of Thursday's best men's college basketball conference tournament games
Men's college basketball's Championship Week continues Thursday, and while there are no automatic bids on the line, there's no shortage of important matchups. Plenty of teams are on the bubble and need to do just a little bit more to reach the big dance as the conference tournaments get down to the real contenders.
The ACC, Big 12 and Big East and a few mid-majors are are down to the quarterfinals while the SEC and Big Ten are among those moving toward a Sunday finish. The action starts early Thursday with games like Louisville vs. Miami at 2:30 p.m. ET and UCF vs. Arizona at 3 p.m. ET, and goes until well after midnight. Among Thursday's top later games are Clemson vs. North Carolina, BYU vs. Houston and Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M.
We'll look at a few of Thursday's best games and give our best bets, with recommendations from the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every game 10,000 times. The model entered conference tournament week on a sizzling 14-2 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 28-21 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following its college basketball betting advice by wagering at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.
Thursday's NCAA conference tournament picks
BYU +10 vs. Houston
No. 10 BYU (23-10) has struggled some since Richie Saunders went down but comes in on a three-game win streak after beating West Virginia 68-48 on Wednesday. The Cougars also still have a massive star in freshman AJ Dybantsa, who leads Division I in scoring at 25.2 points per game. He has 88 points and 22 rebounds over their three-game run. No. 5 Houston (26-5) also has won three in a row after losing to Iowa State, Arizona and Kansas in succession and has been off since Saturday. The SportsLine model has BYU covering the spread in 59% of simulations, showing this one closer to a 6-point game.
Clemson vs. North Carolina Over 140.5
Both teams are expected to make the big dance, but they'll want to win this one to keep building momentum. Clemson (23-9) eased past Wake Forest 71-62 on Wednesday as six players scored at least eight points and the Tigers forced 12 turnovers. No. 19 North Carolina (24-7) beat the Tigers 67-63 nine days ago before losing to No. 1 Duke to close the regular season. The Tar Heels will be well-rested with four days off, and the model really likes the Over here, with it hitting in 67.6% of its simulations.
Oklahoma money line vs. Texas A&M
Both teams need this victory to continue making a case to make the big tournament, and it should be a close one with the Aggies favored by 2.5 points. The Sooners (18-14) have won five in a row after beating South Carolina 86-74 on Wednesday. The Aggies (21-10) won two-regular-season meetings between these teams, winning by four in Norman on Feb. 21 and by seven at home in January. This one is on a neutral court, and the model sees value on the Sooners to win, giving the pick a "B" grade as OU comes out on top in 48% of its simulations as plus-money underdogs.
