College basketball picks: Odds, best bets for Houston-Arizona, UConn-St. John's and other tournament matchups
Here's a look at the best bets for some of Saturday's best men's college basketball conference tournament games
Men's college basketball's Championship Week is in its furious final days, and there are 10 tournament finals Saturday, not to mention juicy matchups in the semifinals. While many of the teams involved in the major conference tournament finals will get invited to the big dance regardless of the outcomes, other teams need to win to get their golden ticket.
The Big 12 continues to offer up excellent games, as evidenced by Friday's Iowa State vs. Arizona thriller. The No. 2 Wildcats pulled that one out, and now they face a Houston Cougars team that ranks fifth in the nation. The Atlantic Coast Conference also boasts a top-10 matchup, as the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils take on the No. 10 Virginia Cavaliers. The Big East also features its top two teams, with the No. 1 seed and sixth-ranked UConn Huskies against the second-seeded and No. 13 St. John's Red Storm.
Other conferences with automatic bids on the line include the MAC, pitting Toledo vs. Akron, the SWAC, featuring Prairie View A&M vs. Southern, the Big West (Hawaii vs. UC Irvine) and Conference USA (Kennesaw State vs. Louisiana Tech).
We'll look at a few of Saturday'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.
Saturday's NCAA conference tournament picks
Houston money line vs. Arizona
The Wildcats (31-2) are coming off a draining victory against Iowa State, while the Cougars cruised past Kansas, holding the nation's 14th-ranked team to 47 points. Houston (28-5) has won five in a row by at least seven points. Arizona has won eight in a row, including a 73-66 victory against the Cougars on Feb. 21. Still, the SportsLine model has Houston winning in 57% of its simulations as a plus-money underdog, good for a "B" grade.
UConn -2.5 vs. St. John's
The Huskies (27-4) have lost three of their past 10 games after starting the season 22-1. One of those setbacks was an 81-72 loss to St. John's. UConn avenged that loss with a 72-40 home drubbing of the Johnnies (27-6) on Feb. 25. SJU has won every other game in its past 19. Nevertheless, the SportsLine model gives a "B" grade to UConn -2.5, as the Huskies cover the spread in 65% of simulations and win by an average of eight points.
Virginia vs. Duke Over 137.5
The top-ranked Blue Devils (31-2) have won 10 in a row, including a 77-51 home victory against the Cavaliers on Feb. 28. But UVa (29-4) has won every other game in its past 14, scoring at least 70 points in all but one of the victories. Both teams average around 82 points, and while both play strong defense, the SportsLine model expects this to be a high-scoring affair. It is projecting close to 150 points, with Over 137.5 hitting a whopping 78.6% of the time.
