College Basketball Expert Picks For Thursday, March 2

College Basketball Picks, Predictions

There's more college basketball action today, which means even more tough decisions for bettors to go along with NBA, NFL, NHL and college football this week. To help you make the best bets today, the BetQL editors have picked a few of their favorite college basketball bets below using key trends, data and picks from the BetQL model.

One trend to note is that the BetQL NCAAB model is on fire, going 175-118 (60%) on all picks rated ⭐⭐ and higher in the past three days for a quick return of $1,157 on $100 bets! Take advantage of BetQL's free trial and see all of today's best college basketball bets, plus what the model is projecting for this week's NBA, NHL and soccer games! Start your free trial today!

Kate Constable: UCLA -11.5 vs. Arizona St.

UCLA has been dominant at home this season where its 15-1 SU and has covered the spread in five of its last seven games at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins are one of the best defensive teams in the country and excel on the boards on both offense and defense. They have the ability to generate second-chance points at a high level and are the best team in the conference at turning teams over, also resulting in extra possessions. Arizona State is coming off of two straight wins, but one of those was on a buzzer-beater, so I wonder if this is a little bit of a sell-high spot for the Sun Devils. This line has been moving down in favor of Arizona State, but I doubt it’s going to drop much lower than -11.5, so grab this number at BetMGM along with a great welcome offer below!

Lucy Burdge: USC +2 vs. Arizona

While Arizona has covered in two of the last three games on the road, USC has covered in four straight, giving the Trojans a little extra momentum. Arizona is also just 3-5 ATS as the road favorite, while USC is 7-4 ATS as the underdog, including 2-0 as a home 'dog. So I like USC to cover +2 and you can get that at -110 at Caesars along with the welcome offer below!

Dan Karpuc: Purdue-Wisconsin u127.5

The last six Wisconsin home games and four of the last six Purdue road games have finished under the total, and both of these teams have A+ defensive grades in our model. The Boilermakers rank 18th in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency and 321st in Adjusted Tempo, per KenPom, while Wisconsin ranks 21st in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency and 350th in Adjusted Tempo. This should be a slow, defensive-oriented battle and I’m firmly on the under.

Matt Horner: Pepperdine ML vs. Pacific (-130, PointsBet)

Last-place Pepperdine (9-21) is a favorite over Pacific (14-17) in the WCC tournament tonight? And the line keeps moving toward the Waves despite a large percentage of bets on the Tigers, showing you that sharps are pushing money into Pepperdine. The Waves are as high as -145, but PointsBet is still offering -130, so grab the value while you can.

Brad Pinkerton: Baylor to make Final Four (+450, DraftKings)

Happy March Madness, y'all! My mind is already on the NCAA tournament, so I'll be searching for a few valuable futures picks here with the occasional boost and promo mixed in so we can hit some huge paydays in March (or April).

Yesterday I highlighted UCLA to make the Final Four for +330 at DraftKings (it's already down to +300, which I still like). Today let's look at Baylor +450 to make the Final Four, also at DraftKings and also a great value that could shrink quickly.

Playing in a tough Big 12 conference will have the Bears ready to make another deep tourney run after winning the national title in 2021. There's enough talent and experience here for Baylor to cut down the nets again, but for now we'll focus on the +450 Final Four price at DraftKings. I think that number will shrink quickly if the Bears beat Iowa State at home this weekend and have a strong showing in the Big 12 tournament, so don't wait around if you like the Bears too. This would be another great use of your bonus bet(s) from the DK welcome offer below!

MORE: TODAY’S COLLEGE HOOPS BETTING GUIDE

Take advantage of BetQL's free trial and see all of today's best college basketball bets, plus what the model is projecting for this week's NBA, NHL and soccer games! Start your free trial today!