College Basketball Expert Picks For Saturday, March 4

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 83-26 (76%) on moneyline picks rated ⭐⭐ and higher in the past seven days for a quick return of $1,184 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: Mississippi State ATS at Vanderbilt

Mississippi State is playing for a shot at the NCAA tournament on Saturday when it takes on Vanderbilt on the road. The Bulldogs are listed as one of the “last four in” on Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology and a loss to the Commodores might flip them into the “first four out” category. While the Bulldogs have struggled on the offensive end this season, they have the fourth-best defensive rating in the country, according to KenPom. Vandy has struggled against the top defensive teams in the conference, recording at least one loss to Alabama, Tennessee and Texas A&M, which are the three teams ranked ahead of Mississippi State in defensive efficiency. Not to mention, the Commodores are coming off a massive road win over Kentucky, so perhaps this is a bit of a letdown spot. If the Bulldogs open as a slight favorite, I would just grab them on the moneyline, otherwise take the points because this is going to be a close one.

Dan Karpuc: UConn ATS at Villanova

Winners of four games in a row, UConn’s offense is clicking right now, as they dropped 87, 95 and 88 points in back-to-back-to-back games against Providence, St. John’s and DePaul, respectively. Earlier in the season, the Huskies beat Villanova 74-66 in Hartford, and I think this matchup will come down to one simple factor: depth. The top-end talent on both squads is somewhat similar (UConn has an edge), but what sets Connecticut apart is the fact that Dan Hurley can rely on his bench and adapt based on matchups. You can make the argument that this Huskies team is the deepest team in the Big East and one of the deepest teams in the nation. Give me them to cover on the road.

Lucy Burdge: Tennessee ATS at Auburn

Tennessee has covered in back to back games to regain a little positive momentum after a rough patch in February, while Auburn has only covered in two of its last seven games. Auburn is also only 6-9 ATS as the home team this season, so I like Tennessee to cover this spread.

Brad Pinkerton: UNC ML vs. Duke

I'm anticipating UNC to open as a very slight favorite at home against the rival Blue Devils, in which case I'd grab the Tar Heels on the moneyline (I wouldn't lay any more than -150, though). If they're underdogs, I'd probably still lean toward taking plus-money on the UNC moneyline, but you could also take the points for a little more safety. UNC is playing for its NCAA tournament life, and Duke is just 3-6 SU and 2-7 ATS in true road games. The closing line will be important, too, because the Blue Devils are 0-3 SU and ATS as underdogs, while UNC is 0-5 SU and 0-4-1 ATS as the underdog. Get ready for another Duke-UNC classic, but I think the Tar Heels prevail with their backs against the wall at home.

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!