College basketball schedule today features 24 games
College basketball fans and bettors got an early taste of March Madness on Saturday, when we saw some great games and a number of buzzer beaters — including a 60-foot heave that saw the Arizona State Sun Devils upsetting the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson. The Sunday, February 26th slate will have a hard time matching that excitement, but we still have plenty of action to soak in. Conference tournament play is right around the corner, making this the best time of the year for basketball fans. However, we still have some time to build our bankrolls before then, so let’s attack this Sunday slate with a purpose.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on February 26
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With that out of the way, here are some of our favorite picks on the February 26 card (odds from DraftKings):
Providence Friars (-7, 149) vs. Georgetown Hoyas
Georgetown has had a very disappointing season in Patrick Ewing’s sixth year with the program, but the Hoyas have been great to bettors since the middle of January. Georgetown might be 2-9 straight-up since January 26, but the Hoyas are 9-2 against the spread in that span. Now, the team will be hoping that home-court advantage will help keep things tight against a very good Providence group.
One thing working in favor of the Hoyas is the fact that Ed Cooley is just 2-10-1 ATS in his career when his teams have played as road favorites of 6.5 to 12 points. Meanwhile, Georgetown is an impressive 29-14-1 ATS under Ewing when playing a team it lost to prior in the season.
Providence really should win this game outright, but the team is somewhat vulnerable on the defensive end. While the Friars are 19th in the nation in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency, the team is just 77th when it comes to defense. That should give the Hoyas a shot, as they have multiple guards that can get hot here. Keep an eye on Primo Spears in this one, as he had 18 points and seven assists the last time these teams played. The sophomore has been struggling in recent weeks, but he should rebound in this spot.
Pick: Georgetown +7
Wichita State Shockers vs. Tulane Green Wave (-6, 149.5)
When these two teams met on January 25, Tulane ended up earning a 95-90 road win over Wichita State. That game easily went Over the point total of 146.5, which makes it easy to imagine this one also going Over at 149.5. The Over is actually 13-2 since the Shockers began conference play, and it’s 4-1 in the five games they’ve played with totals between 140 and 149.5 this season. On top of that, the Over is also 10-3-1 in the 14 conference games that the Green Wave have played this season.
These are just two teams that have consistently played high-scoring games. In Tulane’s case, that shouldn’t be all that surprising. The Green Wave play at the third-fastest pace in all of college basketball, according to KenPom’s adjusted tempo rankings. They like to get up and down the floor in a hurry, and they were able to suck a slower Shockers team into their type of game the last time they met. With this being a home game, we expect Tulane to find a way to do the same here.
We also like that neither one of these teams defends the three-point line particularly well. That means there should be decent looks to go around.
Pick: Over 149.5
Washington Huskies vs. Stanford Cardinal (-6.5, 140.5)
This spread opened at 4.5 and has been moving in a scary direction since, but it’s just difficult to lay off the Huskies at this number. For starters, these teams have been going in opposite directions as of late, with Washington having won three in a row and Stanford having lost five of its last six. The Huskies have also covered in each of their past six games, while also going 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games.
Washington is also a ridiculous 16-1 ATS when facing teams that shoot 18.0 or fewer free throws per game after 15 or more games since the start of last season. The Huskies have actually won those games by an average margin of 7.2 points per game, so the Cardinal will be in trouble if they aren’t able to get to the free throw line in this game.
Washington is 51st in the nation in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, and one of the staples of head coach Mike Hopkins’ defense is that it forces opponents to take a lot of contested jumpers. If Stanford isn’t attacking the basket, the team could struggle to score enough points to cover in this one.
Another thing to keep an eye on here is that the Huskies defend the three-point line extremely well. Opponents are only shooting 28.6 percent from deep against Washington, and that’s the sixth-lowest mark in all of college basketball. That could spell trouble for a Stanford team that is mediocre from three to begin with.
Pick: Washington +6.5
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