College Basketball Best Bets Today:

It should be an awesome day of college basketball, as we have 40 games on the slate and all of them mean something. Some will decide NCAA Tournament bids and strengthen bubble cases. Others will keep the dream alive for at least another day. And some could be impactful when it comes to seeding as the Selection Committee makes their final decisions on Sunday.

Action starts very early with a rare a.m. start time on the East Coast, so I do have to cut the card down, given that I start my handicapping around 6:30-7 a.m. PT, which means that the time difference plays a role. Today and tomorrow, I’ll give as much lead time on my favorite plays as I can.

 

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Tracking sheet is here. 2023-24 for reference is here.

This article will run Monday-Saturday (not next week, see exception above). Lines will be from DraftKings, as they are widely available to readers. Shop around for the best prices.

Shout-outs to Bart Torvik, Erik Haslam, and Ken Pomeroy, as those are my three primary resources for information when handicapping.

Check the latest college basketball odds for legal U.S. sportsbooks across the country and our Vegas odds if you share a state with us here at VSiN. Also, give the college basketball betting splits a look for these or any other college basketball games today have your interest.

Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publish.

Florida A&M Rattlers vs. Jackson State Tigers (-6.5, 137.5)

8:30 p.m. ET

We’ve seen a significant move towards the Under in this game after the total opened 143.5 at DraftKings. Even Circa has had to move greatly off the 141 opener. At this point, though, I think this total has gotten too low. This is the first year at the Gateway Center Arena, so maybe that’s part of it, as yesterday’s two games landed 129 and 141, with both games going Under the total at most shops.

But, here’s what stands out to me. The first Florida A&M/Jackson State game landed 134 back on Jan. 27, as 49 free throws were attempted and both teams struggled a little bit to convert at the rim, going a combined 21-of-41. In the second game, there were 66 shot attempts at the rim and 39 makes. The game featured 45 free throw attempts.

As long as we get a lot of frequency going to the rim, I like the chances of this game going over. Florida A&M has allowed over a 44% shot share on Close Twos. In the last game, the teams only attempted a total of five mid-range jumpers. Jackson State was just 3-of-18 from 3-point range and still had 1.057 points per possession.

We should get free throws at the end of this one as well, so that can help us over the total. The regular season games were played to 72 and 67 possessions. I could see this one being on the upper end of that range, as Jackson State plays at a top-100 tempo and head coach Mo Williams will probably want his team to push it a bit in hopes of tiring out a Florida A&M team that played yesterday.

Pick: Over 137.5

UT Arlington Mavericks vs. Grand Canyon Antelopes (-8.5, 145.5)

11:30 p.m. ET

WAC Vegas begins at the Orleans Arena tonight. The tournament actually began last night in St. George, Utah with Utah Tech beating Southern Utah, but the tournament really begins tonight as the top two seeds are in action, including Grand Canyon. The Lopes got some good news entering the tournament, as Tyon Grant-Foster, a player who may very well have an NBA future, returns to the lineup. Grant-Foster has missed the last five games after averaging 14.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 1.6 BPG during the regular season against D-I opponents.

Grand Canyon’s height and length is going to be a problem for UT Arlington here. It certainly was in the second meeting between the two teams, as Grand Canyon made some adjustments for the second game in two weeks and had 35 shot attempts at the rim and 20 made shots. They actually played that game without Grant-Foster, who leads the team in dunks.

I’m sure he’ll be on a pitch count so to speak tonight, but Grand Canyon has been just fine without him and other bigs have stepped up in his place. His ability to alter shots on defense should help the Lopes on that end of the floor.

Grand Canyon won the second meeting by 14, had more possessions due to turnovers, and had 16 more shot attempts at the rim. Also, expect Grand Canyon’s fans to show out at Orleans Arena, as they’ve traveled very well from Phoenix to Las Vegas in the past.

Pick: Grand Canyon -8.5

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