There’s just over one week remaining in the college basketball regular season, leaving teams desperate to make their closing arguments as strong as possible for the tournament selection committee.
With five games featuring ranked opponents on both sides of the court, there’s plenty of opportunity for these teams to make their case for a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
Which games should bettors watch to make a nice profit on March 1st? We’ll cover our top three contests for Saturday, giving bettors the best bet from each contest.
The SEC’s premier matchup will feature two teams vying for their conference tournament’s double byes when Alabama takes on Tennessee on Saturday. The Crimson Tide is the nation’s highest-scoring team, averaging over 91.5 points per game with their frenetic play.
Tennessee is more than capable of scoring, but the Volunteers are winning games with their defensive effort. They’ve held five straight opponents to less than 76 points, including a dozen games where they’ve allowed 60 or fewer points.
This game will be a toss-up as both teams have so much on the line. Both Kentucky and Ole Miss have beaten Tennessee inside Food City Center this season, meaning the Vols are susceptible at home. The Crimson Tide’s ability to push the scoring suggests this game will be a high-scoring affair, and bettors should take the over on the points as the best bet.
Best Bet: OVER 155.5
This game probably isn’t on your radar as a top game for Saturday, but it should be. The Panthers are a competitive bunch that has experienced bad breaks this season.
Pitt won or lost nine of their past 13 games by single-digit margins, showing how close this team has been to their competition this season. That includes the first matchup between these two schools as Louisville won by four points in a road contest for the Cardinals.
Louisville needs this victory to keep pace in the ACC, especially as it’s a home contest. Don’t be surprised if Pitt pulls this one out, but bettors should be confident the Panthers will keep it close throughout.
Best Bet: Pittsburgh (+10.5)
Another matchup of two teams looking to finish among their conference’s top four spots takes place late Saturday when Arizona travels north to face Iowa State. The Wildcats enter the game stumbling as of late, losing three of their past five games.
Arizona’s slate will only get harder as they’ll face rival Arizona State and Kansas next week before the Big 12 tournament begins. There’s something about playing at Hilton Coliseum that confounds opponents. Iowa State’s lone loss at home this year was to Kansas State to start February.
Don’t expect the Cyclones to lose this contest, however. Take the home team and the points as Iowa State earns its revenge against Arizona after dropping a late-January contest to the Wildcats in overtime.
Best Bet: Iowa State (-5.5)