Although several conferences are hosting their annual tournaments, this weekend serves as the final regular season games for many power schools. Big games on Saturday and Sunday will determine the final seeding for next week’s postseason events.
With so much college action to choose from, which games provide bettors with the best chance to win cold, hard cash on Saturday, March 8th? We’ll cover that below in our final three best bets for the college basketball weekend edition.
The Saturday slate kicks off with one of the biggest Big East games in recent memory. The St. John’s Red Storm are rolling, winning their first conference regular season championship since 1992. Now, the Red Storm are eyeing a top seed in the NCAA Tournament and their first conference tournament crown since 2000 next week.
Marquette jumped out to a strong start with an 18-3 record, but the team has dropped five of their past nine games – all within the Big East conference. One of those losses was at St. John’s, and the Golden Eagles are seeking revenge on Saturday. Marquette is also looking to avoid a two-game losing skid before entering conference play.
I’ll take the road team to win this game outright as the Red Storm finish their best season in recent memory with a win over the Golden Eagles.
Best Bet: St. John’s (+1.5)
Alabama enters its contest on Saturday with a lot riding on this game’s outcome. Beyond beating an in-state rival, the Crimson Tide can lock up its No. 3 rank in the SEC Tournament with a win. The school ranks as the highest-scoring team in the country, and Saturday’s matchup could provide a high-scoring affair.
The Tigers are locked into the top seed in the SEC Tournament next weekend, so Auburn’s sole motivation is to continue ranking as the NCAA’s top seed ahead of the Selection Show. In these two teams’ first matchup, the Tigers broke open the game with an 11-2 run late in the second half.
Expect another close matchup between these two teams, but don’t expect the combined scores to breach the 178.5-point mark.
Best Bet: UNDER 178.5
Outside of a loss to Clemson, Duke has been perfect in the ACC this year. The Blue Devils have won 23 of their past 25 games and are primed to earn a No. 1 seed heading into the NCAA Tournament.
North Carolina is peaking at the right time. The Tar Heels have won six straight games, and the school can earn the No. 4 seed in the upcoming ACC tournament with a victory on Saturday. The Tar Heels are shoo-ins for the NCAA Tournament, so this game is as much for pride as it is positioning.
In their first matchup, Duke blew the game open early with a 15-2 run, and the Blue Devils paired that up with another 11-2 first half run to coast to a victory. Don’t expect that outcome this time around, and UNC makes this a close game throughout.
Best Bet: UNC (+10.5)