Picks for Best Games on Thursday, March 14th
Today is the first day of big time College Basketball Championship games, as all the conferences will have their main games taking place today. As a result I will have a lot of picks for all of today’s best games.
Providence vs. Villanova
Noon ET on Fox Sports 1
Line: Villanova -6
Pick: Villanova
Against the Spread: Villanova
Final Score Prediction: Villanova 78 Providence 69
Why this pick? I am tempted to take Providence but all year long Villanova has been the better team, I’ll take them to win.
Iowa State vs. Baylor
12:30 PM ET on ESPN2
Line: Iowa State -2.5
Pick: Iowa State
Against the Spread: Iowa State
Final Score Prediction: Iowa State 78 Baylor 67
Why this pick? They call the Sprint Center Hilton South, that might be a good reason to take the Cyclones in this game.
Indiana vs. Ohio State
12:30 PM ET on the Big Ten Network
Line: Indiana -2.5
Pick: Indiana
Against the Spread: Indiana
Final Score Prediction: Indiana 75 Ohio State 67
Why this pick? I am going to keep riding the hot-hand Indiana, who is playing great as of late.
NC State vs. Virginia
12:30 PM ET on ESPN
Line: Virginia -11
Pick: Virginia
Against the Spread: Virginia
Final Score Prediction: Virginia 78 NC State 63
Why this pick? NC State is coming off an emotional comeback win against Clemson, I think on short rest they lose handily to Virginia.
Virginia Tech vs. Florida State
2:30 PM ET on ESPN
Line: Virginia Tech -1
Pick: Florida State
Against the Spread: Florida State
Final Score Prediction: Florida State 65 Virginia Tech 60
Why this pick? The Seminoles are always tough to prepare for on short rest, I think they beat Virginia Tech is a slow-tempo matchup.
TCU vs. Kansas State
2:30 PM ET on ESPN2
Line: Kansas State -3
Pick: Kansas State
Against the Spread: Kansas State
Final Score Prediction: Kansas State 71 TCU 63
Why this pick? Kansas State will eventually miss Dean Wade, just in this game I think they take care of business.
Xavier vs. Creighton
2:30 PM ET on Fox Sports 1
Line: Creighton -2.5
Pick: Xavier
Against the Spread: Xavier
Final Score Prediction: Xavier 67 Creighton 61
Why this pick? This will be fun to watch, as this is truly an elimination game from the NCAA Tournament, I think the Musketeers wind up winning this game though.
Alabama vs. Ole Miss
7 PM ET on the SEC Network
Line: Ole Miss -3
Pick: Ole Miss
Against the Spread: Ole Miss
Final Score Prediction: Ole Miss 76 Alabama 65
Why this pick? Ole Miss seems to be out of their mid-SEC slump, meanwhile Alabama hasn’t played good basketball in weeks. This might be a time to pick the Rebels.
Louisville vs. North Carolina
7 PM ET on ESPN
Line: North Carolina -7
Pick: North Carolina
Against the Spread: North Carolina
Final Score Prediction: North Carolina 89 Louisville 76
Why this pick? This seems like a game that will be between 10-15 points all night long.
West Virginia vs. Texas Tech
7 PM ET on ESPN2
Line: Texas Tech -13
Pick: Texas Tech
Against the Spread: Texas Tech
Final Score Prediction: Texas Tech 84 West Virginia 65
Why this pick? The Red Raiders are rolling on offense right now, that spells blowout in my eyes.
St. John’s vs. Marquette
7 PM ET on Fox Sports 1
Line: Marquette -2
Pick: St. John’s
Against the Spread: St. John’s
Final Score Prediction: St. John’s 72 Marquette 64
Why this pick? Markus Howard has been shut down by Justin Simon all year long, meanwhile Marquette is on a four-game losing streak. Give me St. John’s in this one.
Texas vs. Kansas
9 PM ET on ESPN2
Line: Kansas -2.5
Pick: Kansas
Against the Spread: Kansas
Final Score Prediction: Kansas 74 Texas 65
Why this pick? The Sprint Center is basically a second home for Kansas, I’ll take the Jayhawks to win in front of a mostly pro-Kansas crowd.
Syracuse vs. Duke
9 PM ET on ESPN
Line: Duke -11
Pick: Duke
Against the Spread: Duke
Final Score Prediction: Duke 78 Syracuse 63
Why this pick? Unless Buddy Boeheim goes off or Tyus Battle is in action, the Orange shouldn’t be able to keep this within five points, so I will take Duke in this game.
UCLA vs. Arizona State
9 PM ET on the Pac-12 Network
Line: Arizona State -4
Pick: Arizona State
Against the Spread: Arizona State
Final Score Prediction: Arizona State 74 UCLA 62
Why this pick? Arizona State has played quite well as of late, it might not be a bad idea to pick them in this game.
Georgetown vs. Seton Hall
9:30 PM ET on Fox Sports 1
Line: Seton Hall -2.5
Pick: Seton Hall
Against the Spread: Seton Hall
Final Score Prediction: Seton Hall 76 Georgetown 65
Why this pick? The Pirates are rolling as of late, I think it might be a good time to take them in this game.
Yesterday’s Picks: 4-4
Year to date: 370-316–17