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College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday (2/26)

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As we begin the last week of February, we enter the prime time of the college basketball season for extensive bubble watch conversations and blind resume reviews, while teams begin to clinch regular season conference titles. One conversation that is not likely to be as discussed as it normally is this time of year is which teams are in the conversation for No. 1 seeds, as Purdue, UConn, Houston, and Arizona look to have a pretty tight stranglehold on those four spots.

Speaking of bubble teams, one of the more interesting ones to follow for the remainder of the season is Gonzaga, as its streak of 24 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances is in serious jeopardy. That is the third-longest active streak behind Kansas and Michigan State, and it may require a West Coast Conference tournament championship for the Bulldogs to punch their ticket.

Read on for Monday’s College Basketball best bets.

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Monday's College Basketball Best Bets

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Coppin State @ Howard (-13) | O/U 138.5 (-115/-105) 

There are 362 men's basketball teams in Division I, and Coppin State's offense ranks second-worst in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency metric, and fourth-worst in effective field goal percentage and turnover rate. The last category is also an issue for Howard, who turns the ball over 21.5% of the time (a bottom-10 rate), and that is concerning when facing a pesky Coppin State defense that ranks in the top 16 of all D-I teams by forcing turnovers on 21.9% of opponents' offensive possessions.

These two teams combined for 147 points in an 81-66 Howard road win earlier this season, but the Bison only forced 12 turnovers and Coppin State shot 28 free throws. We expect them to turn up the defensive pressure against the Eagles, who have not topped 67 points in any of their last seven games (all losses). 

The Under is 5-2 in the seven games Howard has been a home favorite, as opposed to cashing in just one of six games the Bison have been home underdogs since the start of last season. Meanwhile, the Under is 15-6 in Coppin St.'s 21 games following a loss, and has cashed in 57.1% of its conference games (24 of 42) since the start of the 2021 season. 

Bet: Under 138.5 (-105)

Baylor @ TCU (-2.5) | O/U 148 (-108/-112)

Baylor is coming off an emotional rollercoaster of a game against Houston on Saturday, in which it overcame a 17-point deficit to force overtime, only to lose by six at home. The Bears outrebounded the Cougras by eight and made 40% of their 3-pointers, but were undone by 19 turnovers and 32 paint points allowed (along with 12 fast break points). 

TCU is a difficult matchup for Baylor on just one day of rest, as the Horned Frogs are relentless on the offensive glass (they rank 20th in the country, rebounding 36% of their misses). Meanwhile, Baylor's only road wins in league play have come against Oklahoma State, UCF, and West Virginia, the worst three teams in the Big 12. We expect TCU's disruptive defense (it has forced turnovers at the third-highest rate in league play) to give Baylor fits similar to what Houston did to the Bears, and for the Horned Frogs' Big 12-best 38.2% 3-point percentage in league play to make all the difference on their home floor.

TCU is 10-4 ATS in Big 12 games this season, while Baylor is under .500 ATS (3-4) as underdogs.

Bet: TCU -2.5 (-110)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Monday:

Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.

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