College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (3/9)

by Daniel Dobish |
Mar 09, 2024

It’s another busy Saturday on the college hardwood, with the major conferences wrapping up the regular season, and some of the smaller and mid-tier conferences competing in their league tourney. It’s March, and the madness is already beginning. Let’s get started!

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Saturday’s College Basketball Best Bets

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All wagers are for 1 unit

South Florida at Tulsa - 3 p.m. ET

The Bulls (23-5), the regular-season champion in the American Athletic Conference (AAC), wraps up the regular season on the road against the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa. Despite the regular-season title, South Florida is still no certainty for an NCAA Tournament bid so it will need to keep its foot on the gas in Tulsa.

The Bulls have scored 76 or more points in each of the past three outings while going 3-0 against the spread (ATS). South Florida has been a cover machine this season, going an impressive 17-2-3 ATS in the past 22 games dating back to Dec. 9. That includes a 69-50 blowout loss in Tampa against Tulsa.

The Golden Hurricane have alternated wins and losses in each of the past six games, including a 69-50 loss in Tampa on Feb. 14 as an 8.5-point underdog as the Under (148) cashed. Tulsa is just 3-6 straight up (SU) and ATS in the past nine outings. Look for the Bulls to run to a win and cover.

Bet: South Florida -4.5 (-110)

UMBC at UMass-Lowell - 3 p.m. ET

The Retrievers (11-20) meet the River Hawks (20-9) at the Costello Athletic Center in Lowell, Mass. UMass-Lowell has won four in a row, and seven of the past eight in this series, while going 3-1 ATS in the past four in the series, and 6-2 ATS across the previous eight meetings.

UMBC is hoping the third time is the charm. The Retrievers fell 86-82 in Lowell on Jan. 13, although they easily covered as a 14.5-point underdog. UMass-Lowell also won 93-80 in Maryland on Feb. 8, cashing as a 7.5-point favorite.

While the River Hawks are 1-4 ATS in the past five games to close out the regular season, they topped the Retrievers twice in the regular season by an average of 8.5 points per game. Look for UML to get the job done again.

Bet: UMass-Lowell -8.5 (-108)

Fairfield at Mount St. Mary’s - 4 p.m. ET

The Stags (19-11) square off with the Mountaineers (13-17) for the regular-season finale on the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular-season finale on Saturday. These teams met on Feb. 18 in Connecticut, with Fairfield posting a 94-80 win as a 4-point favorite as the Over (147) connected. Fairfield is searching for its first 20-win campaign since the 2011-12 season, and it looking to get to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1996-97 season.

Mount St. Mary’s had a four-game winning streak from Feb. 2-10, including a victory over Quinnipiac as an underdog. However, the Mountaineers have dropped four of the past six games, while going just 2-4 against the spread (ATS) in that span. Fairfield is playing good basketball, and it should cap off the season in style.

Bet: Fairfield Moneyline (-115)

Marquette at Xavier - 5 p.m. ET

The Golden Eagles (22-8) square off against the Musketeers (15-15) at Cintas Center in Cincinnati. Marquette has dropped the past two games against Creighton and UConn, two other top-tier teams in the Big East. However, it recently pounded Xavier 88-64 as an 11.5-point favorite at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee in the first meeting on Feb. 25.

Marquette has covered 10 of the past 14 games, including that first meeting with Xavier, while the Musketeers have won just twice in the past seven outings while going a dismal 1-7 ATS in the previous eight contests. This should be a slam-dunk play for the ranked Marquette side looking to pull out of its nosedive.

Bet: Marquette -2.5 (-106)

Northeastern vs. Stony Brook - 6 p.m. ET

The Huskies (12-19) and Sea Wolves (17-14) meet in a second-round game in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) tournament. Stony Brook swept the regular-season series with a 9-point win at Northeastern on Jan. 4, while picking up a 4-point victory at home on Feb. 3 in a low-scoring game. In fact, the Under is 4-1-1 in the past six meetings in this series, including both games this season.

Northeastern has won just twice in the past six games while failing to cover the past five outings. The Under is 3-0-1 in the past four games, too. On the flip side, Stony Brook has won three of the past four outings, while covering each of the four games. Stony Brook is also on an impressive 18-5-2 ATS mark in the past 25 outings. The Under and Over have alternated in the past six games, with a slight 5-4 edge to the Under in the previous nine contests. For SGP bettors, it’s all about Stony Brook and the Under.

Bet: Stony Brook -1.5 (-120) and Under 139.5 (-110)

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

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