NCAAB Pick: Arkansas -5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Picks Summary
- Kentucky vs. Arkansas: Arkansas -5 (-110)
- Pittsburgh vs. Miami: Pittsburgh +6.5 (-110)
- Connecticut vs. Villanova: Connecticut -2 (-110)
It is the last weekend of the regular season for many conferences and there are several good matchups involving Top 25 teams. Here are three contests involving those clubs against the betting odds for college basketball picks.
Kentucky Wildcats vs. Arkansas Razorbacks
Saturday, March 4, 2023 – 02:00 PM EST at Bud Walton Arena
What a weird year for No. 23 Kentucky (20-10, 14-16 ATS). The Wildcats swept Tennessee, but lost at lowly Georgia and fell in Lexington to South Carolina and just this week to Vanderbilt. If there is a more unpredictable team in college basketball, not sure who that is.
At least Kentucky can still be a Top 4 seed in the SEC Tournament with a victory. Arkansas (19-11, 15-14-1 ATS) needs a win just to be a .500 team in the conference. The Razorbacks are every bit as skittish as Kentucky and determining how they will play from game to game is as unpredictable as R&B singer Chris Brown’s behavior.
Kentucky’s Weaknesses Exposed
Arkansas was among several teams that have beaten Kentucky at home this season, whipping them 88-73 as a five-point road favorite on Feb. 7. Now they will get a shot at them at home where they are 13-2 and 8-6-1 ATS.
This John Calipari team just does not handle success well and while making a case for the ‘Cats makes sense, they are 2-9 ATS after one or more Unders this season. This plus this key element.
Kentucky is 0-8 ATS versus good teams making 45% or more of their shots this season.
Score Prediction: Arkansas 76 – Kentucky 70
NCAAB Pick: Arkansas -5 (-110) at BetOnline
Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Miami (FL) Hurricanes
Saturday, March 4, 2023 – 06:00 PM EST at Watsco Center
An extremely important game in the ACC, with the No. 1 seed on the line. Pittsburgh, Miami, and Virginia are all tied for first place. If Pitt wins, they are the conference champions of the regular season no matter what Virginia does. Miami (23-6, 18-11 ATS) with a win over the Cavaliers early this season and would have that tiebreaker.
However, No. 25 Pittsburgh (21-9, 20-8-2 ATS) got caught looking ahead this week and was not prepared mentally for Notre Dame, who had two conference triumphs going into that game and fell 88-81 as 3.5-point favorites in a contest that wasn’t that close.
The No. 16 Hurricanes have had a whole week to ponder their misstep, have a 27-point home lead versus rival Florida State last Saturday, and lost a buzzer-beater 85-84 as 13-point home favorites at Florida betting sites.
Miami Wins ACC Title, Barely
These two met exactly five weeks ago in Pittsburgh, with the Panthers escaping 71-68. Miami is a sharp 15-1 SU at the Watsco Center.
The Hurricanes are a veteran group and they’ll respond to that stunning loss last Saturday. Just don’t sell Pitt short as they are 9-2 ATS on the road and 6-0 ATS after scoring 80 points or more in two straight games. The Panthers will fight bravely and lose by just one basket.
Score Prediction: Miami 81 – Pittsburgh -78
NCAAB Pick: Pittsburgh +6.5 (-110) at BetOnline
Connecticut Huskies vs. Villanova Wildcats
Saturday, March 4, 2023 – 07:30 PM EST at Wells Fargo Center
Back in December, No. 14 Connecticut (23-7, 19-11 ATS) ascended to the top of the national polls with a 14-0 start and lost on New Year’s Eve at Xavier, which was hardly a bad loss. Instead of shaking off that setback, the Huskies lost their poise and ended up losing five of their next seven and were 2-6 SU and ATS with bookend defeats to the Musketeers.
Coach Danny Hurley finally got through to his club about playing together again and they are 7-1 (6-2 ATS) since the end of January.
Most assumed Villanova (16-14, 13-17 ATS) would be in transition with legendary coach Jay Wright retiring. Besides this change, the Wildcats also had debilitating injury problems and at the end of January were unsightly 10-11. Since everyone is back, Nova is 6-3 SU and ATS and peaking.
Connecticut Stays Hot and Holds Off Villanova
The Huskies beat Nova at Storrs, yet the Wildcats were in the contest from start to finish and lost by just eight.
UConn is just a two-point road favorite at the NCAAB odds, but their early side-to-side ball movement has returned and the Huskies are getting better looks inside and outside and are making shots.
Look for this Big East battle to come down to the last two minutes, with Connecticut making just enough free throws to hang on.
Score Prediction: Connecticut 75 – Villanova 70
NCAAB Pick: Connecticut -2 (-110) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
