🏀 College Basketball Predictions Today: Colorado State to Win Ninth Straight

Saturday's college basketball slate brings several conferences' regular seasons to a close, while the first NCAA Tournament ticket will be punched tonight in the Ohio Valley Championship.

My college basketball predictions today have my eyes set on a different conference tournament which has been prone to upsets and higher seeds advancing in recent years. I also add two player props from SEC games that are rematches of contests played earlier this season.

I'm looking to build off the momentum of my last two best bets pieces that have each gone a profitable 3-1 while narrowly missing big payouts on parlays.

🏀 College basketball predictions today: Best player props & ATS picks

See all of our experts' college basketball picks based on the latest college basketball odds; picks rated on a 1-to-5 star confidence scale based on betting value.

Total wagered: 4.0 units | Max profit: 4.2 units

💰 Best college basketball bet today

Boise State vs. Colorado State prediction: Colorado State -1.5 (-105) 

This is a matchup of the two teams with the longest active winning streaks in the Mountain West.

Colorado State lives and dies from the 3-point line. It went 9-2 while shooting 45% from 3-point range in its first 11, and 3-8 in its next 11 when its 3-point shooting percentage dipped to 34%. Now the Rams are shooting 40% from beyond the arc during their eight-game winning streak.

Although Colorado State shot 56% from deep in a six-point loss at Boise State on Jan. 16, I don’t expect it to attempt 13 fewer free throws in this home rematch.

🔥 More college basketball picks & player props today

Marist vs. Quinnipiac prediction: Marist +1.5 (-105) 

The MAAC Tournament has had a team seeded fourth or worse reach the title game in eight straight tournaments. 

No. 5 seed Marist could be that Cinderella team of this year’s tournament if its defense continues to show up on a nightly basis. The Red Foxes rank first in league play in adjusted defensive efficiency, defensive rebounding rate, and 3-point percentage allowed. 

These two teams split their regular season meetings with each winning on their home court. I am more impressed with Marist’s body of work, especially in the nonconference, which includes examples like holding Xavier to 0.79 points per possession in the half court.

Quinnipiac has lost two of its last three games decided by three or fewer points, so I favor Marist and its seventh-best D-I free throw rate if this game is tight late.

Otega Oweh Under 21.5 points (-105) vs. Florida

Wildcats leading scorer Otega Oweh had an O/U of 18.5 points in the first game against Florida, but the Gators held him to 13 on 4-of-14 shooting. That snapped a streak of five straight SEC games of 20-plus points for Oweh, amid a stretch of him scoring 20.6 points per game over his previous 12.

Florida entered that game as the fifth team in the last 20 seasons to hold consecutive SEC opponents below 35% shooting. And amid its 10-game winning streak, Florida ranks fifth in effective field goal percentage defense and second in adjusted defensive efficiency.

We are getting a great number and price making this wager at bet365, as FanDuel his Oweh's O/U set two points lower at 19.5.

Aden Holloway Over 2.5 3-pointers made (+135) vs. Auburn

Alabama is coming off a game where it made 16 threes, yet still lost because it allowed Georgia to average 1.31 points per possession and shoot 60% inside the arc. As long as the Crimson Tide continue to have defensive lapses, it will be the most 3-point happy offense in the country (54.4% of their shot attempts are from 3-point range).

Aden Holloway leads all players with a 43.4% 3-point percentage, and his 69 3-pointers made are also the most on the team. 

This is a horrible mismatch facing an Auburn defense that is the SEC’s worst at defending the perimeter, allowing opponents to shoot 40.8% from beyond the arc. While the Tigers were successful in limiting Alabama to just 23 3-point attempts in the first matchup, Alabama still made 12 of those (52.2%). I expect much more volume in this home rematch, but would only make this play at plus-money odds.

💡 How I'm betting college basketball today

Follow all of our college basketball analysis and expert predictions this season.

Colorado State is 11-6 ATS as a favorite and 12-6 ATS following a win. That has me backing the Rams as a one-unit play like all my other picks, even though they are my favorite play of the day.

From a player prop perspective, I am targeting two players that have seen their opponent once already this season. Auburn's SEC-worst 3-point defense should result in a huge day for Alabama's best perimeter shooter, and I'm expecting Florida to shut down Otega Oweh for the second time this season.

🚀 Best college basketball parlay picks today

In addition to the four wagers above, I am adding a play on Villanova’s moneyline odds as a fifth leg for this parlay.

Since beating Georgetown 80-77 on Dec. 20, the Xavier is 0-8 on the road in Big East play. Meanwhile, the Wildcats looked impressive in their first game without the injured Matthew Hodge, beating a resurgent DePaul team by 19 on the road. Adding Villanova to this parlay brings the odds from +1491 to a more enticing +1645.