Picks for 3/26/26
College Basketball
7:10 PM EST
Rotation # 618
Purdue -7.5 over Texas (loss)
Purdue/Texas Over 147.5 (win)
Texas didn’t have a great regular season, but Sean Miller has over 500 wins and knows how to coach. Purdue looked disinterested at the end of the year, having many people write them off, but, like a light switch, it turned on when it mattered. Tonight’s game is a battle between two teams whose senior leadership does not want to play their final collegiate game. Longhorns guards Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope each have over 4000 minutes of playing time. Boilermakers guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer are in the same boat. In fact, Braden Smith will go over 5000 career minutes tonight, all with the same team. He and Loyer each have 147 starts, all with the same program. I don’t know if we’ll see that level of longevity in the new NIL system. I really like how simple Texas has made things by giving Matas Vokietaitis the ball in the paint. Texas has the talent and experience to make a run, but they won’t do it on defense. Dailyn Swain is an outstanding shooter, leading the Longhorns in points. Purdue guard Braden Smith is one of the greatest ball handlers to play the game, and he will free up his teammates to score on a Longhorns defense that was below average in just about every category. The Boilermakers have the best offensive efficiency in the nation, and now that they are hot again, it will be tough to cool them off. I would love to see a Texas team continue to advance, but out of the 16 teams remaining, they have the biggest question mark next to them. Texas had the luxury of playing two teams in this tournament, yet still missed key starters and shot miserably from beyond the three-point line. I don’t believe that will be the case for the Boilermakers tonight. Take Purdue and the Over. No parlays.
Rotation # 618
Purdue -7.5 over Texas (loss)
Purdue/Texas Over 147.5 (win)
Texas didn’t have a great regular season, but Sean Miller has over 500 wins and knows how to coach. Purdue looked disinterested at the end of the year, having many people write them off, but, like a light switch, it turned on when it mattered. Tonight’s game is a battle between two teams whose senior leadership does not want to play their final collegiate game. Longhorns guards Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope each have over 4000 minutes of playing time. Boilermakers guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer are in the same boat. In fact, Braden Smith will go over 5000 career minutes tonight, all with the same team. He and Loyer each have 147 starts, all with the same program. I don’t know if we’ll see that level of longevity in the new NIL system. I really like how simple Texas has made things by giving Matas Vokietaitis the ball in the paint. Texas has the talent and experience to make a run, but they won’t do it on defense. Dailyn Swain is an outstanding shooter, leading the Longhorns in points. Purdue guard Braden Smith is one of the greatest ball handlers to play the game, and he will free up his teammates to score on a Longhorns defense that was below average in just about every category. The Boilermakers have the best offensive efficiency in the nation, and now that they are hot again, it will be tough to cool them off. I would love to see a Texas team continue to advance, but out of the 16 teams remaining, they have the biggest question mark next to them. Texas had the luxury of playing two teams in this tournament, yet still missed key starters and shot miserably from beyond the three-point line. I don’t believe that will be the case for the Boilermakers tonight. Take Purdue and the Over. No parlays.
College Basketball
10:05 PM EST
Rotation # 613
Illinois +2.5 over Houston (win)
It’s not fun wagering against Kelvin Sampson, especially when it’s basically a home game for the Cougars. Houston has two veteran guards, Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan, who want to extend their careers by one more game, and freshman sensation Kingston Flemings will be a wealthy individual very soon. Illinois is a big team that can play above the rim. Freshman David Mirkovic is great on the glass, and another freshman, Keaton Wagler, leads the team in points and assists. Coach Brad Underwood has assembled a highly efficient offensive team that hits opposing defenses like a freight train. I believe the Illini can score more points at the rim with their massive size advantage. Illinois can also shoot over opponents from the three-point line. Both teams play at a slow pace, but I trust the Illini more to go on big runs and don’t think the Cougars are built to play from behind if they get down. Take Illinois.
10:05 PM EST
Rotation # 613
Illinois +2.5 over Houston (win)
It’s not fun wagering against Kelvin Sampson, especially when it’s basically a home game for the Cougars. Houston has two veteran guards, Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan, who want to extend their careers by one more game, and freshman sensation Kingston Flemings will be a wealthy individual very soon. Illinois is a big team that can play above the rim. Freshman David Mirkovic is great on the glass, and another freshman, Keaton Wagler, leads the team in points and assists. Coach Brad Underwood has assembled a highly efficient offensive team that hits opposing defenses like a freight train. I believe the Illini can score more points at the rim with their massive size advantage. Illinois can also shoot over opponents from the three-point line. Both teams play at a slow pace, but I trust the Illini more to go on big runs and don’t think the Cougars are built to play from behind if they get down. Take Illinois.