Picks for 3/14/25
College Basketball
NOON EST
Rotation #613
Oregon +6.5 over Michigan State (loss)
Michigan State is a well-coached team that stresses the importance of defense. The Spartans have what it takes to make a deep tournament run. Oregon matches up well as an experienced team with great size. The Ducks are slightly above average in every category without many glaring weaknesses, but they certainly are not final four-ready. Today’s spread is generous towards the underdog on a neutral court. The Ducks put on an offensive clinch in East Lansing a month ago and fell apart in the second half. Nathan Bittle must use his long frame to score easy buckets and get to the foul line. Look for this contest to come down to the wire. Take Oregon.
College Basketball
9:00 PM EST
Rotation # 820
Michigan +2.5 over Purdue (win)
Michigan has a favorable matchup today on a neutral court against a Purdue team that is lousy at rebounding the basketball. The Wolverines have a decent three-point defense and must defend the three-line against a Boilermakers team of pure shooters. Michigan needs to use its size to get to the foul line and get buckets tight to the rim. Purdue can’t block shots and doesn’t have much of a bench, so if you get them in foul trouble, they might be in for a long day. Purdue likes to play slower, and Michigan will have no problem upping the tempo to try to throw them off their game. Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf could be in for monster statistical evenings. Take Michigan.
College Basketball
9:00 PM EST
Rotation # 852
Creighton +4.5 over UConn (win)
Creighton was an embarrassment in the first half last night against lowly DePaul. When it comes to sports gambling, you must have a short memory or run out of teams to wager on. The Huskies made a nice comeback against Villanova, but I still don’t trust this program like in years past. There is something off with the Huskies compared to their roc solid programs of past years. The Huskies don’t have the players to go after loose balls and create extra possessions for them. Defense has sometimes been an issue as they have not defended the three-point line. If Creighton can heat up, they could put up points quickly. Both teams split their regular season matchups, winning on the road, and I expect another close contest. The Blue Jays making a 15-point halftime comeback last night might have been the spark they needed to regain their focus. Steven Ashworth caught fire in the second half after a poor performance in the opening frame. Look for Ryan Kalkbrenner to continue his dominant performance in the paint. Take Creighton.
College Basketball
9:30 PM EST
Rotation # 759
Arizona +2.5 over Texas Tech (win)
The SEC has the best shot to win this year’s NCAA Tournament, but Arizona has everything it takes to get there. The Wildcats are poor at nothing except shooting three-pointers, but they connect on high-quality shots at a high rate to make up for it. Texas Tech is an outstanding, well-coached program. Tonight’s game is going to be a hard-fought battle. Arizona has an exceptional bench that has the advantage in closing time. The Wildcats are also better foul shooters, which is always a massive advantage in tight games. Arizona’s role players stepped up last night against Kansas when the starters did not have their best game. That’s the sign of a quality team. The Wildcats have a significant size advantage over the lighter Red Raiders and must throw their weight around. Take Arizona.