College Basketball Picks for 3/19/23
College Basketball
12:10 PM EST
Rotation #846
Xavier -4.5 over Pitt (win)
Pitt lost a couple of outstanding players at the beginning of the year. The Panthers shocked college basketball by going on an epic run. Pitt just made the tournament and won the play-in game and the round-one game. Xavier has struggled the last week of the season leading into the NCAA Tournament, but there is no arguing that they are the better overall team that has played the much more demanding schedule. Sean Miller did an outstanding job in his first year with the Musketeers. Look for Xavier to up the tempo today with Souley Boum and Colby Jones. Both teams have their critical injuries, but they hurt Pitt more. The Panthers might be an elite eight-team at full strength. Look for the Musketeers to win the battle of the boards and beat Pitt with tempo. Take Xavier.
College Basketball
2:40 PM EST
Rotation #848
Kansas State +2.5 over Kentucky (win)
Kentucky is the favorite today against a better basketball team. John Calipari has 800 more wins than Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang. The general public is wagering on past histories of coaches, but Kansas State is no pushover. Kentucky is a banged-up basketball team that will play against a high-tempo Kansas State team with more Quad 1 wins than them. Kentucky had a few head-scratching losses this year, and the wrong team is favored. Kansas State is a veteran basketball team that plays excellent defense. Today’s game will be a war. Look for Jerome Tang to get on the map today. Take Kansas State.
College Basketball
6:10 PM EST
Rotation #838
UConn -4.5 over St. Mary’s (win)
St. Mary’s is a great team that claws its way to victory, but they don’t have the schedule UConn had this year. The Huskies have one of the best offenses in America, going up against one of the best defenses in America. The Huskies have the experience edge, are a great shooting team, and will knock down their foul shots. The Huskies have too many players that can shoot, so the Gaels defense won’t be able to guard everybody. St. Mary’s cannot play at a fast enough pace to stay in the game. The Huskies can beat you with speedy guards or physically going through you. Take UConn.
College Basketball 7
7:45 PM EST
Rotation #844
Florida Atlantic -15.5 over FDU (loss)
Most people wonder why this spread is so high when FDU dominated a number-one seed. The answer is that Purdue was a big team that needed more speed. FDU took advantage of that. Florida Atlantic has fast players and a size advantage. FDU is the worst team left in the tournament by a large margin. FDU has 12 quad-four losses this season, that’s bad. Teams with losses like that don’t make the Sweet Sixteen. The Owls had a much more demanding schedule and were the dark horse of this tournament. The Owls are a true definition of a team that can beat you in many different ways. Take Florida Atlantic.