The final Saturday of the college basketball regular season is here, and there’s plenty of betting value across the board.
Our staff has four games targeted for the slate, including a massive SEC showdown.
Read below for college basketball best bets, featuring four predictions and picks for Saturday, March 8.
(There’s also a parlay option below if you so choose to take that route with three of these picks.)
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College Basketball Best Bets Today
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball betting staff is targeting from today’s slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| [teammatchup link=”#1″ firstfullname=”St. John’s Red Storm” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/sju.png” secondfullname=”Marquette Golden Eagles” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/marq.png”][/teammatchup] | 12 p.m. | |
| [teammatchup link=”#2″ firstfullname=”Elon Phoenix” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/elo.png” secondfullname=”Drexel Dragons” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/drex.png”][/teammatchup] | 12 p.m. | |
| [teammatchup link=”#3″ firstfullname=”Alabama Crimson Tide” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/12/Alabama-alternate-logo-100-100.png” secondfullname=”Auburn Tigers” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/aub.png”][/teammatchup] | 2:30 p.m. | |
| [teammatchup link=”#4″ firstfullname=”Saint Joseph’s Hawks” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/joes.png” secondfullname=”La Salle Explorers” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/las.png”][/teammatchup] | 2:30 p.m. | |
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Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game.
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[anchor name=”1″][/anchor]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”St. John’s vs. Marquette Prediction”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Marquette ML -135″ league=”ncaab” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/sju.png” awayname=”St. John’s Red Storm” awayslug=”st-john’s-red-storm” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/marq.png” homename=”Marquette Golden Eagles” homeslug=”marquette-golden-eagles” date=”Saturday, March 8″ time=”12 p.m. ET” network=”FOX” bookname=”Caesars” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/256064_caesars_800x200.png” bookreviewslug=”caesars-sportsbook”][/gameheader]
The St. John’s Red Storm and Marquette Golden Eagles will clash in the Fiserv Forum on Saturday.
Rick Pitino and the Red Storm enter this game with a record of 26-4 and a ranking of sixth in the nation.
St. John’s has stunned the nation this season, earning an outright regular-season Big East title, its first since 1985.
Meanwhile, Marquette comes into the contest with a record of 22-8 and a ranking of 20th in the nation.
Shaka Smart’s team began the season ranked 18th in the nation and climbed as high as fifth in early December.
Marquette has a strong resume, including victories over Wisconsin, Maryland and Purdue in the non-conference.
I trust the home team to take care of business on Saturday.
Marquette has been outstanding on its home floor this season, posting a record of 14-2.
St. John’s has been nearly unbeatable in the conference this season; however, both of its losses have come on the road.
Marquette boasts an elite defense that can compete with St. John’s tough, physical style.
We’ll see a tight contest that favors the home team.
Pick: Marquette ML -135
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[anchor name=”2″][/anchor]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Elon vs. Drexel Pick”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Elon ML -102″ league=”ncaab” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/elo.png” awayname=”Elon Phoenix” awayslug=”elon-phoenix” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/drex.png” homename=”Drexel Dragons” homeslug=”drexel-dragons” date=”Saturday, March 8″ time=”12 p.m. ET” network=”Streaming N/A” bookname=”FanDuel” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/122955_FanDuelSportsBook@1x.jpg” bookreviewslug=”fanduel”][/gameheader]
The Phoenix are lying in the weeds. Elon finished 8-10 in CAA play, but four of those losses came by a single possession or in overtime.
Keep in mind: This is the same Elon team that led North Carolina at the Dean Dome late in the second half, upset Notre Dame in South Bend and notched recent wins over the top two teams in the CAA in UNC Wilmington and Towson.
Elon is an elite offensive rebounding team because of 7-foot-4 Matthew Van Komen and 6-foot-11 Sam Sherry.
You can’t score at the rim or post it up, which means you need to shoot from distance.
Drexel isn’t cut out for a game like that. The Dragons struggle in the mid-range and are average from beyond the arc (34%, 172nd).
Elon threw the shackles on Drexel in a smothering defensive performance back in mid-January. That 65-54 win gives me confidence that Elon can give Drexel fits again.
It’s worth monitoring Elon’s injury list because its guards have been banged up as of late. If it gets the Simpkins twins back — as well as Nick Dorn — this could be a Phoenix runaway. The trio, when healthy, pours in 46 points per game.
TK Simpkins and Dorn are knockdown 3-point shooters, so their mere presence really opens up the offense via ideal spacing.
Pick: Elon ML -102
[anchor name=”3″][/anchor]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Alabama vs. Auburn Prediction”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Alabama Team Total Under 83.5″ league=”ncaab” awaylogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/12/Alabama-alternate-logo-100-100.png” awayname=”Alabama Crimson Tide” awayslug=”alabama-crimson-tide” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/aub.png” homename=”Auburn Tigers” homeslug=”auburn-tigers” date=”Saturday, March 8″ time=”2:30 p.m. ET” network=”ESPN” bookname=”DraftKings” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/477013_DraftKings@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”draftkings”][/gameheader]
By Doug Ziefel
It’s only right that we get a second meeting between the No. 1 Auburn Tigers and the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide to end the regular season. These two teams gave us an instant classic in February, with Auburn emerging victorious, 94-85.
While that matchup was played more toward the fast tempo that Alabama likes to play, we should see the Tigers take control early with this meeting taking place in Auburn.
With that being the case, Auburn’s defense will be in a great spot to thrive. The Crimson Tide are a high-volume 3-point shooting team but are average at converting them.
The Tigers rank ninth in 3-point percentage allowed and 34th in defensive 3-point rate. These edges were apparent in the first meeting, as Alabama went 5-for-26 from beyond the arc.
This game is likely to be similar to the one we saw Alabama have against another stout defensive team in Tennessee. It was average from downtown and solid defensively, but it was forced to play much slower.
The Crimson Tide finished that game with 76 points, which is well under what we’re getting their team total at for this matchup.
With Auburn in control, take Alabama to struggle in this one and stay under its team total.
Pick: Alabama Team Total Under 83.5 (Play to 82.5)
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[anchor name=”4″][/anchor]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Saint Joe’s vs. La Salle Pick”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Saint Joe’s -10″ league=”ncaab” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/joes.png” awayname=”Saint Joseph’s Hawks” awayslug=”saint-josephs-pa-hawks” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/las.png” homename=”La Salle Explorers” homeslug=”la-salle-explorers” date=”Saturday, March 8″ time=”2:30 p.m. ET” network=”USA” bookname=”bet365″ bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/859377_Bet365@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”bet365″][/gameheader]
Let’s start with the myth that beating a team three times in a single season is an arduous task. According to Hoop Vision’s Jordan Sperber, teams that are 2-0 against an opponent have won the third meeting more than 70% of the time dating back to 2009.
The Hawks handled the Explorers by 14 points at the Wells Fargo Center back in December as a part of the Big 5 Classic.
On La Salle’s home floor in Atlantic 10 play, Saint Joe’s came out flat and trailed the Explorers by seven at the break. The Hawks then exploded for 51 points in the second half to best them by 12 in the end.
Since their last meeting, the Hawks have been on fire, and the Explorers have been in freefall. In its last six, Saint Joe’s is rated as the 47th-best team in America, per Bart Torvik, while amassing a 5-1 record straight up and a 6-0 mark against the spread.
In the same window, La Salle is 0-5 SU and 1-4 ATS while grading out as the 261st-rated team, per Bart Torvik.
Philadelphia legend Fran Dunphy has announced that this season will be his last with La Salle, making this matchup his last home game as a college coach.
Usually, that would scare me away from a sizable favorite, but the Explorers’ offense is lifeless. They’ve scored just 62 points per game during their eight-game losing streak.
While the motivational angle for La Salle is clear, Saint Joe’s has a lot to gain with a win at Glaser Arena. A win could provide Saint Joe’s with a bye to the quarterfinals of the A-10 Tournament next week.
The last time the Hawks won the A-10 Tournament and the league’s auto-bid to the Big Dance came in 2015, when they secured a double-bye to the quarterfinals.
Given their momentum, offensive versatility and motivation to secure a top-four seed in the upcoming A-10 Tournament, I’d lay up to 10 with the Hawks.
Pick: Saint Joe’s -10