The NFL season has ended and the NBA is on its All-Star break, paving the way for college basketball to dominate the sports betting weekend.
There are a whopping 144 lined games on Saturday’s schedule board, meaning there are plenty of options for value-minded bettors to determine their top college basketball picks.
The Action Network’s PRO Projections have already dug through the slate to unearth that smartest college basketball picks, and Saturday’s spreads appear to be pretty sharp at first glance.
Still, there are three spread edges that rise above the rest, including Albany vs. UMBC (1 p.m. ET), Baylor vs. West Virginia (6 p.m. ET) and Colorado vs. USC (10 p.m. ET).
College Basketball Picks for Saturday
*College basketball odds as of Friday afternoon
Albany vs. UMBC Pick
1 p.m. ET | ESPN+
A matchup between the Great Danes and Retrievers … eat your heart out Puppy Bowl!
The latest odds show Albany as a short 1.5-point favorite against UMBC as of the time of writing, but that line doesn’t properly tell this story.
Let me explain.
The Action Network’s betting model projects UMBC as a favorite here, -3.5 to be exact, resulting in an 11.8% edge when compared to +1.5.
PRO Report Pick: UMBC +1.5
Baylor vs. West Virginia Pick
6 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Baylor currently sits at -6.5 against West Virginia, and our College Basketball PRO Projections suggest that number is simply too short.
Our data sets this spread at Bears -10.5, leaving plenty of wiggle room, and a 10% edge for that matter, for those willing to lay the points.
PRO Report Pick: Baylor -6.5
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Colorado vs. USC Pick
10 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Just behind Baylor’s 10% edge is Colorado’s 9.9% edge at -5.5.
Considering the widely available price of Buffaloes -2.5, there’s reason to like the favorites in this matchup.
PRO Report Pick: Colorado -2.5