Super Tuesday College Basketball Preview

Super Tuesday College Basketball Preview

by Gabriel Rauch – College Basketball analyst for Wannamakeabet.com

We’re a day away from March and the gap between football season and the greatest tournament of the year is coming to a close. There are only a few regular season games left and conference tournaments are already starting for non-Power 5, meaning it’s time to get some betting experience in before the madness starts!

Texas Tech at #3 Kansas

Death, taxes and Kansas winning the Big 12 are the only certainties in life. Kansas winning their conference at home is an even bigger certainty, as they have a shot at the share of the title in this game. However, Tech are not an easy matchup despite their shaky record; in another conference they would probably have a few more wins. Kevin Obanor is a stud and can score against anybody, but Tech has only won one road conference game all year and it was against a struggling LSU. Kansas is loaded with talent and with the conference on the line, they will be too much for Tech in this game. 

Pick: Kansas -9

Marquette #6 at Butler 

Marquette are riding a four game win streak into this one visiting a very up and down Butler team. Butler had a massive win against Xavier a couple weeks ago followed by losses to some of the worst Big East teams and barely squeaked a win out against DePaul. Butler has had players step up recently, Ali Ali having a couple great games in a row, and guard Jayden Taylor has had a great year so this will not be a walk in the park for Shaka Smart’s team. What makes Marquette an attractive pick is the line movement: it is only up to 8 on Wanna but on other sportsbooks it is up to 9.5 for Marquette, despite majority bets being on Butler. This makes me think Marquette is the sharp pick. 

Pick: Marquette -8

Villanova at Seton Hall

Villanova has seemingly been revitalized in the last few games with huge wins over Xavier and Creighton, but has struggled all year (understandably after losing Jay Wright). Both teams in this game are on the bubble and massively need momentum going into the Big East tournament to have a shot at the big dance. Justin Moore coming back has been a massive boost for Nova in the last couple weeks, as they are 5-4 with the veteran guard in the lineup. On the other end, Kadary Richmond was out last week and him having playing time in this one will likely determine whether Seton Hall has a chance in this game. I’ll take Cinderella coach from last March Madness, Shaheen Halloway’s guys in a close one assuming Richmond comes back. If Richmond is out, stay away from this game. 

Pick: Seton Hall +1.5

Iowa at #15 Indiana

Iowa had a season saving win last week with one of the wildest comebacks we’ve ever seen in the sport. Sparked by a Fran McCaffrey staredown of the ref, the team with the momentum heading into this one is Iowa. They are facing an Indiana team that just swept their rivals Purdue for the first time in a long time and are primed for a let down spot at home (any Indiana fan will tell you that’s how they are as a program.) Iowa star player Kris Murray (younger brother of Keegan Murray) is on fire, and they will get great guard play from veteran Connor McCaffrey as always. Iowa sneaks out a win in this one in a thriller. 

Pick: Iowa +5.5

Texas A&M #24 at Ole Miss

I got burned by Ole Miss last week in an overtime loss to their in-state rival Miss St, but I’m willing to give the team with the cleanest uniforms in basketball another shot! Unranked teams have been very profitable this year and Ole Miss has an interim coach to boost the team’s morale for the rest of the year. Buzz Williams will get his guys to play hard and their guard play from Taylor and Radford will be a headache for the opponent, however, Ole Miss has been trending up recently and will be looking to keep the momentum going into the SEC tournament. 

Pick: Ole Miss +5