Our free College Basketball picks are out for Saturday, February 19th, 2022! Make sure you check our expert College Basketball picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free College Basketball picks for the best games on today’s schedule!
#12 Illinois @ #19 Michigan State – 12pm ET
This ranked Big Ten matchup has huge standings implications and potential NCAA Tournament ones as well. As the 12th ranked Illinois Fighting Illini take on the 19th ranked Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing.
Marko Nadin
The Michigan State Spartans are going through their toughest period of the season as they have lost 3 of the last 4 games. They are coming off a 62-58 loss to Penn State in a match that saw the Spartans’ starters shooting only 10-of-35 from the field. Michigan State has fallen to 6th place in Big Ten with a 18-7 record but are still sold at home with 10-2. Michigan State usually comes back strong after a loss as they have won 6 of the last 7 games following a loss. The Spartans are ranked 15th in the country in three-point shooting with over 38%. They have won 3 of the last 4 against Illinois.
The Illinois Fighting Illini have lost 2 of the last 3 games which will probably cost them the top seed in the Big Ten. Illinois is coming off a 70-59 loss to Rutgers in their last game. They are currently second with a 18-7 record. Illinois has covered the spread in only one of the last 6 road games and in only one of the last 6 games against teams with a winning record. Sophomore guard Austin Richardson will miss this game because of an injury. Illinois defeated Michigan State in their last game 56-55 in January.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Michigan State (-104)
TOMORROW.
📍 The Breslin Center
🕛 12 PM ET
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/Sjj7U8vRDf— Michigan State Men’s Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) February 18, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Illinois Fighting Illini come into this game with a record of 18-7 on the season. They are currently ranked 12th in the nation as the regular season is winding down to its final few weeks. They are currently in second place in the Big Ten Conference as well as they are half a game behind the Purdue Boilermakers with a record of 11-4, tied with the Wisconsin Badgers. With a win in this game, Illinois would move back into first due to owning the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Boilermakers.
The Michigan State Spartans come into this game with a record of 18-7 on the season as well. They are currently ranked 19th in the nation. They find themselves in sixth place in the Big Ten with a record of 9-5 inside of conference play. The Spartans are on a one-game losing streak after being upset by Penn State in their last game on the road in Happy Valley. Now Michigan State will look to bounce back in this one with a huge resume-boosting win as we get closer to tournament time. As for the result of this game, however, I don’t see that happening as I have Illinois picking up the win in this one on the road.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Illinois (-115)
#11 Texas Tech @ #20 Texas – 12:30pm ET
This huge Big 12 all Texas rivalry matchup is going to be a good one. As the 11th ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders are taking on the 20th ranked Texas Longhorns. As both teams will look for a big top 25 and conference in this one.
Marko Nadin
One of the biggest rivalries in college basketball will get another chapter as the Longhorns host the Red Raiders. Texas is having a tough schedule as the end of the regular season is approaching. After they lost to the defending champions Baylor, the Longhorns bounced back with an overtime win in Oklahoma. They are currently 4th in the Big 12 with a 19-7 record and have lost at home only once in 16 games. Texas is the second-best defensive team in the league allowing only 57.6 points per game.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are second in the Big 12 with a 20-6 record but are only 2-5 on the road. Texas Tech is coming off a 10-point win against the Baylor Bears with Kevin Obanor recording a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds. The Red Raiders are among the top 20 defensive teams in the nation in points allowed per game with 61.3, field goal percentage allowed with 38.6% and rebounds allowed with 27.2 per game. They have won 3 of the last 4 games against Texas, most recently on January 31, 77-64.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Texas (-156)
It all starts at 8:30AM tomorrow.
🤘 Bevo and Smokey Photo Ops
🤘 Happy Hour prices at Big Beertha
🤘 Live Music featuring Nané
🤘 Doors open at 10:30AM#HookEm pic.twitter.com/6q4UquUDmZ— #20 Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) February 18, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Texas Tech Red Raiders come into this in-state rivalry matchup with a record of 20-6 on the season. Texas Tech is currently ranked just outside of the top ten in the nation at 11th in the country with a couple of weeks to go in the regular season. The Red Raiders are a respectable 9-4 inside of a tough Big 12 conference this season, which has them in second place at the moment. They are 1.5 games behind the Kansas Jayhawks but will need some help if they want to win the regular-season crown. They will look to extend their winning streak to three in this one.
The Texas Longhorns come into this rivalry game with a record of 19-7 on the season. They are currently in fourth place in the Big 12 conference with an 8-5 record and will look to move up with a big victory in this one on Saturday afternoon. Texas is currently ranked at 20th in the nation at the moment. Texas is on a one game winning streak at the moment after dropping Oklahoma in their last game on the road in overtime in Norman. As for the result of this game I have that short winning streak coming to an end however, as I have Texas Tech getting the win in this one.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Texas Tech (+130)
#25 Alabama @ #4 Kentucky – 1pm ET
The first featured SEC game of the evening is between two teams who will be looking for bounce back wins. As the 25th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide travel to Lexington to play the top five Kentucky Wildcats.
Marko Nadin
The Kentucky Wildcats are one of the best teams in the country but got a huge slap in their last game losing to Tennessee 76-73. The Volunteers put an end to Kentucky’s six-game losing streak. The Wildcats are second in the SEC with a 21-5 record and are still undefeated at home in 15 games this season. The Wildcats are the sixth-best rebounding team in the league with 37.8 rebounds per game and score 80.6 points per game which ranks them 13th. They defeated Alabama on the road 66-55 earlier this month.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are 5th in the SEC with a 17-9 record and are 2-5 on the road. They are coming off a three-game winning streak and if they win this one will match their longest successful run of the season. Alabama has covered the spread only 3 times in their last 17 games and in none of their last 6 games following a win. They have played over the total points margin in the last 8 games against a team with a winning record. Alabama is pretty bad on the defensive end and Kentucky will take advantage of it.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Kentucky (-275)
Coach Calipari, Oscar Tshiebwe, and Davion Mintz – Pre-Alabama Press Conference presented by UK HealthCare https://t.co/KusQJOTcpq
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 18, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Alabama Crimson Tide are coming into this game ranked 25th in the country and likely needing a win to remain ranked in the top 25 of the nation after this week. They have a couple of huge resume-boosting wins over Gonzaga and Houston that will still likely carry them into the NCAA Tournament unless they manage to completely implode down the stretch. Alabama is currently 17-9 on the season as the majority of their losses have come from their 7-6 record inside of SEC conference play. As they will look to score a huge upset win in this one, inside of one of the most storied venues in the sport of college basketball.
The Kentucky Wildcats were playing the hottest basketball in the country, which was dangerous for whoever they happened to come across over the next handful of weeks. However, it doesn’t seem like the Tennessee Volunteers got the memo as they put an end to Kentucky’s hot streak with an impressive 76-63 victory at home in Knoxville last Tuesday night. Now Kentucky will look to rebound with a victory over Alabama in this one. As for the result of this game that is exactly what I expect to happen as I have the Kentucky Wildcats picking up the win at home in Rupp Arena.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Kentucky (-275)
#16 Tennessee @ #23 Arkansas – 4pm ET
The second featured SEC game of the Saturday afternoon slate should be a good one. As the 16th ranked Tennessee Volunteers take on the 23rd ranked Arkansas Razorbacks in a huge must win game for both teams.
Marko Nadin
The Arkansas Razorbacks are currently 4th in SEC with a 20-6 record including 14-1 at home. After their nine-game winning streak was snapped by a one-point loss to Alabama, the Razorback recovered with a 76-57 win over Missouri in the last game. Arkansas has covered the spread in the last 6 games coming off a win. They have also covered the spread in the last 5 games against teams with a winning record. They have played over the total point margin in 10 of the last 11 games against teams with winning records and have gone over in 23 of their last 33 Saturday games.
The Tennessee Volunteers are second in the SEC with a 19-6 record including 4-4 on the road. They have won the last 5 games, most recently 76-63 against Kentucky. That is a huge confidence boost as they visit Arkansas who has lost only once at home this season. Tennessee has covered the spread in the last 4 road games but only twice in their last 7 games following a win. The Volunteers have played over the total point margin in 10 of the last 11 games against teams with winning records.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Over 140.5 (-110)
“I’m just trying to keep my mind focused and continue to win games.”
After a whirlwind freshman season, Kennedy Chandler is poised to shine in March. #GBO pic.twitter.com/BZA6H7rjHt
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) February 18, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Tennessee Volunteers may have the biggest win of the 2021 season after stopping the scorching run of a hot Kentucky Wildcats team earlier this week. Now Tennessee comes into this one looking for another top 25 victory as they take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Volunteers are nearly a lock for the NCAA Tournament in my opinion so every game they play for the rest of the season is more for seeding purposes. They come into this one with a record of 19-6 on the year and a record of 10-3 in the SEC which has them tied for second place in the conference with the same Kentucky team they beat.
Arkansas comes into this game looking for a top 25 win of their own as well. As in my opinion they still have some work to do to get a better seed in the NCAA Tournament as they still lack a resume defining win this season. They come into this one with a record of 20-6 on the season and a record of 9-4 inside of the SEC. The Razorbacks are currently on a one game winning streak that they will be looking to extend in this game as well. They have been a tough team to beat at home this season as they are currently 14-1. As for the result of this game however, I have them picking up loss number two at home as I have Tennessee getting the victory on the road.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Tennessee (+125)
Florida State @ #9 Duke – 6pm ET
NCAA Tournament hopes are on the line in this one as the Florida State Seminoles travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium. They will meet the 9th ranked Duke Blue Devils in what could potentially be an upset opportunity.
Marko Nadin
The Duke Blue Devils are on top of the ACC with a 22-4 record and 14-2 at home. They have won the last three games after a one-point loss to Virginia. In their last game, the Blue Devils defeated Wake Forest 76-74 led by Mark Williams with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Duke is among the top 21 teams in the nation with 79.8 points per game on 48.2% from the field and 36.8 rebounds per game. Duke has covered the spread in 4 of the last 5 games following a loss but only twice in their last 7 games.
The Florida State Seminoles snapped a six-game losing streak with a 81-80 win over Clemson in their last game. Currently, they are 9th in the ACC with a 11-9 record and only 3-6 on the road. Three of their best five scorers will miss the game against Duke. The Seminoles have covered the spread in only 2 of their last 12 games against a team with a winning record and didn’t cover the spread in any of their last 7 games overall.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Duke (-2000)
Only 2 games left in Cameron! See you tomorrow at 6 PM! pic.twitter.com/yXwmuIDct4
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 18, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Florida State Seminoles are coming into this game in what feels like a must-win situation for them. As they are currently 14-11 and their NCAA Tournament hopes are hanging on by a thread at this point. Florida State is also currently unranked and towards the middle of the pack in the ACC standings which makes their ACC tournament path that much more difficult for them. Florida State will not only need a win over Duke in this one but will also likely need to win out and make a deep run in the conference tournament if they want any hopes of making it into the NCAA tournament.
The previously mentioned Duke Blue Devils come into this game ranked ninth in the nation. In coach K’s final season Duke certainly has all the talent it needs to make a national title run and send the greatest coach of all time off with another championship ring. They are currently in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference as they are tied with Notre Dame with a record of 12-3 as both teams will be in action Saturday. Duke owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Irish. They come into this one with an overall record of 22-4 as well. As for the result of this game I have Duke picking up yet another victory.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Duke (-2000)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
