Picks & Predictions Back

Free College Basketball Picks Today for Saturday, March 12th, 2022

We have covered each of the best games with ranked opponents on today’s schedule, and made our best College Basketball predictions for Saturday, March 12th.

Free College Basketball Picks Today for Saturday, March 12th, 2022
Picks & Predictions
Sat 12th March 2022

Our free College Basketball picks are out for Saturday, March 12th, 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! 

Texas A&M vs #15 Arkansas – 1pm ET

The Texas A&M Aggies have continued to keep their tournament hopes alive as they will meet the 15th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks for a trip to the SEC conference tournament championship game. The winner of this game will meet the winner of Kentucky and Tennessee on Sunday in the finals. 

Marko Nadin

The Arkansas Razorbacks will face the Texas A&M Aggies in the Sec semifinals. The Razorbacks finished 4th in the conference in the regular season with a 25.7 record and are coming off a 79-67 win over LSU in the quarterfinals. Toney scored a season-high 22 points for Arkansas. They have won 6 of the last 10 games against Texas A&M including a 76-73 overtime win in their last game. Arkansas is 6.5 points favorite in this one. They have covered the spread in 9 of the last 11 games following a win.

The Texas A&M Aggies finished the regular season fifth in the conference with a 22-11 record. They are coming off a sensational win over Auburn in the quarterfinals by 67-62 after defeating Florida in overtime. The Aggies have covered the spread in the last 6 games overall and the last 4 games against teams with a winning record over 60%. They have played over the total points margin in the last 6 games against a  team with a winning straight-up record and in 8 of the last 10 games following a at the spread win.

Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Arkansas (-275)

BET NOW 

Tony Battalio

The Aggies of Texas A&M are looking like the latest Cinderella team on the road to this year’s NCAA tournament. They’ve now won two games in two days that were underdogs in, including one of those games being an upset over one of the best teams in college basketball, the Auburn Tigers. Now Texas A&M will look to make it three wins in three days when they take the court on Saturday afternoon against the top 15 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. If they continue to play the way they have over the past two days, I see no reason why they couldn’t end up making it all the way to the finals on Sunday. 

As for the Arkansas Razorbacks they ended the LSU Tigers tournament hopes for the season with a 79-67 victory on Friday. Now they will look to send the Aggies home packing in this game. Arkansas has been pretty great all season long as they come into this game with a record of 25-7 on the season. Regardless of what happens in this game the Razorbacks are going to be part of the NCAA tournament when the field is announced on Sunday evening. As for the result of this game I have Arkansas getting the win.

Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Arkansas (-275)

BET NOW 

Noah Dunlap

Texas A&M’s run down in Tampa at the SEC tournament continues, as a shock to most, as they stunned the top-seeded Auburn Tigers in a five-point win. Now they take on the 15th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks in the semis, and I think this one has the real potential to be close, as well. The one concern I have for the Aggies in this one is the physicality and defense that Arkansas tends to play with under head coach Eric Musselman. 

The other issue is that while they may have caught Auburn sleeping a bit, seeing as they’ve already won two in the tournament, including yesterday’s win, the Razorbacks now know they’re for real, so I don’t think they get caught off guard. I’m going to take Arkansas in this one, because they’ve been much more consistent throughout the entire season, but I think it does come close. 

Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Arkansas (-275)

BET NOW 

Indiana @ #24 Iowa – 1pm ET

Indiana pulled off a huge upset and now they will need to get another one in this one when they meet the 9th ranked team in the nation, the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa dispatched Rutgers to get here. The winner of this game will play the winner of Michigan State and Purdue in the finals on Sunday. 

Marko Nadin

The Iowa Hawkeyes finished the regular season 4th in the Big ten with a 24-9 record. They are coming off two easy wins over Northwestern and Rutgers with Keegan Murray scoring 26 points in each of the last two. Iowa is ranked fifth in the league with 83.3 points per game while shooting 36% from the three-point line. Iowa is 6 points favorite against Indiana. The Hawkeyes have covered the spread in the last 6 games against a team with a winning straight-up record and the last 4 games following a win.

The Indiana Hoosiers finished the regular season 9th in the Big Ten with a 22-10 record. They are coming into the conference semifinals after two tight wins over Michigan and Illinois with Trayce Jackson-David leading the team in scoring in both games. The Hoosiers have won 6 of the last 10 games against Iowa including 3 of the last 4. They have covered the spread in 5 of the last 6 games on a neutral field and 5 of the last 6 games overall. Iowa has played over the total points margin in 4 of the last 5 games against a team with a winning % above .600 and the last 5 games on a neutral field.

Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Iowa (-245)

BET NOW 

Tony Battalio

The Indiana Hoosiers knocked off one of the top teams in the country on Friday night. They took down the Illinois Fighting Illini and Kofi Cockburn by a score of 65-63. Now the Hoosiers will look to pull off another big upset in this one against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Indiana has had a weird year, as they’ve been up and down throughout the season. They come into this game with a record of 20-12 on the year. With a win in this one they would likely secure their spot in the NCAA tournament regardless of what happens in the finals on Sunday. 

As for the Iowa Hawkeyes, they will be dancing this year no matter what happens in this game, but a win and potentially a Big Ten conference tournament championship could mean a much higher seed. Iowa comes into this game with a record of 24-9 on the season. They are currently ranked 24th in the country. They are led by Keegan Murray who has been on an absolute tear this season as he is averaging 23 points a game. As for the result of this game, I have the Iowa Hawkeyes picking up the victory in this one over Indiana.

Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Iowa (-245)

BET NOW 

Noah Dunlap

Much like Texas A&M, the Indiana Hoosiers run continues throughout their conference tournament, as they managed to take down Illinois less than 24 hours after having to come back from 17 down to knock off Michigan in the previous round. After coming into the Big Ten tournament as a bubble team for the NCAAs, they’ve virtually solidified their spot in the dance now, with the two wins that they’ve put up so far in Indianapolis. 

Now they take on an Iowa team that is playing hot basketball as well, as the Hawkeyes destroyed Northwestern in their first game, before taking care of Rutgers in the semis. I think this Iowa roster is more talented than their opponents in this one, but I’m going to take Indiana in this one. With the tournament taking place in Indy, it’s a virtual home atmosphere for the Hoosiers, and following the come from behind win in the first round, they just feel like a team that has a bit of magic in them right now. Give me the Hoosiers in an extremely tight one. 

Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Indiana (+198)

BET NOW 

Tulane @ #18 Houston – 3pm ET

Tulane took Temple to get here and Houston took down Cincinnati. The big question in this one is if Tulane can go on a miracle run. The winner of this game will meet the winner of Memphis and SMU on Sunday.  

Marko Nadin

The Houston Cougars finished the season on top of the American Conference with a 27-5 record. They have won 7 of the last 8 games and are coming off a 69-56 win over Cincinnati in the conference quarterfinal game. Houston is the team that allowed the lowest field goal percentage this season with 37.2 and is ranked 7th allowing only 58.9 points per game. Houston has won 9 of the last 10 games over Tulane. Houston is 13.5 points favorite going into this game and have covered the spread in 5 of the last 6 games.

The Tulane Green Wave finished the regular season 5th in the conference with a 14-14 record. They defeated Temple 69-60 in the conference quarterfinals. The last time Tulane defeated Houston was back in 2018. Tulane has covered the spread in 6 of the last 7 games against a team with a winning record of over 60% and in 7 of the last 9 games following a against the spread win. Tulane has played over the total points margin in 8 of the last 10 games and 4 of the last 5 on a neutral field.

Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Tulane +13.5 (-110)

BET NOW 

Tony Battalio

Tulane may just be making a miraculous run to an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. They come into this game sitting at .500 on the season with a record of 14-14 on the year. In the first game of the American conference tournament they knocked off the Temple Owls by a score of 69-60. Now they will face the Houston Cougars and will certainly have to bring their A game if they want to keep their tournament hopes alive and play on Sunday in the conference tournament championship game.

As for the Houston Cougars, regardless of what happens they will be dancing this year as well. They come into this game ranked 18th in the nation and would likely end up with a top 2 seed if they finish the job and win the American Athletic Conference championship for what would be the second time this season as they would hold both the regular season and conference tournament championship. Houston is currently 27-5 coming into this one but they do have some questionable losses to the likes of Alabama and Memphis twice. As for the result of this one however, I have the Houston Cougars getting the victory.

Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Houston (-1250)

BET NOW 

Noah Dunlap

This matchup gives us the Houston Cougars taking on the Tulane Green Wave in the American Athletic semis. Tulane comes in having the very definition of an average year, as they sit at 14-14, but they did manage to get a nice win over Temple in their first game of the conference tournament. The problem for them is that they will have to win the tournament to get a bid to the Dance, as they have no shot at getting an at-large bid, and I don’t think that happens, as they get Houston next. 

Houston comes into this one having won the regular-season title, and while they’re already a lock for the NCAA tournament, winning the AAC title would help massively with them in terms of seeding for the tournament. There’s a good chance they get tested in the finals of the AAC, but I don’t think this one proves to be too much of a test. Give me the Cougs with ease, as they just have too much talent to slip up in this one. 

Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Houston (-1250)

BET NOW 

Creighton vs #8 Villanova – 9pm ET

Creighton upset a top ten Providence team to make it here, while Villanova knocked off Uconn in a nail-biter. Now, these two teams will play for a spot in the NCAA tournament. The winner of this game will get an automatic bid and the loser will like to have to wait for an at-large bid on Sunday. 

Marko Nadin

The Villanova Wildcats finished the season second in the Big East with a 25-7 record. They have won 9 of the last 10 games and are coming from tight wins over St. John’s and UConn in the first two rounds of the conference tournament. Villanova has won 7 of the last 10 games against Creighton. They have covered the spread in 6 of the last 8 games against teams with a winning record and 4 of the last 5 games in the neutral field. Villanova has played over the total points margin in 4 of the last 5 games coming off a win.

The Creighton Bluejays finished the regular season 4th in the Big Ten with a 22-10 record. They defeated Marquette 74-63 in the first round of the conference tournament and are coming off an 85-58 blowout win over the favorites Providence. The Bluejays held the opponent to 30% shooting from the field and only 3-of-24 from the three-point line. Creighton has covered the spread in 6 of the last 8 games against a team with a winning record and 5 of the last 6 on a neutral field.

Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Villanova (-300)

BET NOW 

Tony Battalio

Creighton absolutely dominated one of the best teams in the nation on Friday evening when they defeated the Providence Friars by 27 points as they rolled to victory with a score of 85-58. Knocking off a top 15 team was more than enough to put the 22-10 Blue Jays into the big dance. With a win over Villanova they will clinch an automatic bid and add to the already large list of Big East’s that will be in the field of 64 on Sunday night. The Blue Jays have more than enough talent to find themselves playing on the second weekend of the tournament as well. 

The Villanova Wildcats will be looking to win their third national championship in less than ten years this season. Jay Wright has quietly built a dynasty at this small little Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and another national title could be the final stamp on his already great legacy. The Wildcats come into this game ranked eighth in the nation and regardless of what happens, they will certainly be playing in the NCAA tournament this season and I could easily see them being an elite eight team as well. As for the result of this game however, I’m going with the upset as I’m taking Creighton for the win.

Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Creighton (+240)

BET NOW 

Noah Dunlap

The Creighton Bluejays put together one of the most impressive wins we’ve seen all year in the Big East on Friday, and it came in the Big East tournament semis. They crushed the top-seeded Providence Friars by nearly 30 and now set their sights on the team that most people had winning the conference all along, the Villanova Wildcats. This is a big game for Creighton, as they sit at 22-10 on the season, and while I think they get a bid into the NCAA tournament regardless of the result of this game, getting the automatic bid for winning the conference tournament would be a welcome relief for them not to have to sweat out Selection Sunday. 

Villanova is in regardless of the result in this one, and they don’t have to worry about a bubble. They come in ranked ninth in the nation, and while they struggled a bit early in the year, they’ve picked it up through conference play and are not just rolling along. I’m going to pick an upset here though, as I like Creighton to get the win, just because I like the confidence they’re playing with, while Nova has had to sneak by in both of their wins in the tournament so far. Take the Bluejays in a close one. 

Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Creighton (+240)

BET NOW 

#2 Arizona vs #13 UCLA – 11:30pm ET

This one is going to be the headliner of an action-packed champions week. As two of the top 15 teams in the nation will face off for the third time this season. As the Arizona Wildcats will meet the UCLA Bruins in this one. 

Marko Nadin

The two best teams of the Pac 12 will collide in the conference final. The UCLA Bruins finished the regular season second in the conference with a 25-6 record. The Bruins defeated Washington State and USC in the previous two rounds, both games by a 10 points differential. UCLA has won 7 of the last 10 games against Arizona. Jaime Jaquez Jr. played very well in those two games averaging 21 points while his season average was just over 13. UCLA has covered the spread in 4 of the last 5 games and in 8 of the last 10 games on neutral fields.

The Arizona Wildcats finished the regular season on top of the Pac 12 with a 30-3 record. One of those three losses during the season was against the Bruins. Arizona went past Stanford and Colorado on their way to the conference finals. The Wildcats are third in the nation with 84.7 points per game and are ranked fifth with 49.5% shooting from the field. Arizona is a 1.5 point favorite going into this game. They have covered the spread only three times in the last 9 games on neutral fields.

Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Arizona (-120)

BET NOW 

Tony Battalio

The Arizona Wildcats are coming into this game ranked as the second best team in the nation. They have a record of 30-3 on the season. They are likely going to be a number one seed in the NCAA tournament when the field of 64 is announced on Sunday evening. For the third time this season they will be playing the UCLA Bruins as the season series is split at one game a piece. Arizona has had two close games against Stanford and Colorado during this tournament. They will need to play much better to get the win in this game.

As for the UCLA Bruins, they come into this game ranked 13th in the nation. They are coming into this Pac-12 conference tournament championship game with a record of 25-6 on the year. What a year it’s been for the UCLA program as their season has been interrupted several times by COVID-19 postponements. In their first two tournament games the Bruins got a ten point win over Washington State and then in the semifinals they grinded out a win over their LA rivals, the USC Trojans. However, as for the result of this game I have UCLA losing this one as I’m taking Arizona to win the Pac-12 conference tournament championship.

Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Arizona (-120)

BET NOW 

Noah Dunlap

With the PAC-12 championship game set, we get the rubber match of a season series that was electric, with the UCLA Bruins taking on the Arizona Wildcats. UCLA took care of their crosstown rival USC in the semis, despite Johnny Juzang struggling, which is a good sign if you’re a Bruins fan, as it shows their depth heading into the NCAA tournament. 

Now they take on an Arizona team that has been one of the best in the country all year long, as they’re ranked second in the country, and in the semis, they took care of business against a Colorado team that simply bludgeoned them in one of the last games of the regular season. What was arguably more impressive than the revenge game against the Buffaloes, was the fact that Arizona did so without starting point guard Kerr Kriisa, who went out with what is reportedly a sprained ankle. While that injury isn’t supposed to keep him sidelined for long, it will likely cause him to sit in this one, even though with guys like Bennedict Mathurin and Christian Koloko, I’m not sure it’ll make much difference. I think we get an exciting one in this title game, but in the end, I like the Wildcats to get a tight win, locking them into a one-seed for the Big Dance. 

Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Arizona (-120)

BET NOW 

If you need more news, information, and predictions, head over to our College Basketball hub page for all your college basketball needs!

*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.

SportsTips covers all the latest betting, odds, picks & predictions news when it comes to major American sports like NFL, NBA, MLB & NHL. If you want to stay up to date with the latest information, SportsTips has you covered!

Related Picks & Predictions View More