Our free College Basketball Picks are out for Saturday, November 27th, 2021! Make sure you check our 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!
Northern Iowa @ #16 St Bonaventure – 2pm ET
Northern Iowa are in the middle of a three game road trip when they take on St Bonaventure on Saturday afternoon. Northern Iowa has only won one game out of the four games they have played so far this season, and last time out they suffered a 80-93 loss to Arkansas. St Bonaventure have had some fairly close calls, but so far this season they haven’t dropped a game, they will be looking to extend their winning streak to six after this Saturday afternoon clash.
Denis Kirilov
Northern Iowa will face St. Bonaventure in what seems to be a match with a predetermined outcome on Saturday in the NCAA. The 16th-seeded Bonnies are 5-0 this season as Jaren Holmes and Kyle Lofton lead the team with approximately 17 points per game. However, the team has been quite conservative so far, as they rarely reach a double-digit lead in their matches. They will try to improve from last season when they lost in the 1/32 finals to LSU. St. Bonaventure certainly has the potential to cause some upsets in this campaign.
Northern Iowa lost their last match against Arkansas by 13 points which put them in 8th place in Missouri Valley Conference with 1 win and 3 losses. Their main players should definitely work on their shots as AJ Green is 14-51 from the field, while Noah Carter is 12-29. The performance from the 3-point line isn’t any different as most of the team struggle from deep. However, Trae Berhow stands at almost 50% from beyond the arc, while Noah Carter is also close with his 8-17 record. I think that both teams will take on a conservative approach for the upcoming fixture which will result in a low-scoring game. So, I will suggest picking the option for “under points” in this one.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Under 132.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Northern Iowa has struggled to open this year’s college basketball season, which for Panther fans is somewhat unfortunate, as they’re a team that has somewhat recently had some memorable moments in postseason play. However, this year the shooting has oftentimes been atrocious, and the defense has been hit or miss. If you’re an optimistic person though, one good thing for NIU so far this year has been the fact that they’re playing competitively in nearly every game, including a 13-point loss to 16th ranked Arkansas, in a game that the Hogs had to use a late run to put the game away.
Kyle Lofton was just doing MVP things in the @ESPNCharleston Classic 🌟
1⃣7⃣ ppg
5⃣ apg pic.twitter.com/36W47qqehK— Bonnies Men’s Basketball (@BonniesMBB) November 26, 2021
For St. Bonaventure, they come into this one as the Shriners Children Charleston Classic champions, in a tournament that they had to knock off Boise State, Clemson, and Marquette to reach the finish line. All three teams they beat in the Classic are borderline tournament teams, and the Bonnies took care of business with relative ease. They enter this matchup undefeated on the season, and that isn’t changing in this one. However, for the gambling side of this one, take the Northern Iowa Panthers to cover the 10.5, as St. Bonaventure hasn’t been great at getting double-digit leads or victories so far this season.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Northern Iowa +10.5 (-104)
Tony Battalio
The Northern Iowa Panthers are having a rough start to the season as they come into this game with a record of 1-3. Their lone win of the season came against Dubuque, their defeats have come to Vermont, Nicholls and Arkansas by a combined total of 31 points. Northern Iowa is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, the MVC is a conference that has produced many iconic NCAA Tournament moments over the years, including one from Northern Iowa themselves. This game against St. Bonaventure is likely to be their toughest test of the season along with their last game against Arkansas.
The sixteenth ranked St. Bonaventure Bonnies come into this game with an undefeated record of 5-0 on the year. They are the champions of the 2021 Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic as they won three games in four days to claim the title. Those three wins came over decent teams like Boise State, Clemson, and Marquette. As for the result of this game, I expect St. Bonaventure to come out on top with a blowout victory, and they continue their undefeated streak to start the season.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: St. Bonaventure (-720)
#2 UCLA @ UNLV – 5pm ET
UCLA is on the road for the first time this season when they take on UNLV. UCLA’s last game saw the team suffer their first loss of the season, when they took on the #1 seed, Gonzaga. UNLV play one last game at home before they hit the road for the first time this season, they have won four of their six games so far this season, with their two losses coming against Michigan (61-74) and Wichita State (73-74).
Denis Kirilov
After starting off the season with 5 straight wins, UCLA suffered a harsh defeat against Gonzaga on Tuesday. They were swept by 20 points as nobody could find a way to stop Andrew Nembhard who posted 24 points on 69% shooting. However, UCLA still has great players in the likes of Johnny Juzang, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Jules Bernard. Jaquez Jr. led the team in points, rebounds, and assists in their loss to Gonzaga. The team is also thoroughly efficient from the 3-point line as they have made 38% of the total shots attempted.
UNLV is off to an interesting start this season, as they played some good games against North Dakota St and California, but came up short to both Michigan and Wichita State. The team is 4-2 so far and they will try to keep this positive record for as long as possible. Last year, UNLV finished the season with 12 wins and 15 losses and by looking at their schedule, it seems they have a decent chance to improve this record. However, UCLA is a top-contender for the title who should not have any real troubles in such games. I would say that the Bruins will be looking to gain back their lost confidence after the game against Gonzaga. So, I will go with them covering their spread.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: UCLA -10.5 (-112)
Noah Dunlap
UCLA is going to be frustrated after being embarrassed by top-ranked Gonzaga in their last outing. The game never saw any challenge from the Bruins, as at one point they were trailing 31-8, and it never really got any closer. With guys like Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr., I don’t expect them to take that loss in a positive way, and it just so happens that UNLV is next up on the schedule, and are probably going to be looking at an unfortunate situation where they’re simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
UNLV hasn’t had a bad start to the season, as they enter at 4-2, but the problem is that both of their losses this year have come against quality competition, and UCLA is certainly a quality opponent. They’ve played well in these games, but eventually come up short. The same is going to be able to be said following this one, but the difference is a frustrated Bruins team isn’t something that the Rebels wanted to see. Take UCLA in a big way.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: UCLA -10.5 (-112)
Tony Battalio
The number two ranked team in the nation, the UCLA Bruins come into this game with a record of 5-1 on the year as their lone loss came against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Bruins look like a potential national title winning team despite the loss to Gonzaga the other night. They also hold a huge victory over the Villanova Wildcats, by a score of 86-77 in overtime, on November 12th. After such a huge loss in their last game, the Bruins will have their sights set on bouncing back and that is not a good thing for the running rebels of UNLV.
UNLV comes into this game after getting off to a decent start to the season as they currently possess a record of 4-2 on the year. They have picked up close victories over Gardner Webb, California, North Dakota State, and a blowout win over Whittier. Both of their losses have come to decent teams like the Wichita State Shockers and Michigan Wolverines. As for the result of this game, UCLA should have no problem picking up a huge road victory.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: UCLA -10.5 (-112)
Sacramento State @ #17 Arizona – 7:30pm ET
This will be the first time Sacramento State plays a seeded team, and it comes in the form of the #17 seed, Arizona. Sacramento State has been a tad inconsistent so far this season, going win-loss-win-loss-win. Arizona are yet to suffer defeat in this season, and last time out they crushed the #4 seed, Michigan, 80-62.
Denis Kirilov
Sacramento State will have a tough matchup on the weekend as they face 17th-seeded Arizona in McKale Memorial Center. The hosts from Arizona will try to prolong their winning streak as they hold a 5-0 record, while their opponents are demotivated after 3 wins out of 5 matches. The Wildcats managed to defeat Michigan last Sunday which crowned them Champions of the Roman Main Event. Christian Koloko finished as the Tournament MVP with his 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks in the match against the favorites from Michigan. The team looks really decent so far this year, as they have dismantled each single opponent by a huge margin with the exception of Wichita State who are certainly not a bad team.
On the other hand, Sacramento State looks at a 3-2 start to this campaign as they have displayed some incredible performance against Cal Poly and UC Davis. The team has been the underdog in both games, but with a decent composure, they somehow managed to clinch onto the final victory. However, it seems that the Hornets had troubles when facing a better team. They lost to the Utah Utes by 33 points and I think Arizona might even do better against Sacramento. So, I will go with Arizona’s spread in this game as I don’t see who will be able to stop Christian Koloko and Benedict Mathurin.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Arizona -27.5 (-106)
Noah Dunlap
This one is going to get ugly in a hurry. Arizona is coming off a huge win over Michigan in their last outing, a UM team that was ranked fourth in the country at the time. The Wildcats enter this one at 5-0, and while I think everyone knew there was talent and potential on the roster, I think a lot of people are somewhat surprised at how well they’re playing so early in the season.
Some pics from tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/SwldSPh6d7
— Sacramento State Men’s Basketball (@SacHornetsMBB) November 24, 2021
For Sacramento State, they come in at 3-2 on the year, but in their one other game against a school from a major conference, they lost to Utah by 33. Utah isn’t anywhere close to as good as Arizona is from a talent perspective, and with the win over Michigan, I expect Christian Koloko and company to come into this one with the utmost confidence. Arizona wins large, so be comfortable taking them and the points in this one, against a team that honestly doesn’t stand much of a chance being on the same floor with them.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Arizona -27.5 (-106)
Tony Battalio
The number 17th ranked Arizona Wildcats come into this game with an undefeated record of 5-0 on the season. In their last game they picked up a huge win over then number four ranked Michigan in the finals of the Roman Main Event classic. They look to be one of the favorites in the PAC 12 conference along with the UCLA Bruins. They have a somewhat difficult schedule coming up in December that includes two top 25 matchups so they will be looking to pick up every victory they can before then.
Sacramento State comes into this game with a record of 3-2. They are yet to string together any type of winning or losing streak, as they have alternated wins and losses through their first five games. They are a member of the Big Sky conference and this game against the number 17th ranked Arizona Wildcats is by far their toughest test of the season. As for the result of this game, Arizona should blow out Sacramento State, and this game should not be close at any point past the opening few minutes.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Arizona (-20000)
#18 BYU @ Utah – 9:30pm ET
It is the first game on the road for BYU this season, when they take on Utah on Saturday night. BYU is cruising so far this season, as they are yet to drop a game, they did play the #12 seed, Oregon, on the 17th November, but they were no match for BYU, the final scoreline; 81-49. Utah have also not dropped a single game so far this season, but this will be the first time they face off against a seeded team, so they will certainly need to up their game if they want to maintain their undefeated status.
Denis Kirilov
BYU are off to a really successful start to their current campaign as they are 5-0 already with a win over the 12th-seeded, Oregon. Although they might have begun not that dominant with narrow victories over Cleveland State and San Diego State, the Cougars managed to overcome the resistance of Oregon by 32 points. Alex Barcello is on fire for BYU as he averages 18.8 points and 1.2 steals. He is also 60.4% from the field and 14-27 from beyond the arc. His free throw percentage is also decent, standing at 92% as he drained 22 out of 24 free throws.
Utah is also undefeated which might be considered a surprise, but they are yet to face a seeded team. Their 7’0’’ center, Branden Carlson, performs on top level as he leads his team in points and blocks. Rollie Worster and Marco Anthony are also part of the core elements of the Utes as they are looking to close the gaps from the previous season. They sent two of their best players to some of the best teams in the NCAA as Timmy Allen joined Texas, while Alfonso Plummer is now part of Illinois. I think that Utah will be able to put up a good fight against BYU and they will eventually win this meeting.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Utah (-106)
Noah Dunlap
In a game between two bitter rivals (yes, even on the hardwood they dislike each other) we get two undefeated teams going head to head. For BYU, they surprised a lot of people with their win over a 12th ranked Oregon squad, not necessarily due to the win, but by the margin. They won that matchup by 32, and haven’t looked back since. One thing to keep in mind for the Cougars is that outside of that game against the Ducks, their schedule hasn’t actually been all that difficult, which contributes to the undefeated record.
Utah is in a similar situation, as they enter this one unbeaten, but it’s largely due to the fact that the schedule they’ve played to this point has been pretty weak. That isn’t to take away from the success they’ve seen so far this year, but I do question how they’ll respond to a team that from a talent perspective is as good, if not better, than they are. I’m taking BYU in this one, despite the two being extremely comparable, solely because they’ve already shown the ability to dominate against a team that is better than them, whereas Utah hasn’t had that chance so far this season.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: BYU -1.5 (-104)
Tony Battalio
This is a match up that is usually more interesting on the football field than it is the basketball court. However this year seems to be a little bit different, as both Utah and BYU come into this rivalry match up with undefeated records of 5-0 on the year. The 18th ranked BYU Cougars have picked up impressive victories over Oregon and San Diego State already this season. If BYU keeps this play up they will be an NCAA tournament team come March.
As for the Utes, they have wins over Boston College and Tulsa on their way to a Sunshine Slam tournament championship. In college football, it was the Brigham Young Cougars who got the win so only time will tell if Utah can pick up a win on the hardwood or if BYU will continue their winning streak over multiple sports. As for the result of this one, I think BYU comes away with a huge win in this yearly rivalry game.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: BYU (-113)
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.
