Our free College Basketball picks are out for Thursday, February 24th, 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!
#21 UConn @ Georgetown – 12pm ET
This Big East clash features the 21st ranked UConn Huskies facing off against the Georgetown Hoyas in this one. UConn is likely a lock for the NCAA Tournament, while Georgetown will need a miracle to get into the big dance.
Marko Nadin
Probably the biggest Big East rivalry is on the program on Sunday when the Hoyas are hosting the Huskies. Georgetown is having a season to forget as they are 11th in the Big East with a 6-21 record. All of the Hoyas six wins have come at home. The last time Georgetown won was on December 15th against Howard and have lost 17 consecutive games ever since. They haven’t covered the spread in any of the last 5 home games and have done so in only 2 of their last 7 games.
The Connecticut Huskies are third in the Big East with a 20-7 record. They have won the last 4 games, most recently 71-69 against Villanova. UConn has won the last three games against Georgetown including a 96-73 win this season at home. They are 11-point favorites going into this one and will probably cover the spread as the victory is not even questionable. UConn has covered the spread in 11 of the last 15 games against teams with a record under 40%. UConn has played over the total points margin in 5 of the last 7 road games.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: UConn
Tony Battalio
The UConn Huskies are coming into this game with their NCAA tournament spot likely already locked in place. They currently have a record of 20-7 on the season as they are currently ranked 21st in the nation. It has been a great season for the Huskies as they find themselves hitting the 20 win mark. UConn is currently in third place in the Big East conference and could end up as high as number two before the regular season ends. If they can make a run in the Big East conference tournament then UConn could get a favorable seed in the NCAA tournament.
Business trip ✈️ #ThisIsUConn | #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/peYA0wn7CT
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) February 26, 2022
The Georgetown Hoyas have had a rough year, as they come into this game well below the .500 mark on the season. Their overall record of 6-21 on the year will almost guarantee that the Hoyas will miss the NCAA tournament unless they can make a miracle run through the Big East conference tournament. They are in last place in the Big East at the moment with a conference record of 0-16 as they likely won’t win a conference game all season long. As for the result of this game I have the UConn Huskies getting the win over a poor Georgetown squad on the road.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: UConn
Noah Dunlap
Does this even count as a basketball game? The Georgetown Hoyas are a long way removed from the good days from the program, despite being coached by Patrick Ewing, as they’re almost certainly the worst team in the Big East, and are quite possibly one of the worst teams in the nation. They’ve lost 17 straight, haven’t won in the new year, and the last time they did come out on top was on December 15. Now they take on one of the best teams in the Big East, and I don’t think it’s going to go well.
UConn enters this one at third in the conference, sitting at 20-7 on the year. They’re a lock to make the tournament, now they’re really just playing for seeding as we get down to the last week of the season, and they’ve already knocked off Georgetown in their first meeting of the year, a game the Huskies won by 23. Even with this one being on the road, I think we’re going to get a similar outcome, as there’s just nothing I see that suggests that the Hoyas have the ability to win this one. Give me UConn in a big way.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: UConn
SMU @ #14 Houston – 12:30pm ET
The SMU Mustangs travel to Houston to take on the 14th ranked Cougars in this American Athletic Conference matchup. Both teams are likely going to be involved in the NCAA Tournament so this game is more about building resumes than anything.
Marko Nadin
The Houston Cougars are on top of the American Conference with a 23-4 record including 13-1 at home. They have lost twice in the last 5 games including an 85-83 loss to SMU. Houston is coming off an 81-67 win over Tulane. Houston allows only 59 points per game which ranks them 8th in the nation and they are the best team when it comes to allowed field goal percentage with 36.8%. The Cougars have covered the spread in 7 of the last 10 games against teams with a winning record over 60%. Houston has won 7 of the last 10 games against SMU.
The SMU Mustangs are second in the American Conference with a 20-6 record. They have won 4 of the last 5 games losing only to Temple in that span. The Mustangs are coming off a 75-61 win over Tulsa in the last round. SMU has covered the spread in 4 of the last 5 games and in 11 of the last 15 coming off a win. They have played under the total points margin in 9 of the last 10 games coming off a win and in 6 of the last 7 road games. The home team has covered the spread in 4 of the last 5 games between Houston and SMU.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Houston
Tony Battalio
The SMU Mustangs come into this game with a record of 20-6 on the season. They are in second place in the American Athletic Conference at the moment with a record of 11-3 inside of conference play. With a victory over the Houston Cougars in this one, SMU could find themselves tied for the top spot in the conference with only about a week to go before conference tournaments start. They are already likely going to get an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament and a win over a top ranked Houston team would make that almost certainly a guarantee.
THANK YOU, @UHouston fans!
We will see everyone in Fertitta Center at 11:30 am SUNDAY
Wear ⚫!#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/6vnpoGjJps
— Houston Men’s Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) February 26, 2022
The Houston Cougars are coming into this game with a record of 23-4 on the season. They are coming into this game ranked 14th in the nation. With a victory over SMU, the Houston Cougars would clinch the American Athletic Conference regular season championship. If the Houston Cougars can run the table and win the conference tournament as well they could line themselves up for a potential top two seed in the NCAA tournament. As for the result of this game I have Houston picking up the victory over SMU at home.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Houston
Noah Dunlap
Houston looked like one of the best teams in the country for much of the year, before hitting a rough patch lately, losing going only 3-2 in their last five (that shows how good they were for much of the year) and that’s made people question whether they have the potential to make a deep run through the tournament come mid-to-late March. I think the answer to that question is yes, however they are going to have to pick up the effort once again. It is also worth pointing out that the Cougars have already lost to this SMU squad once already this season, in their only meeting so far.
The Mustangs come into this one at 20-6, and have picked up their play as of late, having won four of their last five. They went somewhat under the radar for much of the beginning of the season, but as we get closer to season’s end, they’ve realized that it’s getting closer to being time to get serious, and they’ve picked it up in a big way, including one way over Houston already this season. As for this matchup though, I’m going to lean Houston by a nose, as I think with it being a home game for the Cougs, they try to come out and make a point, and get a bit of revenge for the earlier loss to the Pony Express. Houston gets the job done in a tight one.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Houston
#15 Illinois @ Michigan – 2pm ET
The first featured Big Ten clash of Sunday afternoon features the 15th ranked Fighting Illini and the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Illinois is looking to snag a one seed in the big dance, while Michigan will likely miss out all together.
Marko Nadin
The Michigan Wolverines are 8th in Big Ten with a 15-11 record including 9-3 at home. They have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 71-62 win over Rutgers. The last time Michigan defeated Illinois was back in 2019. Michigan has covered the spread only 4 times in their last 13 games following a win and only once in the last 5 games against opponents with a winning record over 60%. The Wolverines have played over the total points margin in 13 of the last 19 games.
The Illinois Fighting Illini are third in the Big Ten with a 19-8 record. They have lost 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 86-83 loss to Ohio State. Illinois has won the last four games against Michigan including a 68-53 win earlier this season. Illinois is a one point favorite going into this one and will easily cover the spread. Illinois has not covered the spread in the last 8 Sunday games and has done it only twice in the last 7 road games. They have played under the total points margin in the last 4 games against a team with a winning record.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Illinois
Tony Battalio
The Illinois Fighting Illini are one step closer to snagging a top two seed in the Big Ten conference tournament after Purdue’s upset loss to the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday afternoon. The Fighting Illini come into this game with a record of 19-8 as they sit firmly on the good side of the bubble at the moment. Grabbing win number 20 heading in the Big Ten conference tournament would almost certainly lock their place in the NCAA tournament. Illinois is only a game and a half back on Wisconsin for the lead in the Big Ten with 3 games left and two left for the Badgers.
📍 Crisler Arena#Illini | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/2QsuqZrUQL
— Illinois Basketball (@IlliniMBB) February 27, 2022
The Michigan Wolverines are having a miserable year. They have performed well below expectations this season. They come into this game with a record of 15-11 on the season and will need a deep run in the Big Ten conference tournament if they want a chance at qualifying for the NCAA tournament. That starts with winning the rest of their games during the regular season, and they will have to do it without head coach Juwan Howard after he was suspended the rest of the regular season. Michigan is currently 9-7 inside of the conference and needs a win to keep pace with Iowa /‘d Michigan State. However, I don’t see that happening as I have Illinois getting the victory in this game.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Illinois
Noah Dunlap
Michigan enters this one without their coach, who’s been suspended for the rest of the regular season, and without a realistic chance to go dancing this year. They enter at 15-11, and while they’ve played better as of late, their incredibly surprising slow start to the year has proven to be too much for them to overcome, as they’re going to end up probably in the NIT as opposed to the NCAA tournament.
Now they take on an Illinois team that actually found themselves in a similar situation coming into conference play, but the difference is that they’ve been one of the best teams in the Big Ten since the conference slate got started. Despite playing extremely well in Big Ten play, they have dropped three of their last five, which could be somewhat concerning, but in the end, with them being led by Kofi Cockburn, a guy who’s being mentioned in the player of the year conversation, I think they’ll be fine as we start to think about the tournament and teams that can make runs. Give me the Illini in this one, as I think they just have too much for a Wolverines team that is missing their coach, and doesn’t have all that much to play for at this point.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Illinois
#22 Ohio State @ Maryland – 4pm ET
In the second featured Big Ten matchup of the afternoon slate, the Buckeyes travel to the DMV to play the Terrapins. The Buckeyes are ranked 22nd in the nation, while Maryland is having a rough season and will be looking to play spoiler in this one.
Marko Nadin
The Maryland Terrapins are 12th in the Big Ten with a 13-15 record. They have lost 6 of the last 8 games and are coming off a 74-64 loss to Indiana after defeating Nebraska and Penn State in the previous two games. The Terrapins will have to win the remaining three games of the season to get to a winning record but that is almost impossible as they are 4.5 points underdogs against Ohio State. Maryland has covered the spread in only 10 of the last 31 games and have played under the total points margin in 15 of the last 21 games.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are 4th in the Big Ten with a 18-7 record. They have won the last two and 4 of the last 5 games, The Buckeyes defeated Illinois 86-83 in their last game. They have won the last three games over Maryland, most recently 82-67 in January. Ohio State has covered the spread in 8 of the last 10 games and in 4 of the last 5 road games. The Buckeyes have played over the total point margin in 20 of the last 27 games. As they have a chance to climb higher in the conference in the last 4 games they are a huge favorite in this one, and will win it with at least 5 points differential.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Ohio State (-178)
Tony Battalio
🎥 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝟏𝟐𝟑 𝐖𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐨. 𝟏𝟖:
The tougher and more together team. pic.twitter.com/rINZQSi5on
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) February 26, 2022
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Ohio State (-178)
Noah Dunlap
This is an Ohio State team that has shown the ability to knock off some of the best teams in the country, as well as lose inexplicably to teams that they shouldn’t have any chance of slipping up against. They’ve won four of their last five, including the last two, and knocked off Illinois in their last outing. As far as sleepers come the NCAA tournament go, they’re one of my favorites to find a way to unexpectedly go on a deep run that could see them playing in the Elite Eight or later.
Now they take on a Maryland team that I just don’t think has much of a shot in this one. The Terrapins come into this one at 13-15, and are one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. Their offense has been pretty shaky this season, and with them taking on a Buckeyes team that plays decent defense much of the time, I think we’re going to see the Terps struggle to get the ball in the basket. Even with this one being in College Park, I like Ohio State to get a relatively easy win on the road, as they look to improve their seeding for the tournament.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Ohio State (-178)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
