Our free College Basketball picks are out for Thursday, March 3rd, 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!
Temple @ #14 Houston – 7pm ET
This American Athletic Conference matchup is huge for two reasons. Temple is sitting on the bubble and could use a win. Meanwhile, the 14th ranked Houston Cougars need to keep winning if they want any hope at a number one seed in the NCAA tournament.
Marko Nadin
The Houston Cougars are on pace to finish the season as the top seed in the American Conference as they are currently first with a 25-4 record including 15-1 at home. Houston has won the last five games and will play Temple and Memphis by the end of the regular season. The Cougars are the best defensive team in the nation when it comes to allowed field goal percentage with 36.9%. They are sixth in the nation with 58.8 points allowed per game. Houston has won the last five games against Temple.
The Temple Owls are 4th in the American Conference with a 16-10 record. They have won 3 of the last 4 games and are coming off a 75-70 win over Tulane. They are still in a position to make it to the NCAA tournament and much will depend on the game in Houston. Temple has covered the spread in 5 of the last 6 games against a team with a winning record and 9 of the last 11 games against teams with a winning home record over 60%. The Owls have played over the total points margin in 4 of the last 5 games.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Houston (-1800)
Tony Battalio
The Temple Owls come into this game needing a big win to keep their faint NCAA tournament hopes alive heading down the stretch. Temple is currently 16-10 on the season and still lacks that big eye-popping victory they would need for their resume. Even with a victory in this game over a top-ranked Houston Cougars team it likely won’t be enough and they will still need to win the American Athletic Conference tournament to qualify for the big dance. Temple is sitting in the middle of the pack at number four in the conference with a record of 9-6 inside of conference play.
In 24 hours…
Coogs tip off vs Temple in #American Hoops action in Fertitta Center
Join us at 5:25 pm as we say farewell to @TazeMoore, @Josh25Carlton, @kyleredwards_ & @3five_ on Senior Night#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs
🔗– https://t.co/vRNaMRM7D3 pic.twitter.com/KlYl5Kbwuv
— Houston Men’s Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) March 3, 2022
The Houston Cougars come into this game ranked inside the top fifteen in the number at fourteenth in the nation. They are currently 25-4 on the season and at least have an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament locked up. They are the winners of the American Athletic Conference regular-season conference championship and will be looking to win the double by claiming the conference tournament championship as well in about two weeks. As for the result of this game I have Houston picking up the victory over Temple to add another victory to their impressive total this season.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Houston (-1800)
Noah Dunlap
At this point, it’s all but a given that the Houston Cougars are going to end up winning the American Athletic Conference, but the question is how high they can rise in terms of seeding for the NCAA tournament. They come in at 25-4, but the most important part of this is the fact that they don’t have a single truly bad loss on the year, as at this point, three of the four losses are to fellow tournament teams, and the other came against an SMU squad that is currently on the bubble. They’ve been one of the most consistent teams in the country, and I think that continues in this one.
They take on the Temple Owls next, and we’re talking about a Temple team that is going to miss out on going dancing by a pretty narrow margin unless they find a way to win the conference tournament. They come into this one at 16-10, but the problem is that they don’t have any solid wins that would be able to give them a lift in the committee’s eyes. A win here would be able to check that off the list, but I just don’t see that happening, as I think the Cougs simply have too much talent. Give me Houston at home, with some form of ease.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Houston (-1800)
Michigan State @ #23 Ohio State – 7pm ET
This Big Ten clash could prove to be huge for both of these teams. As the Michigan State Spartans and Ohio State Buckeyes, both need a win to keep their tournament hopes alive after recent stretches of below-average play from both teams.
Marko Nadin
The Ohio State Buckeyes are 4th in the Big Ten with an 18-9 record including 12-2 at home. They are coming off back-to-back losses to Maryland and Nebraska and will play Michigan State and Michigan by the end of the regular season. Ohio State has covered the spread in 4 of the last 5 games against teams with a winning record and 6 of the last 8 games coming off at the spread loss. The Buckeyes have played under the total points margin in 6 of the last 8 games and 6 of the last 7 games playing against a team with a winning record above 60%.
The Michigan State Spartans are 8th in the Big Ten with a 19-10 record. They have lost 4 of the last 5 games winning only against Purdue in that span. The Spartans are coming off an 87-70 loss to the state rival Michigan. The Spartans have won 5 of the last 6 games against Ohio State. Guard Tyson Walker who averages 8 points per game will not play against the Buckeyes. The Spartans have not covered the spread in any of the last 5 road games and 6 of the last 8 games against a team with a winning record.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Michigan State +6 (-110)
Tony Battalio
This may be one of the worst teams Michigan State has ever had under the leadership of legendary head coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans come into this matchup against Ohio State with their NCAA tournament hopes to hang on by the tiniest of threads at the moment. They have an overall record on the season of 19-10 and they need a few more big wins to put themselves on the safer side of the bubble. A couple of weeks ago a win over Ohio State would’ve been huge but as of recently, the Buckeyes have struggled more than any other top 25 team in the country.
155 and counting 📈 pic.twitter.com/GJcqATDRaq
— Michigan State Men’s Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) March 2, 2022
The previously mentioned Ohio State Buckeyes are coming into this game ranked 23rd in the nation for the time being. However, it is seeming more and more likely that the Buckeyes won’t be ranked when the new top 25 comes out on Monday, March 7th. As they have been getting beaten left and right over the past week or so. Now the Buckeyes, who were once considered a lock for the big dance, are looking at the possibility of missing out altogether unless they can get it together between now and Selection Sunday in a couple of weeks. As they come into this game at 18-9, however, I have them dropping this one as well to the Spartans.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Michigan State (+205)
Noah Dunlap
After looking like teams that were both going to compete to win a Big Ten title, both have decided to go missing down the stretch, and can’t seem to get anything going, which has now put their tournament odds, especially for Michigan State, at real risk. The Spartans come into this one at 19-10, which while a decent record, the fact that they’ve lost four of five is not. The committee often goes with a “what have you done for me lately” mentality when it comes to bubble teams, and for Sparty, the answer to that question is simply “not much.”
Ohio State hasn’t been any better though, as they’re in free-fall mode, as well. Roughly a week and a half ago, I mentioned that the Buckeyes were one of my sleepers to make a deep run come tournament time, but since that point, they’ve gone and lost two straight, both to teams that they simply should’ve cruised against, in Maryland and Nebraska. I don’t think it’s quite panic time for OSU quite yet, but if you’re a Buckeye fan you should certainly be a little nervous, at least. In the end, I think with this one being in Columbus, Ohio State gets the win, but I think it ends up coming down to the wire, so don’t be surprised if we see an overtime game here, or at least something close.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Ohio State (-255)
TCU @ #6 Kansas – 8pm ET
This is the second game in a row between these two teams. The first time they met on Tuesday evening TCU upset the Kansas Jayhawks at home. Now the big question is if Kansas can get revenge and keep their one-seed hopes alive, or if TCU can complete the sweep.
Marko Nadin
The Kansas Jayhawks are second in the Big 12 with a 23-6 record and will have a chance to attack the top seed in the conference if they win the remaining two games against TCU and Texas. They are coming off back-to-back losses against Baylor and TCU. Kansas has won 8 of the last 9 games against TCU and is a 10.5 points favorite coming into this game. Kansas has covered the spread in 10 of the last 14 games played on Thursday but in only 2 of the last 8 games against teams with a winning record over 60%.
The TCU Horned Frogs are 5th in the Big 12 with a 19-9 record. They are coming off the two biggest wins of the season against Texas Tech and Kansas which leaves them in the playoff picture. TCU defeated the Jayhawks this season for the first time since 2017. The Horned Frogs have covered the spread in 15 of the last 23 games and 9 of the last 15 following a win. They have played over the total points margin in 9 of their last 12 games. It will be pretty much a miracle for TCU to defeat Kansas in back-to-back games but the Horned Frogs have their chance.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Kansas (-780)
Tony Battalio
Round two is here and the TCU Horned Frogs would love to match what they did in round number one. As they took down the Kansas Jayhawks at home, by double digits as well. However, it certainly will be even harder this time around as Kansas is a tough team to be when they are playing inside the Fieldhouse in Lawrence. The Horned Frogs come into this game with a record of 19-9 on the season as their win over the Jayhawks went a long way in helping their NCAA tournament chances. However, a second win would almost give them the guarantee of being an at-large team in the big dance in a couple of weeks.
Final pic.twitter.com/P4K3aSlUVX
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) March 2, 2022
The previously mentioned Kansas Jayhawks will now be looking to bounce back from two straight losses from Baylor and TCU in the past week. Kansas comes into this game with a record of 23-6 on the season and they are ranked sixth in the nation for the time being as that will likely change when the new rankings are dropped on Monday afternoon. Kansas is still in the running for a number one seed in the NCAA tournament at the moment but they can’t afford another loss down the stretch. As for the result of this game I have Kansas evening the season series and getting the win over TCU at home.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Kansas (-780)
Noah Dunlap
I’m not sure anyone expected Kansas to struggle quite the way they have over the last two, yet here we are. The Jayhawks were cruising along, looking like a virtual lock for a one-seed, before dropping a contest to a really good Baylor team this weekend, in a game that they just didn’t play well in, but also earlier this week against this same TCU team. In an odd scheduling twist, these two are playing two straight against each other, and the Horned Frogs took the first matchup, to most people’s surprise.
Now Bill Self and his Jayhawks get the chance to host the second game of the set, and I think it’s one that they take care of with ease. TCU has clearly shown the ability to win games over quality opponents now, but they still have a shaky resume that has them on the tournament bubble, while Kansas is one of the most talented teams in the country. I don’t like the chances of the Horned Frogs being able to get past the Jayhawks in two straight, especially not at Phog Allen Fieldhouse, so I like Kansas with relative ease here.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Kansas (-780)
Stanford @ #2 Arizona – 9pm ET
In this huge Pac-12 clash, Stanford will look to add a win over Arizona to their resume. While Arizona will be looking to keep their hopes for the top overall seed alive on Thursday evening and avoid being upset as well.
Marko Nadin
The Arizona Wildcats are ranked second in the nation and are on top of the Pac 12 with a 26-3 record. They have won 11 of the last 12 games losing only to Colorado in that span. The Wildcats are coming off a 91-71 win over USC. Arizona has a perfect 15-0 record at home and will finish the season with home games against Stanford and California. Arizona is the best rebounding team in the nation with 39.8 rebounds per game and ranks third with 84.7 points per game. Arizona has won 8 of the last 10 games against Stanford.
The Stanford Cardinal are 8th in Pac 12 with a 15-13 record. They have lost the last three games and are coming off their worst performance of the season as they lost 53-39 to California. The Cardinal shot only 23.5% from the field and made only 4 three-pointers in that game. Stanford has covered the spread only once in the last 5 games against a team with a winning record of over 60% and 4 times in the last 9 games following a game in which they scored less than 50 points.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Arizona (-3500)
Tony Battalio
The Stanford Cardinal already has two big resume-worthy wins from a pair of wins over Southern California earlier this season. However, with their 15-13 record at present, it won’t be enough to get them into the NCAA tournament. Even with a win in this game over a top-ranked Arizona Wildcats team, they will still need to win the Pac-12 conference tournament championship if they want to find themselves participating in March Madness this season. The first time these two teams met Stanford was blown out by the Wildcats so they will be looking to turn in a better performance in this one.
The 2021-2022 Regular Season Pac-12 Champs #BearDown #RunWithUs pic.twitter.com/vHj9pAl1I1
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 2, 2022
The previously mentioned Arizona Wildcats are coming into this game currently ranked second in the country. Despite losing on Saturday evening to Colorado they remained at number two and right in the running for the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament. They come into this one with a record of 26-3 on the season. They have already won the Pac-12 regular-season conference championship now they will be looking to add the conference tournament title to their collection. As for the result of this game I have Arizona getting the win over Stanford at home.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Arizona (-3500)
Noah Dunlap
Give me the Arizona Wildcats, in a big way in this one. They come in as one of the best, most balanced teams in the country, sitting at number two in the latest polls, and after being upset in Boulder by Colorado on Saturday, they took out some aggression on USC just a few nights ago, as they took down the Trojans by 20, and I expect more of the same in this one. Led by Bennedict Mathurin and Christian Koloko, they play really good offense and defense, and they’re one of my favorites to be cutting down the nets at the end of the tournament.
Stanford, on the other hand, has had a down year, and I’m not optimistic by any means that they have enough to get them over the hump in this one. The Cardinal enter at 15-13, and with their tournament dreams no longer a possibility, barring them making a magical run through the PAC-12 tournament, all they have to play for is to try to play spoiler. The chance to be a spoiler can help against a lot of teams, but assuming the Wildcats show up for this one, I think the talent disparity is too great for Stanford to overcome.
Arizona with ease.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Arizona (-3500)
#24 Iowa @ Michigan – 9pm ET
In the second featured Big Ten clash of the Thursday evening slate, the 24th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Michigan Wolverines. Both teams could use a huge conference win in this one heading into the conference tournament.
Marko Nadin
The Michigan Wolverines are 7th in the Big Ten with a 16-12 record including 10-4 at home. Michigan has won 3 of the last 5 games and is coming off a huge 87-70 win over the Michigan State Spartans. Michigan has won 4 of the last 5 games against Iowa, most recently 84-79 two weeks ago. Michigan has covered the spread in only 3 of the last 16 games following the spread win. They have played over the total points margin in 9 of the last 11 games following a win and 4 of the last 5 games overall.
The Iowa Hawkeyes are 4th in the Big Ten with a 21-8 record and have won the last 4 and 7 of the last 8 games. The Hawkeyes are coming off an 82-61 win over Northwestern. They are playing Michigan and Illinois by the end of the regular season. Iowa has won only twice in the last 9 games against Michigan. They have covered the spread in 5 of their last 7 games but in only 2 of the last 7 playing on Thursday. Iowa has played over the total points margin in 17 of the last 21 games following a win of 29 or more points.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Iowa (+115)
Tony Battalio
The Iowa Hawkeyes are coming into this one ranked 24th in the nation. It feels like a must-win for them to continue their strong push for the NCAA tournament. They come into this game with a record of 21-8 on the season. They will be looking to avenge their loss to Michigan from just a couple of weeks ago. Since that loss, they have gone on a four-game winning streak picking up victories over Northwestern, Nebraska, Michigan State, and Ohio State. They are currently sitting in fourth in the Big Ten conference as a win and another Ohio State loss would earn them an all-important double-bye in the Big Ten conference tournament.
📖 Check out this week’s digital program: https://t.co/UtR4oBvFhb pic.twitter.com/Z5nLkbJVkg
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) February 28, 2022
The Michigan Wolverines are skating on thin ice at this point in the season. As they are still without their head coach and need to continue to pick up victories if they want to make the NCAA tournament this season. They come into this game with a record of 16-12 on the year. They are currently in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten with a conference record of 10-8 on the season as well. Michigan is on a one-game winning streak at the moment as they will look to complete the season sweep of the Iowa Hawkeyes. As for the result of this game, however, I can’t see that happening as I have Iowa getting the victory in this game on the road in Ann Arbor.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Iowa (+115)
Noah Dunlap
Our last preview comes from a Big Ten matchup that has the potential to quietly be a really good matchup. Michigan comes in at 16-12, and almost certainly on the outside looking in, in terms of tournament chances. They could potentially make an argument if they can win their last two games of the year, both against ranked teams, in Iowa and Ohio State, but with how they’ve played this year, winning both of those seems extremely unlikely.
On the other side, Iowa is firmly in the dance, and now they’re just trying to improve their seeding before Selection Sunday. They enter this one at 21-8 and have been what most people thought they would be coming into the season. They’re a decent squad, but not one that’s going to surprise many people, as I don’t think they have much of a shot of making a legitimately deep run through the tournament. However, I think they are good enough to knock off the Wolverines in this one, despite it being in Ann Arbor. Give me the Hawkeyes in a close one.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Iowa (+115)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
