We’re getting down to crunch time in college basketball, as the conference tournaments are winnowing their way down to their final games, on Saturday or Sunday. Many of the matchups for this weekend are still to be determined on the basis of today’s games, but we do have some College Basketball betting matchups to recommend for you. These tournament games will get tighter as the weekend progresses, as the winner gets an automatic berth in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. On Selection Sunday, we will find out who is in the field of 68, but for now, we have to wait for a lot of action to sort itself out.
Top Betting Games for Saturday
Texas A&M vs #15 Arkansas (1:00 pm ET, ESPN)
The Aggies came into the SEC Tournament seeded fifth, finishing the regular season on a four-game winning streak that included a shocking 16-point win at Alabama. An Aggie team that had once lost eight in a row now looks ready to make its case for the Big Dance. So far in the SEC Tournament, they have edged Florida by three and then taken down then-#4 Auburn by five, so they are certainly ready for anyone else the SEC might throw their way. In that win over Auburn, the AGgies got 19 points from Tyrece Radford and five free throws from top scorer Quenton Jackson in the final minute. It helped that Auburn started out 2 of 17 from behind the three-point arc en route to a 9 of 36 performance from distance. For the game, Auburn shot just 30.4% overall, most certainly stumbling out of the gate in their first postseason game.
Next up for the Aggies is a date with Arkansas. The Razorbacks finished their regular season with a four-point loss at then-#13 Tennessee and opened their SEC Tournament with a 79-67 thumping of LSU. In the win, Au’Diese Toney had 22 points and ten rebounds. J.D. Notae added 19 points, and Chris Lyles added 18. With a high-flying offense and a smothering defense, Arkansas should be glad that Auburn is no longer in their way, but the Aggies are a scary team as well, peaking at the right time.
Final Score Prediction:
Arkansas 76, Texas A&M 70
Indiana vs #24 Iowa (1:00 pm ET, CBS)
Indiana needs to make a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament, if not win the whole thing, to have a shot at the Big Dance. They finished their regular season with losses to Rutgers and Purdue, so they did not come into the Big Ten Tournament on a high note. They have turned that around, though, knocking out Michigan on Thursday and co-regular season Big Ten champ Illinois on Friday, beating the Illini, 65-63. In that victory, Trayce Jackson-DAvis showed that he could play great ball against the top forwards in the conference, and he has done it. He put up 21 points, seven boards and three assists in the win. He also helped the Hoosiers come back from 17 down in the second half against Michigan on Thursday.
Next up is a matchup with Iowa, who finished the regular season with a loss at Illinois but who have bounced back with wins in the first two rounds of the Big Ten Tournament, taking down Northwestern in a 112-76 rout and then Rutgers, 84-74, on Friday. Keegan Murray put up 26 points and eight boards in the win. Jordan Bohannon and Tony Perkins chipped in 16 points apiece. Muray had 18 of points in the first half, as the Hawkeyes turned an early 15-5 deficit into a 41-32 halftime lead. Iowa has won seven of eight and set a Big Ten Tournament record with their 112 points against Northwestern.
Final Score Prediction:
Iowa 77, Indiana 69
