College Basketball Best Picks: Today's Predictions, Player Props & ATS Picks

Competing against a much smaller college football slate, college basketball takes center stage on Saturday with a slew of intriguing matchups.

• The SEC boasts a collective .872 winning percentage, and it's on pace for the best mark in conference history 
• Creighton and Alabama meet in a matchup of teams that went to the Sweet 16 or beyond last year
• UConn, which sits sixth in the March Madness odds, looks to build off its success at Madison Square Garden last year (it went 7-0 at MSG) when facing Gonzaga

Our college basketball best picks for Saturday involve Tennessee’s elite defense in one of our player prop selections, and we're backing two road underdogs with our best ATS plays.

Best college basketball player prop picks & ATS predictions for Saturday

College basketball odds subject to change. Pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale.

• Kylan Boswell Under 10.5 points () ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Henry Coleman III Over 5.5 rebounds (-137 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• UCLA +3.5 () vs. Arizona ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• McNeese +9.5 vs. Mississippi State (-102 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐

Saturday's college basketball odds & schedule

(Odds via )

• Memphis (+6.5) vs. Clemson (-6.5), 11:00 a.m. ET
• Texas A&M (+2.5) vs. Purdue (-2.5), noon ET
• Ohio State (+11.5) vs. Auburn (-11.5), 1 p.m. ET
• Xavier (+7.5) vs. Cincinnati (-7.5), 2 p.m. ET
• UCLA (+3) vs. Arizona (-3), 3 p.m. ET
• Tennessee (-1) vs. Illinois (+1), 5:30 p.m. ET
• Gonzaga (-1.5) vs. UConn (+1.5), 8 p.m. ET
• Creighton (+11.5) vs. Alabama (-11.5), 8:30 p.m. ET

College basketball prop picks for Saturday

College basketball picks odds subject to change. Our NEW player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds on any market across legal sportsbooks in your area!

Kylan Boswell Under 10.5 points ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -120 via Caesars | Implied probability: 54.55%

Tennessee has ascended to the No. 1 spot in the AP poll largely because it boasts one of the most suffocating on-ball defenses in the country.

The Volunteers wall off the paint, forcing opponents to shoot from beyond the arc on 48.7% of their attempts (Tennessee ranks in the top 15 nationwide).

Tennessee’s defensive principles are why we expect it to hold Boswell to 10 or fewer points, as the Illini guard has made just 22.5% of his 3-point attempts. 

The best number for this play is at Caesars, as FanDuel is offering Boswell’s O/U at 9.5.

Henry Coleman III Over 5.5 rebounds ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -137 via Caesars | Implied probability: 57.81%

Buzz Williams’ Aggies squad is rebounding a Division I best 43.3% of its misses, an area the team will look to exploit against Purdue.

The Boilermakers no longer boast the mammoth Zach Edey manning the paint, and they're allowing a 28.8% offensive rebounding percentage (146th).

Coleman should enjoy a big day on the glass, as he's second on the team with 6.3 rebounds per game. He's gone Over this total in eight of the first 10 games this season.

College basketball ATS predictions for Saturday

UCLA (+3.5) vs. Arizona ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -115 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 53.49%

Of all the AP preseason top-10 teams, Arizona had the third-fewest minutes returning from last year’s production. So perhaps we shouldn't be surprised the Wildcats are struggling thus far with Caleb Love as the only returning starter. 

Arizona is 0-4 in Quad 1 games, and it ranks 91st or worst in both adjusted offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency during those high-profile matchups. That won't change if Love continues to shoot 22% from 3-point range against the best competition.

Taking UCLA through FanDuel is worth the slight extra juice, as our other best March Madness betting sites like DraftKings are featuring the Bruins as 3-point underdogs.

McNeese (+9.5) vs. Mississippi State ⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -102 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 50.50%

Games on campus close to a holiday break are dangerous for power conference teams, as students may be away and there's not as much buzz in the arena. So Mississippi State better come ready to play against a talented McNeese squad.

Entering their last game against a D-I team in Santa Clara, the Cowboys boasted the nation’s highest open 3-pointer rate in the country, according to ShotQuality. 

The problem in many of McNeese’s four losses is that it hasn't made its open shots at a high rate (the team is shooting just 27.5% from beyond the arc). 

But this could be the game for positive regression against a Bulldogs defense that ranks outside the top 300 in 3-point percentage allowed. 

All of our best sportsbooks are in unison with the 9.5-point spread. But the cheapest vig is at FanDuel, while others charge standard -110 juice. 

The low juice suggests this line should get to double digits, so McNeese backers should wait for the best number.

March Madness betting odds pages

Here are our best March Madness betting sites:

• Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUSDYW | Read our Caesars Review
• BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
• bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
• FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
• DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review

(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.

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• Best Sports Betting Sites | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only)