Best College Basketball Bets Today: March 9th Top NCAA & NCAAW Picks

It’s a great day to be a college basketball fan. With several smaller conference tournaments already in progress and major programs wrapping up their regular season, there is no shortage of games that matter.

But which ones are the best opportunity for bettors?

We’ve done the legwork and identified these three as our Best NCAA Bets for Sunday, March 9 (odds via DraftKings).

NCAAM: Michigan (+240) vs. Michigan State (-6.5)

The Spartans have already locked up the Big Ten regular-season title, which takes a little bit of the luster off this game. But it’s still a rivalry matchup, and no one wants to lose to a rival—especially on their home court. So, I’d expect Michigan State to bring its A game.

The loss to Michigan State a couple of weeks ago was when Michigan’s late-season struggles began. After two ugly wins vs. Nebraska and Rutgers, the Wolverines were crushed by Illinois at home and dropped their final home game of the year to Maryland, 71-65. Michigan was a 3.5-point favorite.

Michigan State has been on cruise control since its surprising loss to Indiana on Feb. 11, winning six in a row, including four consecutive victories over ranked teams. They haven’t crushed anyone; they’re just playing well enough to get the win.

The Spartans aren’t a flashy team that makes it rain every night or runs up the score. They just play well on both ends of the court and do what’s needed to win games. However, Michigan has hopped on the struggle bus at the worst time of the year.

The Wolverines could easily be on a four-game losing streak coming into this one—not just a two-game skid. The desire to beat a rival will help Michigan stay competitive, but Michigan State is the better team. They’ll cover.

Our Pick: Michigan State -6.5

NCAAW: Texas vs. South Carolina

SEC Tournament Final

It’s fitting, in a way, that No. 1 Texas and No. 5 South Carolina are facing off in the SEC Tournament final. They’re arguably the two best teams in the conference this year, and they split the regular-season series. So now, they’ll get the tiebreaker.

The first meeting, on Jan. 12, was a one-sided affair. South Carolina’s defense shut Madison Booker down and pretty much rolled to an easy 67-50 win. Booker, who averaged 16.1 points per game this season, recorded just seven after shooting 3-for-19.

But in the rematch on Feb. 9, Booker recorded a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. The Texas defense held South Carolina’s offense to a dismal 35.8% shooting percentage that day. This time, Texas got the win, 66-62.

South Carolina earned its spot in the final by crushing Vanderbilt, 84-63, in the quarterfinal and then beating Oklahoma, 93-75, in the semifinal. Texas had a tougher path, holding on to beat Ole Miss, 70-63, and then taking care of business vs. LSU, 56-49.

We have two great teams here who happen to be playing solid basketball right now. If I were forced to pick a winner, I’d lean toward South Carolina, since it had more convincing wins in the first two rounds. But I expect this game to look a lot like the first two—low-scoring.

Our Pick: Under 134.5

NCAAW: UCLA vs. USC

Big Ten Tournament Final

Losing to your rival always stings, but losing to them twice in the same season? That’s just painful. But what if fortune smiled down on you and afforded you the opportunity to play this team for a third time?

Oh—and not only do you get the satisfaction of beating your rival, but there’s also a trophy on the line.

After closing out the regular season with their second loss to USC, the Bruins met Nebraska in the quarterfinal, winning by 11 points, 85-74. But then they absolutely crushed Ohio State in the semifinal, 75-46.

I’m sure you’ve heard this somewhere before: It’s pretty challenging to beat a team three times in a single season. If one team is decidedly weaker, maybe not. But a top-five team like UCLA? Yeah, I think the Bruins will have something figured out for this game.

All they need to do is stop JuJu Watkins from going off—again (she had 30 and 38 in the first two). Easier said than done, of course. But without a significant scoring threat of their own, the Bruins can’t let Watkins dictate the flow of the game.

Our Pick: UCLA ML at +120