Free NCAA Basketball Picks, Best Bets, and Parlays For 2/12/22

Boy, am I ever glad I didn’t bet much last night in college basketball. Sometimes, you just get a feeling to cool it and I had that feeling last night. The schedule was light but the upsets were everywhere. Another ranked team lost as Xavier defeated UConn 74-68 which was one of the few games I correctly picked. That makes 12 out of 25 ranked teams have lost heading into the weekend.

Our Best Bet went down in flames as St.Louis couldn’t throw a watermelon in the ocean and lost to St. Bonaventure. That lowered our Best Bet of the Day record to 32-20.

For the first day this year, we posted a losing record betting the MoneyLine as we went 2-5 dropping our overall record to 351-83 (81%) in that category.

In the Dudes newest feature we went 1-0 betting the spread on games involving Top-25 teams, and we are 25-17 in that category

Today is Saturday, which means there are a ton of games to sink your teeth into. Let’s get to work and put a disappointing Friday in the rear view mirror.

Make sure to check out all our NCAA Basketball FREE PICKS HERE

Papa Dudes Best Bet for College Basketball Today

TCU 16-5 at #9 Texas Tech 18-6 (-10.5): The Red Raiders made it into the Top-10 this week, and stubbed their toe against a struggling Oklahoma team, losing 70-55 Wednesday night. They will be out to prove that was a fluke. The Horned Frogs are 16-5 and making a lot of noise on making the NCAA tournament. If they can get a win in Lubbock, that might get them over the hump. Both of these teams are hard-nosed, defensive minded, tough ball clubs and tend to play low scoring games. I think the Red Raiders win but that line is too high for them to cover. PAPA DUDES BEST BET: TCU +10.5

#16 Ohio State 14-6 at Michigan 13-9 (-2.5): I think Ohio State is overrated and shouldn’t even be in the Top-25. They are struggling coming into this game. The Wolverines are coming off an impressive win over #3 Purdue a couple of days ago and they might be beginning to gel at the right time. They will be ready for this one against the hated Buckeyes. PAPA DUDES BEST BET: Michigan -2.5

GAMES INVOLVING TOP-25 TEAMS:

Texas A&M 15-9 at #1 Auburn 22-2 (-12): Auburn is better than A&M and they will win this game. The Aggies are really struggling and the issue is whether Auburn will cover the spread. The Tigers lost at Arkansas and that might have taken some pressure of of them. I think they bounce back and continue Texas A&M’s woes. PAPA DUDES PICK: Auburn -12

#22 St.Mary’s 20-5 at Gonzaga 20-2 (-15.5): Gonzaga is like a prized thoroughbred race horse. They win all the time, but if you bet them you can’t make a dime on them. Tonight they face the 2nd best team in the conference, and are 15.5 favorites against a St.Mary’s team, that has 20 wins to their credit. The Gaels are a solid NCAA tournament team but I doubt they have a legitimate chance to win. Can they beat the spread? Maybe, but I’m saying not. PAPA DUDES PICK: Gonzaga -15.5

#4 Arizona 21-4 (-14) at Washington 13-9: This is another game where the ranked team is going to win, but will they cover a large spread on the road. The Huskies are decent and are coming off of a one-sided win over Arizona State on Thursday. They will be ready to play but the talent level isn’t close. Arizona played very well at Washington State two days ago and the Cougars are better than the Huskies, but 14 points is a lot to cover. PAPA DUDES PICK: Washington+14

Florida 16-8 at #5 Kentucky 20-4 (-9.5): This game might be closer than people think. The Gators are healthy and are at full strength, and they have won four in a row, to play their way into tournament consideration. A win in Lexington would be huge. However, Kentucky is on fire and playing as well as anyone in the country. They are battling for a #1 seed in the upcoming tournament. I think Florida stays with them for most of the way but the Cats pull away late. PAPA DUDES PICK: Kentucky -9.5

Memphis 13-8 at #6 Houston 20-3 (-10): The Tigers come into Houston with a talented bunch of athletes, who are rounding into form, after injuries and Covid problems. They have won 4 in a row, albeit against lesser American Conference opponents, but wins give a team momentum. Houston comes into this one after a humbling defeat at SMU, where they blew a double-digit lead in the 2nd half. That won’t sit well with Coach Kelvin Sampson and I guarantee you he got the player’s attention after that loss. This is a dangerous Memphis team and they will battle but Houston should win. PAPA DUDES PICK: Memphis +10

#7 Duke 20-4 (-13) at Boston College 9-13: Duke is going to win this game. The only question mark; will they be mentally ready to play well and cover the large spread for a team on the road. PAPA DUDES PICK: Duke -13

Oklahoma 14-10 at #8 Kansas 19-4 (-10): I don’t give the Sooners much of a chance at Lawrence because they don’t win there. Plus, Kansas is mad after losing to Texas on Monday. Oklahoma plays extremely hard and they will battle, but the talent difference between the two is enormous. PAPA DUDES PICK: Kansas -10

#20 Texas 18-6 at #10 Baylor 20-4 (-6): The Bears played very well in their last outing against Kansas State and got back on track. Texas has been very impressive the last two games with wins over Iowa State and Kansas. This is a huge rivalry and the winner is in good shape for the rest of the season. I think Baylor will win but that spread might be too much to cover. PAPA DUDES PICK: Texas +6

DePaul 12-10 at #11 Providence 20-2 (-9.5): This is another interesting game in the Big East. The Blue Demons are pretty good despite their 12-10 record. They play most people close and just don’t have enough to win at the end. Providence is solid in every way and I like them a lot, but they don’t blow teams out. I like them to win but DePaul stays within range. PAPA DUDES PICK: DePaul +9.5

#12 UCLA 17-4 (-2) at #21 USC 20-4: I’m staying away from this one because it could go either way. I think UCLA is a little better overall so because I have to pick, I’ll take the Bruins. PAPA DUDES PICK: UCLA -2

Rutgers 14-9 at #14 Wisconsin 19-4 (-8): The Scarlet Knights are coming off two wins over Ohio State and Michigan State who are both ranked. Today, they head into Madison with a chance to make the NCAA tournament committee take a look at them. The Badgers are as steady as they come and play the same every time they suit it up. I don’t like the line at all and wouldn’t bet the spread, however if I had to choose, I think they cover (barely). PAPA DUDES PICK: Wisconsin-8

Seton Hall 15-7 at #15 Villanova 18-6 (-9): Big East matchups are always knock down dragouts and then one should be know different. This is a resume’ building game for the Pirates who with a win will solidify their case for a NCAA tournament bid. I think Nova wins but don’t cover. PAPA DUDES PICK: Seton Hall +9

Indiana 16-7 at #17 Michigan State 17-6 (-4): The Hoosiers bounced out of a slump in their last game against Maryland to get back on track. Today they head into East Lansing, to take on the slumping Spartans who have lost two in a row and have looked bad in both games. This is a game where we need to see some improvement. Indiana is fully capable of winning this one but the spread is bettable. PAPA DUDES PICK: Michigan State -4

#18 Marquette 16-8 (-3) at Butler 11-13: The Golden Eagles need to win this game to solidify their NCAA tournament bid. In other words, they can’t afford a loss to a lower level Big East team. The problem is Butler plays a style that usually allows them to hang around in games. I think Marquette does just enough to cover. PAPA DUDES PICK: Marquette -3

Vanderbilt 13-10 at #19 Tennessee 17-6 (-11): Tennessee is playing their best ball of the year and they will figure out a way to win this game. But, will they cover the spread in this rivalry game? I’m taking a shot that they will. PAPA DUDES PICK: Tennessee -11

#23 Murray State 23-2 (-2.5) at Morehead State 19-7: This should be a great game in the Ohio Valley Conference. Murray State has the most wins in Division 1 College Basketball and come into this one on a roll. But, they might be due for a loss. Morehead State is coming off a 48-47 loss at Belmont in their last game and that could affect them in this game. The two teams played two weeks ago at Murray and the Racers won 77-66. Murray State is the better team, but is it their time to lose? I’m sticking with them. PAPA DUDES PICK: Murray State -2.5