Free NCAA College Basketball Picks, Best Bets, and Parlays For 2/26/22

We head into Survival Saturday after a light schedule of games last night. We weren’t great with our bets but we made it through. Today and tonight we have a ton of games and they are super tough. Be careful; I don’t call it Survival Saturday for nothing.

We raised our Best Bet of the Day record to 42-26 since January 1st.

We only bet on six games and went 5-1 betting the MoneyLine. Our record now stands at 514-113 (82%) for 2022.

There was only one game involving Top-25 teams. Iowa defeated Nebraska but failed to cover. That lowered our record to 70-53 betting the spread on Top 25 teams.

Survival Saturday always brings us great college basketball action and today is no exception. There are 14 games involving Top-25 teams and they are especially hard to predict. There should be some great action. Let’s get after it.

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

Papa Dudes Best Bet for College Basketball Today

Boise State 22-6 (-1.5) at UNLV 17-11: I”m going to take a stab on the Runnin’ Rebels to upset Boise in this one. They are playing excellent basketball and I think Boise is due to lose a close game that they keep winning. I will admit it is a risk and the Broncos are a tough outfit to pick against but I like the Rebels to keep on rolling. PAPA DUDES BEST BET: UNLV +1.5

GAMES INVOLVING TOP-25 TEAMS:

#4 Purdue 24-4 (-5) at Michigan State 18-9: This is a Big10 battle between two teams headed in different directions. The Boilermakers are at the top of the league standings and are riding high. The Spartans are mired in a mediocre stretch where they are playing poorly. They probably are going to make the tournament but a win here would be huge. I think Purdue is a better team and will pull out a win and a cover. PAPA DUDES PICK: Purdue -5.

#6 Kentucky 23-5 at #18 Arkansas 22-6 (-2.5): Arkansas is the favorite in this one, and that tells us all we need to know about how Vegas feels about the Razorbacks. The fact that they are favored over perennial power Kentucky is enough for me. I’m going with the red-hot Hogs. PAPA DUDES PICK: Arkansas -2.5

#20 Texas 20-8 (-3) at West Virginia 14-14: Texas is a slight favorite against the Mountaineers who are really struggling. They should be able to get out of Morgantown with a win and a cover, but there are some games that they don’t play as good as they are capable. I’m going to take them in this game, but won’t be surprised if I’m wrong. PAPA DUDES PICK: Texas -3

#3 Auburn 25-3 at #17 Tennessee 20-7 (-3): Auburn has lost a couple of road games against good teams recently, and that explains the spread in this one. The Volunteers will be ready for this game as ex-coach Bruce Pearl brings his Tigers into Knoxville. I think Auburn is the better team but I’m going to side with Tennessee. PAPA DUDES PICK: Tennessee -3

#12 UCLA 20-6 (-13.5) at Oregon State 3-23: The Bruins are coming off a disappointing loss at Oregon Thursday night. They take on an Oregon State team that almost pulled off an unlikely upset over USC team, but fell short in overtime. Logic would say that the Bruins will bounce back and thrash the Beavers who left it all out there against USC. Impossible to know for sure how they will react. I’m staying away from this one. PAPA DUDES PICK:UCLA -13.5

#19 Murray State 27-2 (-11.5) at Southeast Missouri State 13-16: The worry for me on this one; Murray State might have a big letdown after their huge win over Belmont on Thursday. This could be a tough game for them and I can’t expect them to be totally engaged. I think they win but don’t cover.PAPA DUDES PICK: SE Missouri +11.5

#7 Duke 24-4 (-7.5) at Syracuse 15-13: Duke comes into the Carrier Dome as a solid favorite and should be. The Orangemen aren’t near as good as usual but they have a tendency to play the Blue Devils tough. I’m going to take a shot on Syracuse to beat the spread, but Duke should escape with a win. PAPA DUDES PICK: Syracuse +7.5

#9 Texas Tech 22-6 (-5) at TCU 17-9: Texas Tech continues to play as well as anyone in the Big12. They head into Fort Worth to take on the Horned Frogs who are watching their NCAA Tournament chances slipping away. They desperately need to string together some wins in the last three games. They will give the Red Raiders all they want but I don’t think it will be enough. PAPA DUDES PICK: Texas Tech -5

#13 Wisconsin 22-5 at Rutgers 16-11 (-2): I’m pretty surprised at the line in this one and I would have thought Wisconsin would be the favorite. But, Rutgers defeated the Badgers in Madison 73-65, a couple of weeks ago, and that explains the spread. Still, I’m sticking with the Badgers to deal another blow to Rutgers fadin NCAA Tournament chances. PAPA DUDES PICK: Wisconsin +2

South Carolina 17-10 at #24 Alabama 18-10 (-11): Alabama is the better team over the Gamecocks. But, they have had trouble putting teams away in SEC play. I think they win but that spread is too high. PAPA DUDES PICK: South Carolina +11

#2 Arizona 25-2 (-10) at Colorado 18-10: Which Colorado team are we going to see in this one? The team that had won 5 in a row, or, the team that lost by 17 at home Thursday night to Arizona State. It probably won’t matter because we know what we are going to see from the highly-ranked Wildcats. PAPA DUDES PICK: Arizona -10

#5 Kansas 23-4 at #10 Baylor 23-5 (-3.5): This is the toughest game for me to assess. And that’s saying something because there are a bunch of hard ones today. It goes against everything I believe to pick against the Jayhawks in a crucial Big12 game but I’m leaning toward the Bears. Baylor plays very well in Waco and this seems like an ambush to me. PAPA DUDES PICK: Baylor -3

Creighton 19-8 at #11 Providence 23-3 (-5): Does Providence ever beat anyone by more than 5 points. It sure doesn’t see like it to me. Creighton comes into Rhode Island playing very well, and a win in this one could lock up their NCAA Tournament spot. The Friars were resilient in their triple overtime win over Xavier on Wednesday and are winning any old way they can. PAPA DUDES PICK: Providence -5

#1 Gonzaga 24-2 (-11) at #23 St.Mary’s 23-6: This would appear to be the best chance for Gonzaga to lose a WCC game. St.Mary’s is a quality opponent with 23 victories and ranked #23 in the country. And with those impressive credentials they are still 11-point underdogs. I think they will make a game of it for awhile, but the Gonzaga talent will pull away late for the victory. PAPA DUDES PICK: Gonzaga -11

#16 USC 24-4 at Oregon 18-10 (-2): The Ducks are fighting for their tournament lives, and took a big step forward with a win over highly-ranked UCLA on Thursday. A win over USC might cinch it for them. The Trojans had to go into overtime to win over a bad Oregon State team the last time out. I’m going Oregon. PAPA DUDES PICK: Oregon -2

3-TEAM PARLAY:

Just taking a shot on this one. Don’t bet the car payment.

LEG 1: Louisiana Tech at North Texas (-5): Bet the MoneyLine on North Texas -200

LEG 2: UAB (-7) at UTEP: Bet UTEP +7

LEG 3: Colorado State at Utah State (-2): Bet the MoneyLine on Colorado State +110