Free NCAA College Basketball Picks, Best Bets, and Parlays For 3/12/22

We are nearing the end of round-the-clock basketball and several tournament championships will be decided today. If the games today are anything like the past two days, we are in for a treat.

We totally cashed on our Best Bet as Kent State beat Ohio, and covered the 2-point spread, on their way to the MAC championship game. That raised our Best Bet of the Day record to 50-32 since January 1st.

We bet on 15 games and finished a 11-4 betting the MoneyLine. Our record now stands at 638-138 (82%) for 2022.

There were 17 games involving Top-25 teams and we went 12-5 picking winners and 9-8 betting the spreads. Our record betting the spread on games involving Top-25 teams is 114-83.

Today and tonight there are 9 games involving Top-25 teams and there will be other great games as well. Let’s get after it and hope the last shot is made by our team.

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

Papa Dudes Best Bet for College Basketball Today

Texas Tech 25-8 vs. Kansas 27-6 (-2): These two are tough, physical, teams that will bring it all out there tonight. Texas Tech likes to play ugly and beat you with a slow tempo in your face style. Kansas can play anyway they need too. The Jayhawks have waltzed through their first two round games and should have the fresher legs while the Red Raiders had to spend every ounce of energy they had last night against Oklahoma. The deciding factor for me is the home crowd advantage Kansas is going to have playing at a site just 30 minutes from Lawrence. Should be a slugfest. P PAPA DUDES BEST BET: Kansas -2

GAMES INVOLVING TOP-25 TEAMS:

Tulane 14-14 vs. #18 Houston 27-5 (-13.5): This is all about the spread and Houston’s mental approach. There is no argument to be made about the talent between the two teams. The Cougars are much the better. So, it boils down to the mindset and focus of Houston. Are they ready to play or are they thinking this is going to be a cakewalk and are looking ahead to a possible matchup against Memphis? I’m staying with them, but I’m not comfortable betting it. PAPA DUDES PICK: Houston -13.5

Illinois vs. #24 Iowa 24-9 (-6): Iowa has been the best team in the Big Ten the past three weeks and very few have noticed. They handled Northwestern and Rutgers with relative ease in their first two games. Then there is Indiana. Coming into the tournament, they were a bubble team and needing a couple of wins to get in the Big Dance. That’s exactly what they did; knocking off Michigan and top seeded Illinois. Will Cinderella come down to earth today? This is the Big Ten and anything can happen. PAPA DUDES PICK: Indiana +6

Texas A&M 22-11 vs. Arkansas: The Aggies came into the tournament as an after thought and then beat Florida before knocking off top-seeded Auburn yesterday. Now, they are probably in the NCAA tournament and wanting more. They gave Arkansas fits in both regular season games and each won in overtime on their home floor. The Razorbacks had very little trouble with LSU yesterday and they are playing so well. I think the clock strikes midnight on Cinderella in this one. PAPA DUDES PICK: Arkansas -6.5

Michigan State 22-11 vs. #9 Purdue 26-6 (-6): For me, this is one of the hardest games to pick on today’s schedule. I hate the conference (because I can’t get any games correct), and I hate the spread. Michigan State is a team that has me baffled and I have no idea how they are going to play. Purdue is so talented, but can’t be trusted. I picked Purdue to win the tournament, so I’ll stay with them, but don’t listen to anything I have to say about this game. PAPA DUDES PICK: Purdue -6

Virginia Tech 22-12 vs. #7 Duke 28-5 (-6): The Blue Devils have had to fight their tails off in both of their games to get to the championship. They will be taking on a Virginia Tech team that has been on a roll, and had no trouble with North Carolina last night. The Hokies have probably played their way into the NCAA tournament and have nothing to lose. Could this be a big upset? I’m sticking with Duke to cover, but don’t feel good about it. PAPA DUDES PICK: Duke -6

Creighton 22-10 vs. Villanova 25-7 (-6.5): The Blue Jays are coming off and unexpected blowout win over top-seeded Providence last night. They were able to rest some guys and that will help going into this game. Meanwhile, Villanova had to win a hard fought, down-to-the-wire, slugfest over UConn in the nightcap. Will they have much left for tonight? If Creighton is hitting shots, they should keep this close. I like Villanova to win, but that spread is a little high. PAPA DUDES PICK: Creighton +6.5

#13 UCLA 25-6 vs. #2 Arizona 30-3 (-1): Form held up in this championship game, as these are the two teams most everyone thought would get here. Arizona has not been playing great as they barely survived the first round game with Stanford and then finally put Colorado away in the semis. UCLA has been consistent and beat USC by 10 last night. The two teams split the regular season series and there isn’t much to choose from between the two. The spread is easy; just pick who you like to win and you have a cover. PAPA DUDES PICK: Arizona -1

#5 Kentucky 26-6 (-2.5) vs. #9 Tennessee 24-7: In toss-up games like this, my general rule is take the team with the most tradition and experience. That’s what I’m doing here and I’m taking Kentucky. This should be a great game and I can see either team winning as they are both really good. I just like the Wildcats to figure out a way to win in what should be a classic. PAPA DUDES PICK: Kentucky -2.5