Free NCAA College Basketball Picks, Best Bets, and Parlays For 3/5/22

We head into Survival Saturday after a light schedule of games last night. We had an excellent night on our bets and let’s hope we can make it through the final weekend of the regular season. 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 cashed our Best Bet as Kent State outlasted Buffalo 70-65 to cover a small 2.5-pt spread. That raised our Best Bet of the Day record to 46-29 since January 1st.

We only bet on eight games and went a perfect 8-0 betting the MoneyLine. Our record now stands at 598-129 (82%) for 2022.

There was only one game involving Top-25 teams. We picked Murray State to win but fail to cover and both things happened. Our record betting the spread on games involving Top-25 teams is now 96-70.

Survival Saturday always brings us great college basketball action and today is no exception. There are 13 games involving Top-25 teams and they are especially hard to predict. There should be some great action. Let’s get after it and hope we get lucky.

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

Papa Dudes Best Bet for College Basketball Today

Seton Hall 19-9 at Creighton 20-9 (-1): This is a pick-em game between two Big East teams that are probably safely in the NCAA Tournament. The winner will definitely be in. I love Creighton in big games at home as they are hard to beat in Omaha. Seton Hall is playing very well and are going to be a handful but I’m trusting the Bluejays to get the win.PAPA DUDES BEST BET: Creighton -1

GAMES INVOLVING TOP-25 TEAMS:

#11 Villanova 22-7 (-8.5) at Butler 13-17: The Big East is as balanced as any league in the nation. Villanova is coming off an emotional, hard-fought win over Providence earlier this week and might have a letdown coming into this one. Butler has struggled to find consistency on offense, but they might be in for a big effort. I think Nova wins, and barely covers the spread. PAPA DUDES PICK: Villanova -8.5

#14 Arkansas 24-6 at Tennessee 22-7 (-6): This is a matchup of two of the hottest teams in the country. Arkansas has won 14 out of 15 including a hard fought a couple of weeks ago over the Vols in Fayetteville. Tennessee has won 9 out of 10 with the only loss being against the Hogs. I think everyone continues to show Arkansas a ton of disrespect and that line is too high. Tennessee might win, but I don’t think they cover. PAPA DUDES PICK: Arkansas +6

#25 Alabama 19-11 at LSU 20-10 (-4): Another good game between two NCAA Tournament teams. The worry for me is how much will LSU be affected by that 1-point heartbreaking loss at Arkansas earlier this week. I think if they are ready they are going to bang out a cover over the Tide. PAPA DUDES PICK: LSU -4

South Carolina 18-11 at #5 Auburn 25-3 (-15): Three weeks ago I would have had a lot more confidence betting the Tigers to cover 14.5 points. But, they have gone 4-3 in their last seven games and playing at home will be a boost for them. Also, they have the added incentive of winning the regular season conference championship, and nailing down the #1 seed in the conference tournament next weekend. No doubt they win this game; but no cover. PAPA DUDES PICK: South Carolina +15

#7 Kentucky 24-6 (-5) at Florida 19-11: The Gators are on the bubble and need a win over a highly ranked like Kentucky to get in the Big Dance. They are capable of getting it if they play well. The Wildcats have tapered off after a hot streak a couple of weeks ago. This is a hard won for me to gauge and I’m staying away from it. PAPA DUDES PICK: Florida +5

Indiana 18-11 at #8 Purdue 24-6 (-10) : Indiana probably has to win this one to have a chance at getting into the Big Dance. They blew a chance on Wednesday losing at home to Rutgers. Purdue has lost two in a row and are looking for a big win over their archrivals to get back on track. .PAPA DUDES PICK: Purdue -10

#12 Texas Tech 23-7 (-2.5) at Oklahoma State 14-15: This line shows how much respect Vegas has for Oklahoma State and how hard they play. They are hard to score on and if they can hit a few shots they could pull off an upset. Because of probation problems, this will be their final game of the season. Look for a tremendous effort but I think Tech is better and can cover this small spread. PAPA DUDES PICK: Tech -2.5

#21 Texas 21-9 at #6 Kansas 24-6 (-6.5): The Jayhawks are struggling and have lost two of three coming into this one with Texas. They won 72-68 over TCU in Lawrence on Thursday after trailing the entire game. Both teams are solidly entrenched in the upcoming NCAA Tournament and are playing this one for seeding purposes. I like Kansas to win, but that spread is worrisome.I wish it was 4 or 5, but I’m going to take a chance on them covering. PAPA DUDES PICK: Kansas -6.5

California 12-18 at #2 Arizona 27-3 (-22): I’ll make this short. I may miss this one but 22 points in too many for me to bet on a team to cover. PAPA DUDES PICK: California +22

DePaul 15-14 at #18 UConn 21-8 (-10): The Blue Demons may be only 15-14, but they usually compete against everyone in the league. Eight of their 13 conference losses have been by 7 points are less. So, it seems that 10 points might be a bit much for the Huskies to cover. Very difficult for me to decide on this one. PAPA DUDES PICK: UConn -10

Iowa State 20-10 at #3 Baylor 25-5 (-12): Iowa State is coming off a game where they only scored 36 points. It’s really hard making any kind of a case for them winning this game. But, the spread is 12 and that’s a lot for a Big 12 game. The Bears have been playing very well and can finish no worse than tied for 1st in the regular season conference race. I’m picking a cover, but probably can find something better to bet. PAPA DUDES PICK: Baylor -12

North Carolina 22-8 at #4 Duke 26-4 (-11.5): This is Coach K’s last game in this historic rivalry and also the kast in Cameron Indoor Arena. Tickets are going for $4,000 which is unbelievable to comprehend. The Tar Heels aren’t as good as usual and it is hard to think that they can win this one. But, there is such a thing as being too ready to play, and the Blue Devils might be too hyped up. Carolina is going to play hard, but will it be enough? I’m thinking it won’t. PAPA DUDES PICK: Duke -11.5

#16 USC 25-5 at #17 UCLA 22-6 (-8): This line seems a little high to me. The two teams met a couple of weeks ago and USC beat the Bruins 67-64 and I think this one will close as well. I just don’t think UCLA is as good as people think but they might prove me wrong. I’m taking USC to play closer than the spread. PAPA DUDES PICK: USC +8