Here at the Action Network, we have you covered with everything you need to know for the college basketball postseason.
ACC first-round best bets? We have it. Early Tuesday conference tournament games? Yeah, we have that, too. And the biggest conference final on Tuesday between Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga? We also have that covered.
In this particular piece, our staff has seven (!) best bets for the conference tournament games on Tuesday night.
So, dive in now and get the top NCAAB conference tournament odds, best bets and picks, including Utah Tech vs. Stephen F. Austin.
7 NCAAB Conference Tournament Night Slate Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball staff is targeting from Thursday’s slate of games. Click the team logos for one the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
Notre Dame vs. Virginia Tech (ACC)
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Tuesday, March 7 7 p.m. ET ACC Network |
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Notre Dame +7 |
By Mike McNamara
Two of the main storylines at the ACC Tournament this week in Greensboro center around Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.
For the Hokies, it's the talk of replicating last year's championship run, when VT won four games in four days as the seven seed to claim the ACC's auto bid.
Just like last year, Virginia Tech underperformed in regular season play and is much more talented than its 8-12 league mark suggests
For Notre Dame, Greensboro represents Mike Brey's final act after a 23-year run in South Bend.
The current number of VT as a seven-point favorite shows that Tuesday night could very easily be Brey's final game as the Irish head coach.
That being said, I show value on the Irish here to make this a competitive game and have a chance to pull off the outright upset.
When these two teams met earlier in the year in South Bend, Notre Dame went for 87 points, shooting over 54% from the field in that game.
Nate Laszewski had a monster night, and the fifth-year senior could be in line for another big one if he can once again knock down some open looks from the outside.
Virginia Tech will certainly score plenty when it has the ball, but I give the advantage to both offenses in this game. The over is worth a look as a result, but I am more comfortable backing the Irish to stay inside the seven.
I'd play Notre Dame all the way down to six in what should be a fun one Tuesday night to kick off the week on Tobacco Road.
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Binghamton vs. Vermont (America East)
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Tuesday, March 7 7 p.m. ET ESPN+ |
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Vermont -15.5 |
By Tanner McGrath
For what it's worth, I like both favorites to roll in the America East semifinals today.
It took New Hampshire everything it had to beat Bryant at home when the Bulldogs were down their three best scorers (all three left midway through the game). Now, UNH has to travel to Lowell to play a River Hawks team that's 16-0 at home this season.
I'm pretty convinced the Wildcats won't keep that close, so I already logged MALO -12.5 in the app.
However, I'm more bullish on the Vermont Catamounts, which rolled past the NJIT Highlanders with little hardship in a tougher on-court matchup.
The Cats are hosting Binghamton, with the Bearcats coming off an impressive road win over UMBC as 7.5-point quarterfinal dogs.
However, ShotQuality graded that game as a three-point analytical win for the Retrievers, so we can target the Bearcats for some game-to-game negative regression.
I also think it'll be hard for Binghamton to put together another inspired performance on a three-day turnaround. Binghamton has been running a short six-man rotation since the conference season began, and the Bearcats have been prone to late-game meltdowns with tired legs.
Binghamton runs a six-man rotation because it likes to play 6-foot-6 wing Christian Hinckson at the five in a small-ball lineup. This gives the Bearcats defensive versatility, but it likely won't help against Vermont.
The only way to beat the Catamounts is on the interior, as they have a weak frontcourt and post-up defense. However, the Bearcats will try and run things through Jacob Falko, who will run straight into Vermont's bevy of talented two-way guards.
Meanwhile, Vermont will happily carve up Binghamton's undersized defensive interior with off-ball cutting motions.
You can also expect Dylan Penn to have a field day with his deep bag of paint bucket-getting moves.
Binghamton kept it within 11 against Vermont up in Patrick a few weeks ago. However, NJIT took the Catamounts to overtime the game before, and Vermont responded with a 27-point revenge win in the tournament.
I expect a similarly inspired response from the Catamounts as they cruise to a monster home victory and another America East title game appearance.
Cal State Northridge vs. Cal State Bakersfield (Big West)
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Tuesday, March 7 9 p.m. ET ESPN+ |
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Cal State Bakersfield -118 |
By Cooper Van Tatenhove
The Big West kicks off its conference tournament on Tuesday night with an 8-9 matchup between Cal State Northridge and Cal State Bakersfield. The winner will move on to take on No. 1 overall seed UC Irvine in the quarterfinals.
If you want a more in-depth look at the Big West Tournament as a whole, make sure to check out my Big West Tournament preview.
This matchup, in particular, features two teams that combined for just 10 wins in Big West play.
Northridge has been particularly poor away from home, failing to win any of its 14 contests on the road.
Although on paper these are two struggling units, I believe Bakersfield has some key advantages that will send it onto the quarterfinals.
Defensively, the Roadrunners have been able to create pressure, ranking third in the Big West in turnover percentage, creating turnovers on 21% of their opponents possessions.
This will be significant as they match up with a Northridge offense that has the second-highest turnover rate in the Big West at 19.8%.
This defensive pressure will need to be focused on Northridge point guard Atin Wright, who exploded for 28 points in the most recent matchup between these two teams on Feb. 23. This performance led to a 75-68 victory for Northridge.
Even given this stellar performance, I expect 12th-year head coach Rod Barnes to have Bakersfield prepared for Wright in what will be the third matchup between these two teams.
On the other end, Bakersfield should see some offensive progression against a Northridge team that is allowing its opponents to create second chances on 32.1% of their shot attempts.
In addition, Northridge has relied on its ability to protect the rim defensively, ranking No. 1 in the Big West in block percentage at 9.5%. This is an area Bakersfield has been effective on offense, ranking second in the Big West in blocks allowed at just 5.1%
I like a play on Bakersfield moneyline in what will be a revenge spot against a Northridge team that has still failed to win on the road.
New Orleans vs. Northwestern State (Southland)
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Tuesday, March 7 9 p.m. ET ESPN+ |
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New Orleans 1H +4 |
By Jim Root
We're getting into the weeds here, certainly. A first-half wager on an extra-board semifinal? Hey, we go where the handicap takes us!
New Orleans is playing its third game in three days, doing so with a shorter rotation than normal. Daniel Sackey and Simeon Kirkland, two regular contributors, have been out of the lineup.
However, they were the Privateers' least-efficient rotation pieces, and the offense has taken off without them.
Guard Jordan Johnson has exploded in the first two games of the tournament. He has racked up 61 combined points and buried eight triples. He's one of the best shooters in the country, and when he's rolling, the paint opens for big man Tyson Jackson and the Privateers' slashers.
Meanwhile, Northwestern State must fight the possibility of rust after not playing since last Wednesday. The Demons have arguably the highest ceiling in the league – see the win over TCU in November – but accessing that potential could take some time.
These two squads split during the regular season, each winning on the other's home floor. Knowing New Orleans can compete with the No. 2 seed provides some bedrock for a potential upset tonight.
The overall game number has been bet down from 8.5 to 7, and I agree with that movement. However, considering UNO's shorter rotation and schedule disadvantage, I prefer to go with a first-stanza wager here.