Thursday’s College Basketball Best Bets: Back Washington State

The college basketball calendar is nearing its apex, with March approaching. As teams jockey for seeding in conference tournaments and fight for a spot in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, each game has potentially major implications. 

Here are SportsGrid’s favorite picks for Thursday’s college basketball action. 

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8:30 p.m. ET – Michigan at Rutgers

Spread: Rutgers (-6.5) | Moneyline: Rutgers (-265) | Total: 137.5

Where to Watch: FS1 | Location: Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, NJ

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights host the Michigan Wolverines in a battle of underwhelming Big Ten foes. The Scarlet Knights have lost three straight games in uncompetitive fashion, and they are now only 6-10 in the league and 14-13 overall. However, they beat Michigan in Ann Arbor just a few weeks ago. Michigan is in complete free-fall mode, losing in ten of their past eleven games. The Wolverines are 3-14 in the Big Ten, and barring a miracle to close the season, they will be the 14-seed in the conference tournament. 

The SportsGrid model loves Rutgers in this matchup, or perhaps the model is confident in moving against this Michigan squad. Rutgers is favored by 6.5 points, but the model likes the Scarlet Knights to win by nearly 12 points. The moneyline is also a solid bet, with Rutgers projected to win 85 percent of the time. Betting the over on Rutgers games is risky, but with the total set at only 137.5, SportsGrid has that as another five-star pick. The score is projected to reach 142.4.

SportsGrid’s Best Bets: Rutgers (-6.5), Rutgers (-265) and OVER 137.5 | SportsGrid Projections: 5-stars

College Basketball Links: March Madness Bracketology | Bracketology | 5 Most Overpriced Natty Contenders

10:30 p.m. ET – USC at Washington State

Spread: Washington State (-6.5) | Moneyline: Washington State (-285) | Total: –

Where to Watch: PAC12 | Location: Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, WA

Wins in two of the past three games have moved the USC Trojans out of the basement of the PAC-12, but the Trojans are still one of the nation’s more disappointing squads. They sit at just 5-11 in the country’s weakest power conference and 11-16 overall, and they now travel to Pullman to play the second-place Washington State Cougars. WSU is a surprising 12-5 in the PAC-12 and 21-7 overall, powered by a standout season from Isaac Jones.

The SportsGrid model is confident in Washington State breezing by the Trojans in this game, projecting the Cougars to win by 13 and easily cover the spread. The model has Washington State winning this game 90 percent of the time, which makes the moneyline a strong bet.

SportsGrid’s Best Bets: Washington State (-6.5), Washington State (-285) | SportsGrid Projections: 5-stars

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