Not a single ranked team is in action on Thursday night in college hoops.
But sometimes it's better that way, as we search for value on the odds board.
Read below for our college basketball picks, including a massive edge that spotlights four NCAAB best bets for Thursday, February 19.
College Basketball Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 9 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Memphis vs. USF
We have a matchup between two teams and coaches on opposite trajectories. Hodgson and USF are firing on all cylinders and are clearly the best team in the league. Hardaway and Memphis, on the other hand, are reeling and are having their worst season in years.
Although I’m super high on this USF team, I like this spot for Memphis. The Tigers are in the midst of a really tough part of their schedule, playing their third road game in a row after losing at North Texas and getting blown out in a random non-conference matchup at Utah State.
This group is still just a half-game back of second place in the league and is, of course, still alive to make the Big Dance should it win the conference tournament. After kicking a guy off the team and in as desperate a spot as it gets, I expect this battle-tested Memphis squad to put forth its best effort here.
This is also the best defensive team USF has seen in a while, and things may not come as easily as we’ve seen lately.
I’ll take the points here with the underdog.
Pick: Memphis +8.5
Charleston vs. North Carolina A&T
By Kyle Hunter
Charleston’s Connor Hickman has been ruled ineligible. Without Hickman, Charleston has wanted to play slower. It was stunning to see the Campbell/Charleston matchup this past weekend play to a pace of just 61 possessions. That was four possessions slower than any other Campbell game in the CAA this season.
North Carolina A&T is really aggressive in taking the ball to the basket. The Aggies aren’t good from long range, but they are 17th in the nation in FTA/FGA on offense. Charleston is a challenging matchup for them, though, because Charleston is first in the CAA in FTA/FGA allowed.
North Carolina A&T is coming off a strange scheduling spot where they went all the way to California for an HBCU matchup against Hampton. The Aggies are 270th in the nation in offensive efficiency, and this could be a tough spot for them. At the same time, Charleston’s offense hasn’t been consistent at all in recent weeks.
I’m siding with the under 147.5 in this one.
Pick: Under 147.5
Arkansas State vs. Louisiana
By Evan Abrams
Today's Arkansas State vs. Louisiana matchup in the Sun Belt Conference fits a historically profitable betting system from our Bet Labs database for the Under 144.5.
This system, Road Rebound Unders, is built on the idea that strong rebounding road teams in non-conference settings can quietly suppress scoring more than the market anticipates.
By targeting the under in games with elevated closing totals where the visiting team posts solid rebounding numbers and the home side is not an overwhelming underdog, the model isolates matchups likely to feature physical half-court possessions.
In non-conference play, styles often clash, and coaches emphasize discipline and control rather than pace, especially when preparing for unfamiliar opponents. A road team that rebounds well limits second-chance points while also extending its own possessions, reducing overall transition opportunities, and compressing total trips up and down the floor.
The Red Wolves rank highly in rebounding this season, pulling down 41.0 rebounds per game overall (with a +7.8 rebounding margin), including strong marks on both ends that allow them to control possessions and limit extra opportunities for opponents.
This sets up a classic spot for the Under to hit as Arkansas State's road rebounding prowess forces a more deliberate, half-court game at the Cajundome, suppressing the scoring despite the posted number appearing playable on the over side in some projections.
Pick: Under 144.5
Tulane vs. North Texas
North Texas is 5-0 both straight up and against the spread in the recent head-to-head with Tulane.
The Mean Green upset the Green Wave last month, in a game that landed under the total by a couple of points.
Speaking of total, that's where the value's at when tailing PRO's advanced hoops models.
Action lines released Wednesday were nowhere near the UNT vs. Tulane total of 135.5, as our total opened at just 127.79.
This was the first game to land the coveted 'A+' grade before adjustments. And it's essentially in line with how our numbers view a team like North Texas this season.
UNT 'unders' have frequently popped this season from projections. North Texas is notably 16-8 to the under this season. Our numbers suggest picking another Mean Green game under the total, this time Thursday night at home.
Pick: Under 135.5
