Welcome to another college basketball Monday.
But instead of major power-conference matchups taking place tonight, we have conference tournament games with major implications — including tournament championships.
Matt Cox of Three Man Weave came through with three best bets for Monday's slate, including picks for Campbell vs. Monmouth, Georgia Southern vs. Troy and Oregon State vs. Gonzaga.
Without further ado, let's dive into Cox's college basketball picks and NCAAB best bets for the games on Monday, March 9.
College Basketball Picks
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that Matt Cox of Three Man Weave is targeting from Monday'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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 6 p.m. | |
  | 7 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. | ||
Campbell vs Monmouth Pick
The semifinals of the CAA will not feature the reigning champions, UNC Wilmington, courtesy of Campbell’s demolition derby in the second half yesterday.
The Camels emphatically dispatched UNCW with a versatile and balanced offensive attack to which the Seahawks had no response.
Monmouth is trending in the right direction as well, buoyed by the reinsertion of lightning rod point guard Kavion McClain.
It's worth noting that both teams are on a back-to-back, but Monmouth’s favorable seeding earned it a first-round bye, while Campbell is playing its third game in three days.
Still, that hardly matters at this juncture, especially since two of the Camels’ top producers, Dovydas Butka and Chris Fields, are surging with confidence after missing a month with injury.
Monmouth does boast impressive size up front, but the unique skillsets of Fields and Butka — both adept passers and mid-post operators — will stress test the Hawks’ frontline.
The key will be cutting the head off the snake, which is McClain. Drexel laid out a solid blueprint last night, but a timely performance from Jason Rivera-Torres helped carry the Hawks to a gritty comeback victory.
Pick: Campbell +2.5 (Play to -1)
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Georgia Southern vs Troy Pick
Conventional wisdom says why bet the over with a team playing its sixth game in as many days? This situation for the red-hot Georgia Southern Eagles is simply unprecedented, but any fatigue may have simply morphed into adrenaline.
The Eagles just mounted a blistering 72-possession comeback over Marshall, whose smaller lineups were exploited by Charlie Henry’s smart mismatch-hunting offense.
Troy is positionally long but, like Marshall, the Trojans are without their primary rim warden, Theo Seng.
In the first matchup between GSU and Troy in the regular season, Troy played a ton of zone, forcing GSU to chuck it from the cheap seats. The Eagles made a mediocre 11-for-33 from long distance but scored easily inside when they didn’t settle.
On the other end, Troy carved up GSU’s scattered defense and feasted at the rim (98th percentile average 2-point percentage shot distance, per KenPom).
They also bombarded the boards and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, which accounted for literally half of their missed shots.
In essence, this rematch tonight should look hyper-chaotic, with long rebounds and easy buckets on both ends given how both coaches want to attack the other.
Pick: Over 149.5 (Play to 151)
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Oregon State vs Gonzaga Pick
After an emotional week, due to the tough news of Wayne Tinkle’s impending exodus from the head-coaching throne, the Beavers rallied to beat San Francisco last night.
The return of Dez White and Noah Amenhauser provided a much-needed jolt, especially White, who drained 6-for-8 from long distance.
Unfortunately, Oregon State is once again playing Gonzaga coming off a loss — a rare occurrence for the Zags.
Earlier this season, Gonzaga went into Corvallis, where Oregon State has been demonstrably better this year, and pummeled the Beavers by 20.
Tonight could be déjà vu, as the Zags are looking to make a statement after a double-digit loss to arch rival Saint Mary’s last weekend.
Gonzaga’s only other loss this season, a blowout against Michigan, was immediately followed by the Zags' thrashing of Kentucky on the road.
It remains to be seen if Jalen Warley returns tonight, which could be a huge spark for the Zags defense, but the version that lost last weekend to Saint Mary’s is capable of running the Beavers out of the gym.
Bear in mind the Zags were snubbed in petty fashion on the WCC awards list, likely a message from member leagues with their impending exodus to the Pac-12.
Pick: Gonzaga -18.5 (Play to -20)
