We have two monster Conference Tournament games on Friday night.
The Big 12 semi-finals will feature a battle of titans, as Iowa State and Arizona go head-to-head in Kansas City.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss will look to continue its miraculous SEC Tournament run with a third win in three days, this time over Alabama.
Read on for breakdowns of both these games in our college basketball predictions and NCAAB best bets for Friday, March 13.
College Basketball Predictions
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 6 PM | |
  | 7 PM | |
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. | ||
Ole Miss vs. Alabama Pick
Ole Miss has had a nice little run the past two days in the SEC Tournament.
After a 12-19 regular season (4-14 in SEC play), the Rebels took down Texas and then Georgia and are now just one game away from the semi-finals.
But their run ends here.
Three games in three days is no joke in the SEC. The well-rested Alabama Crimson Tide are a buzzsaw with fresh legs.
Bama made mincemeat out of Ole Miss in its only matchup this season, winning by 19 and leading by as many as 22. The Tide could not be stopped on its offensive end, scoring a whopping 1.26 points per possession (PPP), fueled by 17 triples and a ton of free throws.
Alabama is known for its deadly transition offense and 3-point shooting. It scorched Ole Miss on the run to the tune of 1.64 PPP in the open floor and bombarded the Rebels from deep.
There’s no reason not to expect a repeat performance, as the Rebels cannot slow the Tide down, and Chris Beard’s pack-line style defense is ineffective against Alabama’s 3-happy attack.
Ole Miss has gotten fortunate in its first two tourney games – Georgia and Texas combined to shoot 16-for-58 from deep. Alabama is a different beast and has about a billion weapons ready to launch from behind the arc.
The Rebels’ only hope at the Big Dance is by winning the SEC Tournament, so expect the wind to go out of their sails if Alabama pounces on them early in the second half and starts to extend its lead to double digits and beyond. What little fight Ole Miss has left will die quickly in the latter half of the second.
I’m banking that Alabama extends and covers the hefty full-game spread.
Pick: Alabama -11 or Better
| |
Iowa State vs. Arizona Pick
Iowa State might have the overwhelming fan advantage in Kansas City, but Arizona is a literal freight train.
The Wildcats haven’t been this short of a favorite in over a month and waxed Iowa State in Tucson just 11 days ago. Zona led by as many as 21 points in that game, completely shutting down the interior, forcing the Clones into ill-advised outside shots, and dominating the paint on their offensive end and the free-throw line.
Arizona’s overwhelming size was too much for Iowa State to handle. That should be the case again in the Big 12 Tournament semi-finals.
Arizona’s transition offense is potent, and it smashed Iowa State in Game 1, scoring 1.20 points per possession. The Wildcats are the Big 12’s best defensive rebounding team, and they use the glass to push into the open floor as well as any team in the nation.
They also happen to be the best interior defensive squad in the nation (fourth nationally in shooting percentage allowed at the rim, first in shooting percentage allowed in the paint) and one of the better perimeter defenses as well.
They have the size and athleticism to bother sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic on the wing, and they can engulf the undersized Joshua Jefferson inside.
Jaden Bradley — the unlikely Big 12 Player of the Year — is a bulldog defending the point of attack, and his backcourt mate Brayden Burries will be arguably the most talented player on the floor.
Too many weapons and too much size — that’s Arizona in a nutshell.
Iowa State is a great team, but the Clones are a tier below the Wildcats.
Pick: Arizona -4.5 or Better
| |
