We're in the thick of college basketball conference tournament season, and it isn't slowing down.
Six conferences play multiple games on Friday — the Missouri Valley, WCC, Big South, CAA, SoCon and OVC — which means we have six best bets for a game in each one of those conference tournaments. The Summit League also begins its tournament today, but with only one game on the docket, it won't be included in our best bets.
Our action starts with an Arch Madness matchup between Missouri State and Indiana State at 1 p.m. ET, and it rolls all the way until Loyola Marymount and Portland meet in the WCC Tournament at 11:30 p.m. ET.
So, whether you're looking to lay down a wager in the afternoon or stay up all night sweating games on the West Coast, we have you covered.
Read on for all six of our college basketball conference tournament best bets below — and be sure to check back tomorrow for even more NCAAB betting picks.
College Basketball Conference Tournament Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball betting staff is targeting from Friday's conference tournament 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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 1 p.m. | |
  | 2 p.m. | |
  | 5 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 11:30 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. | ||
Missouri State vs. Indiana State
By Sean Paul
The Indiana State Sycamores have a lot to prove this week after winning the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title with a 26-5 record.
After a two-game losing streak that put Indiana State’s at-large chances on life support, it won four straight games by at least 12 points. Now, it'll look to continue that momentum against the Missouri State Bears.
In those four games, the Sycamores scored at least 83 points each time out. That’s a common theme for an outstanding Indiana State squad that posted the nation’s best effective field-goal percentage and ranks top-10 in 3-point shooting percentage.
The one player who could become a March icon is Robbie Avila — the man who dons goggles and has such an elite feel for the game. The 6-foot-10 forward should post another strong performance against the Bears with his outside-in attack in head coach Josh Schertz’s five-out offense.
Missouri State doesn’t have enough offensive firepower to keep pace with the potent Indiana State offense. It’ll be an uphill battle all afternoon for Dana Ford’s Bears.
Pick: Indiana State -9.5 (Play to -10.5)
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William & Mary vs. North Carolina A&T
By Doug Ziefel
The opening game of the CAA Tournament pits the No. 12 and No. 13 seeds together, as William & Mary will take on North Carolina A&T.
While this matchup may not be the most exciting on paper, our angle for this one will show that there's more than what meets the eye.
For William & Mary, it's all about the long ball. The Tribe ranked 15th in the nation this season in 3-point attempt to field-goal attempt ratio. We'll see them unleash a barrage of 3s, and while North Carolina A&T has only been slightly below average in that area defensively, it's the volume that will aid William & Mary.
On the other end of the court, the Aggies will deploy a scheme that's nearly opposite of their opposition. They boast a half-court offense that thrives in the midrange.
North Carolina A&T is a club led by the backcourt of Camian Shell and Landon Glasper. This backcourt duo has supplied the offense, and they should be able to get going against a Tribe defense that ranked 11th in 2-point percentage allowed in conference play.
Both teams have avenues to offensive success in this matchup, but the key here will be the tempo. Neither team prefers to speed it up, but each team allows quick possessions defensively.
With A&T ranking second in average defensive possession length and William & Mary right behind it in fourth, the volume of shots will outweigh the inefficiency.
Take the over.
Pick: Over 138 (Play to 139.5)
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The Citadel vs. Mercer
Although Mercer couldn’t escape the first round by avoiding the bottom four of the SoCon standings, the Bears have been playing much better than their record indicates of late.
The Bears have won four of their last five games entering Friday’s SoCon Tournament opener. Their wins throughout conference play are pretty impressive, including season sweeps of both UNC Greensboro and defending league champion Furman. Plus, they own a recent win over No. 1 seed Samford.
Head coach Greg Gary’s team is led by experienced frontcourt leader Jalyn McCreary. McCreary is in the midst of his fifth college season, beginning his career at South Carolina and South Florida before making his way to Macon, Georgia.
McCreary has been impressive in all five games during Mercer’s aforementioned uptick, including a 25-point performance in his team’s win over The Citadel on Feb. 21.
One of Mercer’s issues in losing efforts throughout the year has been free-throw disparity. Mercer fouls its opponent at a high rate and doesn't draw fouls to earn its own free-throw opportunities often enough. The Bears rank 332nd nationally in free-throw rate and 334th in free-throw percentage.
Gary has been vocal in challenging the toughness of his team given the fact they don’t get to the stripe often — and then often fail to convert even when they do.
However, The Citadel simply isn’t the team equipped to take advantage of Mercer’s lack of physicality. The Bulldogs have only one player listed at 6-foot-10 or taller and don’t play through the post or rebound at a high level.
Moreover, The Citadel has managed only three wins since the calendar turned to 2024 and lacks any positive momentum.
I’m trusting Mercer and the Bears to cover this short spread and potentially be a tough out in the next round.
Pick: Mercer -3 (Play to -4)
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Western Illinois vs. Little Rock
By Sean Paul
Little Rock won nine consecutive games entering the OVC Tournament, including five straight wins by double digits.
We’ll see a meeting of contrasting styles here, as Little Rock deploys the 97th-fastest tempo in the sport, while Western Illinois enters as one of the slower-paced teams.
We saw last night how Western Illinois wants to win — a low-scoring slog. If this game becomes a shootout, the Leathernecks stand no chance.
Little Rock will be in a great spot if dominant scorers KK Robinson and Jamir Chaplin can score it consistently. Both average over 14 points per game.
Very few OVC foes have a true matchup for WIU defensive menace Drew Cisse, but I’d argue Makhel Mitchell could combat that dominant defense. Mitchell has been on fire of late, scoring in double figures in five straight with three double-doubles.
All of the matchups weigh in Little Rock’s favor, and I see them scooting comfortably into the OVC Championship game.
Pick: Little Rock -4.5 (Play to -5)
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Presbyterian vs. Gardner-Webb
By Jim Root
First, we must quickly pour one out for Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, the former host of the Big South Tournament. Instead, the event will take place at High Point’s brand-spankin’ new Qubein Arena. This new venue is a slightly smaller one with better shooting backgrounds.
Still, the under has some appeal here.
One key reason is the possible absence of Presbyterian leading scorer Marquis Barnett. He was conspicuously missing from the Blue Hose lineup in a narrow season-ending Senior Day win over Charleston Southern.
Barnett’s presence — or lack thereof — is a double boost to the under, per CBB Analytics. Not only is Presbyterian’s offense 5.8 points worse per 100 possessions without him, but the defense is also 5.1 points better when he sits. That net swing of nearly 11 points could be pivotal.
Even if he plays, Gardner-Webb’s defense should be an asset to this wager. A top-three unit in the conference, the Runnin’ Bulldogs do an outstanding job of taking away the rim — a problem for shooting-deficient Presbyterian.
The biggest concern for this total would be a free-throw fest. Both offenses rely on the charity stripe, and both defenses foul quite a bit. Ideally, the officials will let some postseason physicality go. Plus, both teams rank in the bottom 30 nationally in free-throw percentage.
Pick: Under 143.5 (Play to 142)
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Loyola Marymount vs. Portland
By John Feltman
A late-night matchup between two mediocre-at-best basketball teams? Say no more.
The Loyola Marymount Lions and Portland Pilots face off in the quarterfinals of the WCC Tournament, and both teams are trending in the right direction offensively.
If you take a look at their overall metrics, neither team finished higher than seventh in the conference in offensive efficiency. However, EvanMiya suggests that these two offenses have seen an uptick over the past 30 days.
The data also shows that the Lions have regressed massively on the defensive side of the ball, so there's reason to believe the Pilots offense will see a bump.
Portland enters this game as one of the worst defensive teams in the entire country, ranking 355th in adjusted defensive efficiency. That spells trouble against a Loyola team that ranked third in the WCC in 3-point percentage and in the top half of the country in 3-point attempts per game.
The Lions are strong enough offensively to carry the bulk of the socring, and the Pilots are due for positive offensive regression from 3-point land. KenPom has this total at 147, so we're getting a few points of value from the market.
I’ll happily watch the total fly over here.
Pick: Over 143.5 (Play to 145)
