We're just two days away from the NCAA Tournament bracket being revealed.
But before we get to that point, there's plenty of value to be had on the Friday of Champ Week.
Read below for college basketball picks, including tri-state rivalry edges that showcase our daytime NCAAB best bets for Friday, March 13.
College Basketball Picks
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 11:30 p.m. | |
  | 2 p.m. | |
  | 5:30 p.m. | |
| 5:30 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. | ||
George Washington vs. Saint Louis
By Sean Paul
Saint Louis played George Washington just once during the regular season, and it was a nail-biting three-point win for the Billikens.
At that point, Saint Louis was 8-0 in A-10 play, and that was its first sign of struggle. It finished the season winning seven of its final 10 games, but two of the losses were ugly blowouts to Dayton and George Mason.
George Washington is — and has been — an analytical darling all season. The Revs had a nice mix of returning and incoming talent, but I'm not sure I see the vision in them as the 84th-best team in the country. They lost to Loyola Chicago in the season finale and went 8-10 in A-10 play.
Despite a dicey finish, I believe in this Saint Louis team. The mini-break — by virtue of the double bye — allowed star big man Robbie Avila to rest his injured foot. If he's even at 70% of himself, he's a monster.
In the losses to Dayton and George Mason, the Billikens went 5-for-21 and 4-for-26 from 3. So, it makes sense that the final scores were so lopsided.
I expect better shooting here, as Saint Louis is still the second-best shooting team in America at 40.2%.
Five of the top players for Saint Louis shoot better than 39% from deep. Avila is at 41%, Trey Green — the speedy guard — is at 41%, Quentin Jones is at 39% and the big wings — Brady Dunlap and Ishan Sharma — are over 40%.
Where Saint Louis can really hurt George Washington is on the interior. The Revs allow opponents to shoot 53% on 2s, and Saint Louis is 13th (59%) on 2s.
The path for George Washington is getting hotter from deep than Saint Louis. It attempts 3s at a 46% rate and makes 35% of them. Saint Louis will be fine letting Rafael Castro do his interior work, as long as it defends the arc.
Give me the Billikens here.
Pick: Saint Louis -6.5
Prairie View A&M vs. Alabama A&M
On Thursday, I offered a dumpster diving daytime play, and on Friday, I'm going back to it in the SWAC as Prairie View A&M takes on Alabama A&M in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
According to our Action PRO projections, we should expect this one to fly over. At the time of writing, our projections have this line closer to 147 (146.8 to be exact) compared to the 142.5 number that is currently posted.
As seen above, this creates a four-plus-point edge, and is marked as a B+ grade by our PRO system, creating nice value for our daytime top picks.
Pick: Over 142.5
Seton Hall vs. St. John's
St. John’s comes into this matchup with a high-powered offense, averaging 81.9 points per game. Head coach Rick Pitino prefers an up-tempo style built around pushing the ball in transition (averaging 14.3 points per game on the fastbreak, 33rd-best in the nation), which often leads to higher-scoring games.
The Red Storm also average 26.2 free-throw attempts per game, creating valuable “stopped-clock” scoring opportunities that keep the points coming even during cold shooting stretches.
While Seton Hall is typically viewed as a more methodical team, it's found its offensive rhythm lately, averaging 71 points per game over its last five contests and is coming off an impressive 85-point performance against Providence in its Big East Tournament opener.
Recent history also points toward a higher-scoring game. When these teams met on March 6, they combined for 137 points, comfortably clearing the current 132.5 line.
Pick: Over 132.5
Seton Hall vs. St. John's
By Ky McKeon
Seton Hall and St. John’s meet in Madison Square Garden to determine who will face (likely) UConn in the Big East championship. The Pirates have played the Johnnies close twice this season, but they've fallen short both times.
Perhaps the third time is the charm for Shaheen Holloway and Co.
In both meetings, Hall proved it could go toe-to-toe with St. John’s on the glass, dominating the offensive boards. Shooting, however, hasn't been in Seton Hall’s favor, and it went 1-of-11 from deep in the second game between the two just a week ago.
However, Holloway proved he could drag St. John’s into the mud, posting 64 possessions in both games and limiting the Red Storm offense. Both teams boast top-15 defenses in the country, which means variance will be high.
Hall just needs to catch the Johnnies on a cold shooting night and it can pull the upset.
Relentless pounding of the glass and relentless rim attack will be Hall’s only chance on offense on Friday. St. John’s has been excellent defending the cup this season, but it’s vulnerable on the defensive boards.
If the Pirates can play the Johnnies to a stalemate inside, they have just enough backcourt firepower — led by Adam "Budd" Clark and AJ Staton-McCray — to win a high-variance tournament game.
The fact this game is at the Garden doesn’t matter. Seton Hall has proven it can win away from home this season (and is 9-2 ATS on the road), it’s played on this court before and it’s hungry to keep its slim NCAA Tournament chances alive.
The Pirates should play the Johnnies within seven points for a third time this year.
