NCAA Basketball Picks: Tonight’s 2 Biggest Spread Edges

NCAA Basketball Picks: Tonight’s 2 Biggest Spread Edges article feature image
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Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images. PIctured: Head coach Ritchie McKay of the Liberty Flames reacts to a call

  • Thursday's smartest NCAA basketball picks, according to the Action Network's College Basketball PRO Projections, come from non-power-conference games.
  • Check out the picks in Niagara vs. Marist (6:30 p.m. ET) and UTEP vs. Liberty (6:30 p.m. ET).

Thursday is a huge day for NCAA basketball fans and bettors as the top conference tournament seeds are finally in action.

Casual bettors are very likely to gravitate toward top-25 teams and high-profile conferences, even if they're not providing tonight's smartest NCAA basketball picks.

Yes, value can come from anywhere, and according to the Action Network's College Basketball PRO Projections, it's Niagara vs. Marist (6:30 p.m. ET) and UTEP vs. Liberty (6:30 p.m. ET) offering Thursday's biggest betting model.

Below we detail where the spread value lies for these two Thursday NCAA basketball picks.

NCAA Basketball Picks Tonight

*NCAA basketball odds as of Thursday morning

Niagara vs. Marist Pick

6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+

The biggest betting model edge of Thursday's NCAA basketball slate comes via Niagara vs. Marist in the MAAC Conference Tournament.

The Purple Eagles are 1.5-point favorites against the Red Foxes as of the time of writing.