The final day of college basketball's Feast Week is here, as the Players Era Festival closes its event with four games.
We have three matchups with betting value spotlighted for Saturday, including the Players Era Festival championship game.
So, without further ado, here's college basketball best bets, including three picks and predictions for Saturday's games.
College Basketball Best Bets
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 2 p.m. | |
  | 3:30 p.m. | |
  | 9:30 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. | ||
LIU vs. Binghamton
I think Saturday is when Binghamton snags its first win of the season.
My handicap is straightforward.
These are two downhill-driving, rim-reliant offenses. But while the Sharks have among the nation’s worst rim defenses, the Bearcats can somewhat defend down there, which will ultimately be the difference.
Both teams allow around 21 at-the-rim field-goal attempts per game. Binghamton has held opponents to 56% shooting on those attempts (82nd percentile among D-I teams), while LIU has allowed opponents to shoot 65% (35th percentile).
Moreover, Binghamton’s numbers in that category are a tad inflated from games against Penn State and Miami — those two dropped a combined 72 paint points on the Bearcats. But they have looked much better against lesser competition, holding Fordham and Central Connecticut State to 20 paint points each.
Meanwhile, LIU’s interior defense seems to regress with each passing performance. The Sharks recently allowed 50 paint points to Winthrop and 42 to Cal Baptist.
The difference between these two lies in personnel.
The Sharks are tiny in the frontcourt, often running 6-foot-5 Jamal Fuller as a small-ball five.
The Bearcats at least have two 6-foot-8 lads in Gavin Walsh and Ben Callahan-Gold roaming the paint. And, of greater importance, Tymu Chenery and Evan Ashe are athletic wings who combine to block 2.4 shots per game as paint-swarming scrambling defenders.
The Sharks don’t have wings that can replicate that rim-protection-by-committee production.
Also, from a more schematic point of view, Binghamton can space the floor better with Callahan-Gold — who has been a gem of a D-II portal grab for Levell Sanders — knocking down 39% of his 3s.
That will allow better lanes for the Bearcats' cut-heavy approach, and they should have no issue against LIU’s sketchy cut-denial defense (1.22 cutting PPP allowed, 38th percentile).
Meanwhile, the Sharks have zero shooters on the squad, ranking 323rd nationally in 3-point attempt rate. They prefer to play isolation hero ball with Malachi Davis and Brent Davis driving downhill into crowded lanes, which likely won’t work against Binghamton’s above-average isolation defense (.93 ISO PPP allowed, 71st percentile).
Finally, this is a solid bounce-back spot for Binghamton after Friday’s devastating late-game loss against Niagara.
I hope Sanders — a well-respected coach — will get his guys hyper-motivated after that brutal defeat.
Also, Niagara is an excellent rim and cut-denial defense that matched up well with Binghamton’s cut-heavy, rim-pressure approach, holding the Bearcats to 11-for-24 (46%) 2-point shooting.
My ‘Cats should have a much easier time against LIU.
Meanwhile, the Sharks played a Lafayette team yesterday with a brutal at-the-rim defense (allow 65% shooting on at the rim on 24 attempts per game) yet shot 15-for-38 (39%) from 2-point range.
LIU should struggle with this “step-up” in competition.
I’m banking on the Chenery, Ashe, Walsh, Callahan-Gold Law Firm battering the Sharks down low for 40 minutes.
Pick: Binghamton ML -102
Texas A&M vs. Rutgers
Earlier in the week, I wrote up why I liked Texas A&M against Creighton and ultimately, I got a cover out of it. I'm going back to the well on Saturday.
Rutgers has been impressive in its first two games in the Players Era Festival, but this is a team that is still very reliant on its star freshmen Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey.
I believe the physicality of the Aggies will be the difference in this game, as Texas A&M should feast on the offensive boards, which will lead to plenty of easy buckets.
The youth of the Scarlet Knights is apparent on the defensive end, where they rank outside the top 80 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency. Alabama got whatever it wanted on Wednesday night, scoring 95 points in the victory.
Wade Taylor IV and Zhuric Phelps should be able to get into the lane and make plays, either by scoring it or dumping it off to the plethora of Aggie bigs for easy layups.
Rutgers should score its fair share of points, but I expect the depth and toughness of the more experienced Aggies to be the difference in this one.
Give me A&M to win and cover in Vegas on Saturday.
Pick: Texas A&M -4.5 (Play to -5)
Oregon vs. Alabama
By Sean Paul
I don’t think Oregon is truly built to win a track meet, which is the style Alabama thrives at. The Ducks play at the 172nd-fastest tempo in the country and have scored 85+ points just once in seven games.
Conversely, Alabama has clocked in five such performances this year. Dana Altman wants this game in the 70-80 point range.
Oregon’s rotation only goes about eight players deep — since Mookie Cook and Ra’Heim Moss barely play. That bodes even more in the favor of Oregon needing a slower-paced contest to battle the depth and talent Alabama has to offer.
I’d argue that the interior is Alabama’s biggest advantage here. The rotation of defensive bigs — Clifford Omoruyi, Derrion Reid, Mouhamed Dioubate and Jarin Stevenson — could use their length to stifle Brandon Angel and Nate Bittle.
Angel and Bittle are more finesse, skilled offensive bigs, and nothing will come easy against Alabama’s forwards.
The game script here feels like Alabama gets up early and Oregon doesn’t have the weapons to fight back.
The Ducks defend the 3-point arc pretty well — holding opponents to 29% from 3 — but opponents shoot 3s 42% of the time.
That won’t bode well against Alabama.
The Tide enter as 5.5-point favorites, and I was willing to take it up to six.
So, I’ll be fine laying 5.5 points with this potent offense.
Pick: Alabama -5.5 (Play to -6)
