After an appetizer of high major conference tournament action on Tuesday, we have a full serving on Wednesday with the start of the Big Ten Tournament as well as the continuation of the ACC Tournament.
There is plenty of neutral site action, and we have two plays for you from the SI Betting team across two of the biggest tournaments of the week, including a pair of bubble teams in North Carolina and Ohio State each looking to avoid potential elimination from the field on Wednesday in early round action.
Here’s our betting preview for two games on Wednesday.
Best College Basketball Picks Today, March 12th
- North Carolina vs. Notre Dame OVER 145.5
- Iowa vs. Ohio State (-5.5)
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
North Carolina vs. Notre Dame Prediction and Pick
Notre Dame’s offense struggled mightily in its first round matchup against Pitt, scoring only 55 points to advance past the Panthers.
However, I’m going to bet the over in this matchup against North Carolina after the Fighting Irish found success against the Tar Heels leaky defense already this season and a matchup that should feature more possessions than a typical Notre Dame game.
ND has struggled to limit transition offenses all season, which should suit the Tar Heels nicely, who play at the second fastest tempo in ACC play, per KenPom.
However, the Tar Heels' defense remains a concern, and I prefer to trust the Fighting Irish offense to find its rhythm in Charlotte. The KenPom projection is 153, but given the team’s shaky performance in the first round is down to 145.5.
I’m going to play back against it and go over with North Carolina’s pace sending it over the total. – Reed Wallach
PICK: OVER 145.5
Iowa vs. Ohio State Prediction and Pick
These teams are very similar in KenPom’s rankings on the offensive end – Iowa is 23rd in adjusted offensive efficiency and Ohio State is 31st – but the big difference comes on the defensive end of the floor.
The Hawkeyes are outside the top 150 in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing 79.2 points per game – good for 341st in the country.
The Buckeyes, on the other hand, are a top 50 team in adjusted defensive efficiency and are holding opponents to just 42.5 percent shooting from the field. The matchup between these teams earlier this year was played at Ohio State, so there was a Buckeye advantage, but Iowa was blown out by 17 and allowed 52 second-half points.
Both of these teams can really score the ball, but at the end of the day I don’t trust Iowa to get enough stops to pull off the upset. The Buckeyes, who have a ton of former top-100 recruits on their roster, should be able to cover and improve their case on the bubble ahead of the NCAA Tournament. – Peter Dewey
PICK: Ohio State -5.5
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Best College Basketball Picks and Predictions Today (How to Bet Conference Tournament Games).