Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.
It's the final Saturday of the college basketball regular season. Next Sunday night, hoops fans around the country will have brackets to fill out.
But there's plenty to sort out over the next eight days. Many teams are playing their regular-season finale Saturday, so we'll have a clearer picture of the field following this weekend before the major conference tournaments tip off next week.
Enjoy another loaded Saturday of hoops with our four best bets.
North Carolina @ Duke (-4.5, O/U 151.5)
The greatest rivalry in college ball and clash between the ACC's two best teams has all the makings of a thrilling Saturday evening matchup.
If North Carolina wins, it clinches the outright ACC regular-season championship. If Duke wins, it'll own a share of the title. Since their road loss to the Tar Heels on Feb. 3, the Blue Devils have won eight of nine games and look the part of a national title contender.
UNC lost two of its next three games following its win over Duke and let Miami and NC State hang around in home matchups over the last couple of weeks.
The Tar Heels are more talented and have a daunting defense, but Duke is performing better right now and has the luxury of playing at home, where the Blue Devils are 11-6 against the spread as home favorites. Duke's Kyle Filipowski was limited in the scoring column and on the glass (22 points and five boards) in the first matchup, but it'll be hard for North Carolina to contain him a second time.
Pick: Duke -4.5
Creighton @ Villanova (-1.5, O/U 136.5)
Sometimes desperation and motivation play a huge role in handicapping games. Villanova doesn't necessarily need this win to earn an at-large bid, but it currently sits in the "last four in" category, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi. If Villanova beats Creighton on Saturday at home, it undoubtedly secures its trip to the Big Dance. If it loses, the path gets a little more complicated.
Creighton is an offensive juggernaut but isn't playing for anything important. UConn has already won the Big East regular-season title, so the Bluejays are looking ahead to the postseason.
Since its five-game losing streak earlier this season, Villanova has won four straight home games by an average margin of 27. The Wildcats are 9-5 against the spread at home. Their defense has propelled them to the right side of the bubble.
Villanova proved it could beat Creighton in December when the Wildcats defeated the Bluejays by two in overtime on the road. With motivation on its side, Villanova will earn a season sweep Saturday afternoon.
Pick: Villanova +1.5
UConn @ Providence (+8.5, O/U 138.5)
We'll apply the logic we did above to another Big East home underdog. UConn is waiting for the playoffs and will likely have little interest in their final regular-season contest.
Providence, meanwhile, is desperate. The Friars are on Lunardi's "first four out" line, but a win over the nation's top-ranked team would bolster their resume tremendously heading into the Big East Tournament. Providence is much better at home than on the road. The Friars are 3-0 against the spread as home underdogs.
The Friars battled at UConn in late January, only falling by nine in a road contest. I'm not predicting an upset, but Providence will compete with its season on the line.
Pick: Providence +8.5
Davidson @ Saint Joseph's (-3.5, O/U 139.5)
Saint Joseph's is one win away from finishing .500 in league play, while Davidson is in the basement of the Atlantic 10. Although the Hawks didn't find as much success as expected in conference play after an impressive nonconference showing, they've still been competitive in a deep mid-major conference.
The Hawks have one of the best mid-major home-court atmospheres in the country, which has led to an impressive 13-3 home record. Davidson's offense struggles to consistently score and doesn't have the firepower to keep pace. Davidson has lost four straight, and Saint Joseph's will make it five in resounding fashion to close out the season.
Pick: Saint Joseph's -3.5
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.
