Saturday College Basketball Best Bets | March 15, 2025

Saturday Conference Tournament Best Bets

With so many games to choose from, I am sticking with two teams in spots that I believe are worth taking. Tennessee faces Auburn, looking to get revenge on the Tigers, while Michigan State aims to hold off Wisconsin, who just got their revenge on UCLA on Friday. Let’s get into these plays.

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Last Month in CBB: 51-49 (-1.76 Units)

Friday’s Card: 0-2 (+1.2 Units)

#4 Tennessee vs #1 Auburn Best Bet

Can Tennessee knock off Auburn Saturday afternoon?

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Call me crazy. Call me stupid. If Auburn wants all the glory of winning a national championship, they need to lose on Saturday. It is tough for me to back Tennessee as a Rick Barnes March fader, but the number is telling me to trust Rick and his squad against the best team in the country.

Taking Auburn at minus four feels almost too easy. I am very high on Auburn—they should cruise to the Final Four in a couple of weeks—but these two teams already played on January 25th. Auburn won by two as 6.5-point favorites. Now, the number is four. The Volunteers’ defense should keep them in this game.

Since February 1st, Tennessee has had a top-20 offense and defense. They have excelled at getting to the line, protecting the basketball, scoring inside, and defending the three. Tennessee will try to slow this game down to avoid a shootout. Auburn, on the other hand, plays at a much faster pace, while Tennessee runs at the 25th slowest tempo in the country.

I think Auburn will coast through this tournament until the Big Dance, as they have not covered a spread since March 1st. They won the SEC last year; they are aiming for something bigger now.

Best Bet: Tennessee +4 (-110) on BetOnline

#5 Wisconsin vs #1 Michigan State Best Bet

How much longer can Michigan State keep this winning streak alive for?

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I may just be overly respecting this Michigan State team, but good lord, it is hard not to back them here. Call me foolish. Call me dumb. As a Michigan State conference tournament winner ticket holder, I am doubling down all the way to the Big Ten finals.

Coming off their win over Oregon on Friday morning, the Spartans now turn their attention to Saturday afternoon against Wisconsin, who just took down UCLA 86-70. The Badgers got their revenge on the Bruins after losing to them on the road earlier this season.

Michigan State already beat Wisconsin on March 2nd, right in the middle of their tough stretch to close the regular season. In that game, they held the three-point-happy Badgers to just three makes on 32 attempts.

Since February 8th, the Spartans have had the fourth-best three-point defense in the country. They will need to step up around the perimeter again, as Wisconsin has the 23rd-highest three-point rate in the nation. During that span, Michigan State has also had the number one overall defense—dominating in rebounding, defending the three, and blocking shots. They have been a joy to watch.

Despite how well Wisconsin has played offensively this season, they have had a relatively easy schedule to close out the year. UCLA was the toughest team they had faced in weeks. They got their revenge—but can they do it again against the hottest team in the country? We will see.

Give me Sparty to win!