Lace 'em up: College basketball picks & predictions for 2025.
So you love college basketball. Now you’ve decided to put your money where your passion lies and "make things interesting.”
The passion of NCAA college basketball is second to none, and fans are fiercely loyal to their teams. Having attended a pair of Division I schools (University of Colorado and Northwestern University), I understand what it's like to get caught up in the joy of rooting for your favorite teams—beer in hand, cheering for a missed free throw.
But I also know that with such fierce loyalties, novice bettors can sometimes break one of my cardinal sports betting rules: never bet with your heart; always bet with your head.
Taking yourself out of your college basketball allegiances and making the correct call can be hard.
That’s where I come in.
I use raw data, statistics, and an understanding of human nature to make my picks and predicitons. You can leave your emotions at the door and leave the tough calls to me.
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Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors
Golden State seems to do this every round, that is give the opponent a win in an otherwise lopsided series before putting them away the next time out with relative ease. Look for that trend to continue as the Warriors go for another Gentleman's Sweep after losing 119-109 on Tuesday when Luke Doncic scored 30 points for the desperate Mavericks.
It snapped a nine-game winning streak in Western Conference finals games for Golden State and now it goes home where the Warriors have covered nine of their past 11 games. Dallas is 1-5 ATS its last six road games and 9-4 OVER its past 13 on the road and 12-5 OVER overall against teams with winning records.
Game 4 went OVER by 12 points as the teams combined to shoot nearly 50-percent overall. 14 of the past 20 meetings have soared OVER. Golden State lost to Memphis by 39 points in Game 5 when leading 3-1 in the conference semifinals and then blew out the Grizzlies in Game 6.
Look for a similar result tonight. Play the Warriors to cover, and take the OVER.
Why use free NCAA basketball picks from a pro handicapper?
I've been handicapping college basketball games for 24 years. During that time, I've built a database of 752 individual data points on each of 0 college basketball games played.
Using these stats, I've made 15,606 premium college hoops picks in my career. Want to benefit from that experience? Sign up for my free premium picks.
I have the systems, time, and expertise to analyze all of the games to find the diamonds in the rough. With over 100 NCAAB games to analyze on some Saturdays, relying on a professional like me can help you win more bets.
Want expert advice? Sign up for my free picks or get one of my premium college basketball pick packages.
Prefer to do it yourself? Check out my free How to Win at Sports Betting series.
Is there any betting value in free picks?
The short answer is yes. But not all free picks delivered by handicappers are created equal. Some release free picks that they wouldn't also send to their paying clients because they aren't backed by the same rigorous analysis.
The free picks I provide are actually a sample of my premium picks. So, by signing up to receive my free college picks, you are getting a sample of my best bets. There's no better risk-free way to get college basketball free picks and predictions against the spread.
Why do I give college basketball picks for free?
I provide NCAAB predictions for free as a way to let you see the potential of how you can win with my premium picks. My goal is to convince you, through free picks, to sign up for one of my premium NCAAB betting packages.
Wunderdog Free College Basketball Picks & Predictions
By signing up for free advice on college basketball handicapping, you get my ATS picks, game analysis, and insights, including statistics, power ratings, trends, momentum, and player injury reports. I even give access to how-to guides for betting against the spread, moneyline, and over/under selections (totals).
I deliver high-quality, concise NCAA basketball picks from Midnight Madness to the Final Four. One factor that often gets overlooked in college hoops games is the time of the year when the games are played. Through years of experience and research, I help you make the best selections throughout the season, as player and coach intensity varies from the college hoops regular season, conference play, and, of course, the NCAA Tournament, NIT, and all other postseason action.
College Basketball Betting Philosophy
One of the unique characteristics of college basketball is the vast number of teams and new players every season. There are over 350 Division I basketball programs, and the turnover in players each year is massive. Trying to stay on top of that change without a system is impossible. I utilize algorithms and heuristics that allow me to predict winners without knowing every player on every team.
Team statistics, lines, and line movement tell us a lot about college basketball. Given the age of NCAAB players, coaching also plays a massive role in making college picks and predictions.
College Basketball Predictions Track Record
The college basketball season starts under the radar for many bettors. The NFL and college football are in midseason form, and the NBA draws a lot of attention from casual hoopsters. It's times like these that I like to dig deep into my CBB data sets and find the hidden gems that consistently produce early season profits, padding my bankroll for a ride toward the Madness.
Take 2023, for example. In the first month of the season, I posted an average of 7.1 picks per day and hit 58% on my way to a +$11,670 bankroll gain.
Max Plays, which are 224-166 (57%) over the past two seasons, continue to exploit weak numbers from the book as the rest of the college basketball betting world sleeps on early value plays.
When March Madness finally hits, I've got you covered with premium picks daily, shooting for epic seasons like 2019 (one of my best), where dime bettors finished 64-45 (59%) for a net bankroll gain of +$18,400.
My first-round bracket picks are 307-109 (74%) over the past 13 years of the tournament, and I provide complete coverage from the first four right through the finals.
There is no better place for premium CBB. You can check here for my past picks since 2003 (over 2,000 plays).
Past CBB Premium Picks
Florida vs. Houston
8:50 PM ET
Central Florida vs. Nebraska
5:30 PM ET
Houston vs. Duke
9:28 PM ET
Free College Basketball Picks I Provide
Here are the types of free college basketball picks you can expect from me:
Underdog College Basketball Picks
I didn't choose my company name, Wunderdog, randomly. I picked it because, on average, college basketball underdogs offer the most value. It's easy to back the best teams in the country week after week. But that will lead to losses at the betting window. The sportsbooks make you pay a price to back college basketball's top teams, especially those ranked in the Top 10. I look for value on underrated underdogs.
College Basketball Consensus Picks
My college basketball consensus picks are driven by what is happening in the basketball betting market. An essential part of handicapping your NCAAB picks is to account for where the money is going. Pay attention to the teams getting the most betting action from the public. There may be good reasons, but it may also make sense to fade those teams.
Free College Basketball Computer Picks
Check out my free NCAA basketball computer picks for a leg-up on starting your handicapping. While using computer picks blindly isn't wise because we need to consider factors outside of raw statistics, they offer a starting point on the relative statistical strengths of the teams. They can also highlight games where the market price differs from the raw statistics, providing direction on which games deserve a closer look.
Free Computer Picks vs. Free Premium Picks
Again, free computer picks are a good starting point, but to get the best free college basketball expert picks, use my free picks. My free premium picks use stats and other fundamental factors such as motivation, coaching, and hundreds of situational betting trends. Free premium picks are your best bet to win.
College Basketball Picks Against the Spread
If you're looking for CBB expert picks against the spread, my premium picks are the answer. I focus primarily on ATS picks. College basketball matchups often feature big mismatches. The spread is a way to equalize the game enough to allow you to bet on either team.
College Basketball Moneyline Picks
I also provide college basketball moneyline picks, which are bets that have no spread. When betting the moneyline, we're simply picking which team will win, regardless of the spread. This allows us to back favorites without having to lay points or to bet underdogs at positive odds.
College Basketball Over/Under Picks
The totals market in NCAAB offers some of the best betting opportunities. Why? Because there are so many teams and obscure matchups. Oddsmakers can find it difficult to correctly predict how many points will be scored in games with a team (or both) that they don't follow closely. My premium college hoops package includes college basketball over/under picks.
College Basketball Daily Picks
The college basketball season includes preseason tournaments, non-conference play, conference play, tournaments, and of course March Madness and The Final Four. This provides for over five months of daily CBB picks. I provide premium picks every single day throughout the college basketball season.
College Basketball Parlay Picks
Who doesn't love parlays? I know parlays are an attractive bet type, but be careful with them. The vig on NCAAB parlays is very high (three times higher than on straight bets). So resist the temptation to go hog wild with parlays. My Parlay Club includes selective college basketball favorites, the only way I recommend betting parlays.
College Basketball Tournament Picks
Speaking of the postseason, it goes without saying that betting on the NCAA Tournament is huge. When it comes to the Final Four, very few other sporting events can captivate the entire country's attention as everyone jockeys to fill out their brackets. For most people, navigating through a 64-team tournament field can be daunting, if not impossible, to make heads or tails of—so let me do it for you! Every season, I release a completed tournament bracket that you can use for all of your office pools and “friendly” competitions. I employ the same dedication to research to make my bracket selections as my daily picks, so let me be your secret weapon when it comes to tournament time.
March Madness Picks
College basketball is one of the most exciting sports in the world to watch, especially when the calendar flips to March. While most people are concerned with trying to piece together the perfect bracket, March, for me, is about winning bets.
My March Madness picks provide spread, moneyline and total predicitions on the key tournament matchups. There's nothing like the NCAA tournament in terms of excitement and betting action and my premium picks subscribers get hundreds of picks to bet on throughout the tournament.
Tools for College Basketball Betting
While my free premium picks will give you the best chance to win, I realize you may want to do it yourself.
Here are some of the free tools I provide to help you with your NCAA handicapping.
Consensus Data
Knowing who the betting public favors can help you by knowing whether your hunch is something others agree with.
A popular betting strategy is to “fade the public” by going the opposite way of the masses. While this doesn’t work blindly, it can be helpful at times.
Check out my college basketball consensus data
Lines and Odds
My college basketball lines and odds give you all the data you need for full-game, first-quarter, and first-half betting, including spreads, moneylines, and totals. I have all of the lines and odds for the regular season through the National Championship game.
College Basketball Resources
I have three main influences I incorporate when selecting the spread in my college basketball picks. Measurable evidence in historical data, ATS trend data and the "sniff test".
Wunderdog Sports Picks is an excellent long-term investment, and I want you to know how much you can expect to win vs. other investment opportunities.
Thirsty for more sports betting information? Check out the Dog Pound, an extensive resource for all my sports gambling articles and advice.
Sign up here for your go to source for March Madness picks. March Madness is one of the most exciting months of the year so don't miss out on your chance to get in the action.
A guide to help you in filling out your March Madness/Final Four brackets and an excellent source for March Madness Bracket Predictions.
Access all of my previous college basketball premium predictions. Win or lose - I give you visibility to all past picks, including my in-depth analysis.
Check out my computer predictions and analysis on all upcoming college games.
Real-time lines and odds for all upcoming college basketball games. Check out the spreads, totals, and moneyline odds.
If you want to know how the public is betting, this is your page! A collective source for public consensus information on all upcoming college basketball games.
Purchase a premium CBB picks package and get access to my daily picks, detailed write-ups, game information, and top-of-the-line customer service.
My free video series, "How to Win at Sports Betting," is the ultimate guide for bettors of all experience levels. Learn about bankroll management, how to find winning picks, and other vital factors to help you become a winning College Basketball bettor.
Exclusive College Basketball betting videos I've posted throughout the past couple of years to help give you an inside edge against the bookmaker.
I get it. You're hesitant to invest in a sports betting service. That's why my picks packages are backed by an ironclad guarantee. My picks will win for you, or you'll automatically get an equivalent subscription for free until they do. No strings attached.
Updated CBB scoreboard with consensus betting data, plus current/closing odds for each matchup.
College Basketball Betting FAQ
What are the best sites for free and expert college basketball picks?
While many websites offer free college basketball picks, quality matters more than quantity. Some popular options novices use include ESPN, CBS Sports, and Bleacher Report. But never use these for gambling purposes. These are entertainment sites, and while they are good at that, they are very poor at sports handicapping. Instead, use my free premium picks and paid premium picks.
What does ATS mean in college basketball?
ATS stands for Against the Spread. When you see ATS in college basketball, it refers to betting on whether a team will cover the point spread set by oddsmakers. For example, if a team is favored by 5 points and you bet on them to cover the spread, they would need to win by more than 5 points for you to win your bet.
How do I bet on college basketball?
You can visit a sportsbook or use an online betting platform to bet on college basketball. First, you'll need to create an account and deposit funds but always look for the best betting promos. Then, you can browse the available games and betting options, such as moneyline bets, point spreads, and over/under totals. Choose your desired bet, enter the amount you want to wager, and confirm your bet before the game starts.
What is March Madness in college basketball?
March Madness is the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament nickname. It is a single-elimination tournament held every spring to determine the national college basketball champion. The tournament features 68 teams from various conferences competing in a series of games until the final winner is crowned.
What are the best bets in college basketball?
The best bets in college basketball are subjective and can vary from game to game. It depends on team performance, player injuries, and betting odds. Some popular types of bets in college basketball include point spreads, moneyline bets, and over/under totals. Doing your research and analyzing the statistics before placing your bets is recommended.
Can you explain moneyline betting in college basketball?
Moneyline betting in college basketball is a straightforward type of wager where you pick the team you think will win the game. Unlike point spread betting, moneyline bets do not involve a margin of victory. Each team is assigned odds based on their likelihood of winning, and you'll either win or lose your bet, depending on the game's outcome.
How do college basketball picks against the spread work?
College basketball picks against the spread involve predicting whether a team will cover the point spread set by oddsmakers. If a certain number of points favors a team, they need to win by more than that margin for the bet on them to be successful. On the other hand, if a team is an underdog, they can either win the game outright or lose by fewer points than the spread to cover the bet.
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