Courtside Players Club NCAAB 4-5 Units (3/1/25)

NCAAB

5 Picks (17 Units).

12PM EST: UNC -17.5 (3 Units).

Huge number but UNC's 22nd ranked offense is humming and Miami's ranked 334th in defensive rating. Going back, UNC;s scored 96 at FSU, 81 vs the incredibly slow paced Virginia, 97 vs NC State, and 88 at Syracuse. All of those teams fall in the bottom half of the ACC but Miami is at the very bottom. To make matters worse Miami's leading scorer and best player Matthew Cleveland is questionable with an ankle injury after missing each of their last two games. They're fresh off a 37-point loss at home vs Duke. With UNC's next game at Virginia Tech in a few days we don't see them looking past this match-up. They're currently on the outside of the NCAA Tournament looking in too. They need wins and decisive ones will help come selection Sunday.

2PM EST: Kansas -4 (4 Units).

Kansas has had some issues on the road, but they've been lights out at Allen Fieldhouse. They're 13-2 at Home with a shocking loss to WVU but the other was a double overtime loss to Houston. They've won each of their last 3 Home games by double digits and that includes a 17-point win over a very good Iowa State team. Kansas has had some issues offensively at times but Tech's better offensively than they are defensively. Kansas's 5th ranked defense at Home is good enough to stop any high-powered offense. Both teams play through their big man, but we have advantage Kansas in this one. JT Toppin is 6'9, 225. His athleticism will get him some buckets, but Hunter Dickinson is 7'2, 265. It's a significant mismatch and issue down low on both ends of the floor. On top of that Kansas plays elite perimeter defense, ranking 9th in opponent 3-PT %. Tech's also getting banged up at the wrong time, with their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers both listed as questionable.

4PM EST: Tennessee -4 (3 Units).

Offense vs Defense and we're generally always backing defense at Home. The Vols aren't bad offensively either, ranking 25th in offensive rating. They went through a bit of a shooting slump but continued to win games courtesy of their #1 ranked defense. Total contrast in playstyle here as Alabama's 1st in Tempo and Tennessee's 346th. Bama will speed this game up some, but the Vols will bust up their rhythm. Tennessee's won 3 straight games against Alabama, limiting them to 74, 71, and 59 points. Must get hot from behind the Arc if you want to beat this Vols defense and this Alabama team isn't as strong of a perimeter shooting team as you’re used to seeing from the Tide.

4:30PM EST: Cinci/Houston Under 126.5 (4 Units).

Houston is 8th in offensive rating, 3rd in defensive rating, and 361st in pace. Cincinnati is 90th in offensive rating, 25th in defensive rating, and 294th in pace. Going back on the road, Cinci's scored 59 at WVU, 70 at ISU, 93 at UCF, 66 at Utah, 52 at BYU, 68 at Colorado, 48 at Baylor, 67 at Kansas State, and 60 at Villanova. The only elite defensive teams of that bunch are WVU and ISU. Iowa State just plays with pace, especially when their defense is forcing turnovers. Having to go on the road to face arguably the best defense in the country and best defense they'll see this year creates some pretty obvious issues for the Cats. Their defense does travel and will give Houston's offense a run for its money, but this should be a long boring game dominated by Houston. The Cougars have a massive rebounding edge and will be in no hurry offensively here. 3 straight and 6 of the last 7 meetings between these two teams have gone Under.

9PM EST: Iowa State -6 (3 Units).

This is a spot play for a Cyclones team that's going to be hungry for a win coming off back-to-back losses. Losing a closely contested game on the road at Houston isn't a big deal but losing to Oklahoma State their last time out certainly is. Not having their starting PG who's their assists leader and 2nd leading scorer certainly had a lot to do with those 2 losses. He's expected back today and at full strength ISU can beat any team in the country, especially at Home. Iowa State's only other losing spell this season came when they lost Milan Momcilovic for a month. The Forward leads the team shooting 39.6% from deep and works wonders to stretch the floor. ISU lost on the road at Arizona earlier this season without him. They're healthy and fighting to hold the #4 seed for the Big 12 Tournament. A win over Arizona today and there's a shot at the 2 seed. Not to mention the Quad 1 win for NCAA Tournament seeding. A top 4 seed for the Big 12 tournament guarantees a trip to the Quarterfinals and provides a day off for the first 2 days of the tournament.