Courtside Players Club NCAAB 4-5 Units (3/20/25)

NCAAB

5 Picks (17 Units).

12:15PM: Louisville -2.5 (4 Units)

Creighton failed to replace Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander from last year. Those were two guys who could go and get their own buckets. This Creighton team really lacks that elite individual scorer and their offense struggles because of it. They haven't faced too many elite defenses, but they've struggled every time. Louisville is 29th in offensive rating and 21st in defensive rating. It was elite defensive play that paved the way for 11 straight wins before ultimately losing to Duke in the ACC Championship game. They battled against Duke and with Cooper Flagg or not that's as talented a College Basketball team as it gets. Creighton had a down year in a Big East Conference that's had a weaker year. Louisville also has a pair of big 6'11 bodies they can throw at the 7'1 Kalkbrenner to slow him down.

1:30PM EST: Montana/Wisconsin Over 151.5 (3 Units).

The numbers a little too juicy to lay on Wisconsin but we really like the Badgers offense to cruise. Wisconsin cooled off against Michigan in the Big 10 Championship game but playing 4 games in 4 days will do that. They were rolling against elite defenses going into that. With 3 full days off those legs should be feeling just fine. These teams play with average pace but the Badgers ability to cut through a Montana defense that's 252nd in defensive rating will help speed this game up. On the other hand, Montana plays sound offensively and has plenty of capable shooters. The bump in competition will likely cause some issues getting open looks but we don't need great efficiency here. They're 17th in 2-PT FG % and 55th in 3-PT %. If this is a closely contested game that means Montana's offense is playing well. If Wisconsin jumps out to this massive lead, their defense will get a bit lax, and their backups will play extended minutes. Either way we see Montana's offense doing enough to drive this over.

6:50PM EST: Wofford/Tennessee Under 134.5 (3 Units).

Tennessee is 346th in Pace and Wofford's 333rd. Tennessee's offense likely cuts through Wofford's defense early but Wofford's in for a lot of long empty possessions against the Vols 3rd ranked defense. The Vols will also be in no rush as they inevitably lead big in the 2nd half. Tennessee's program is all about defense and their back-ups will cause Wofford’s offense fits just like their starters. Tennessee's offense will take a bit of a hit when starters get pulled. They’ll put an emphasis on running their regular slow paced offensive sets for quality reps too. This game’s going to grind to a halt at some point and we see it happening early enough that it stays Under.

7:10PM EST: Kansas -4.5 (3 Units).

It's hard to beat and score on Kansas if you can't threaten from the perimeter. Arkansas is 201st in 3-PT % and Kansas is 35th in opponent 3-PT %. Trying to make a living scoring at the Rim with the 7'2 Hunter Dickinson protecting it is just not easy. Kansas's struggles this season have come away from Home. This isn't a home game, but it's a neutral site game that's going to be dominated by Kansas fans. Really helps the defensive intensity and Kansas has the 11th best defense in the Country. Arkansas is only 78th in offensive rating and they're 258th in offensive rebounding %. Kansas's offense isn't as potent as years past, but Hunter Dickinson is a walking bucket and they're shooting 43% from deep over their last 3 games. Don't see Arkansas having enough offensive success in this game. There's an even coaching match-up in this game but the tournament and big game experience all falls heavily Kansas’s way.

7:25PM EST: Yale/Texas A&M Under 139.5 (4 Units).

Texas A&M is 44th in offensive rating and 7th in defensive rating. The reason they're so high in offensive rating is because they lead the nation in offensive rebounding % and 2nd chance points. They are wildly inefficient on offense, ranking 315th in FG%. Yale isn't exactly elite defensively but they're fundamentally sound, ranking 21st in defensive rebounding %. A&M operates below league average in Pace and Yale's right at league average. Against the 7th best defense, Yale's possessions are going to go late into the shot clock. It's not going to be easy to get a clean look and they certainly don’t have the athletes to create shots. Yale is 18th in turnovers per possession so we trust them to hold onto that ball late into the clock. A&M's 7th ranked defense is "only" 58th in opponent turnovers per possession too. The Aggies offensive SOS also ranks 5th so they've shut down much better offenses than Yale all season long. Yale doesn't need to completely keep A&M off the offensive glass, just limit it. It's what these Ivy League teams do well. They don't have the athletes, but they play fundamentally sound basketball.