Best College Basketball Picks Today: Can Michigan Return to Form Offensively Against Rutgers?

Two ranked bouts highlight Thursday night’s college basketball slate: Rutgers versus No. 15 Michigan and No. 23 Saint Mary’s versus LMU.

Which teams will find a win late in the conference season?

Read below for our best college basketball picks today to find out!

Rutgers @ No. 15 Michigan Odds

Find the latest odds for the Rutgers vs Michigan NCAAM matchup in the table below. Click the odds and bet on your favorites at some of the best sportsbooks available today!

PICK: Rutgers +10.5 (-105) at FanDuel

Michigan’s turnover issues concern me. 

When Rutgers hosted Michigan earlier this season, the Wolverines committed 17 turnovers, allowing the Scarlet Knights, who shot merely 32.8% from the field and 27.8% from 3-point land, to stay within one possession.

The Wolverines also allowed Rutgers to secure 15 offensive rebounds compared to their five, a frightening differential.

Sure, this game was at The RAC, which is a notoriously difficult place to grab a win as a road team; however, the Scarlet Knights were also without star guard Dylan Harper.

And Harper will be back on Thursday night.

I expect Michigan to win, but I doubt the Wolverines will win by more than 10 points.

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Rutgers Prediction

Despite having two players who will likely be selected in the top three of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights have not had much success this season.

Rutgers boasts merely a 7-10 record in conference play and will be boxed out of the NCAA Tournament, barring a Big Ten Tournament win. We have seen stranger things happen as recently as last season with NC State, though.

While the Scarlet Knights have been highly reliant on Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey for offense, their main issue has been on the defensive end of the floor, where they rank 115th in adjusted defensive efficiency (KenPom).

Michigan Prediction

A home loss to the Michigan State Spartans just under one week ago has made the Wolverines’ goal of a Big Ten regular season title more challenging but far from impossible.

Michigan has four games left, including this bout against Rutgers. Three of those games are on its home floor. Every game will be paramount since the Spartans currently hold the tiebreaker.

The Wolverines are fresh off a momentum-building road win against Nebraska. Although offensively, nothing went right, the Wolverines held the Huskers to 46 points on 25.8% shooting from the field.

Michigan will need another strong defensive performance tonight, as the Scarlet Knights nearly knocked them off the last time these two teams played.

No. 23 Saint Mary's @ LMU Odds

Check out the latest odds for the Saint Mary's vs LMU clash listed below. Click the odds and bet at some of the best NCAAM betting sites available today!

PICK: LMU +12.5 (-106) at FanDuel

Loyola Marymount doesn’t do many things on the court at a high level; however, the Lions do a tremendous job protecting and valuing the basketball.

They rank first nationally in turnovers per game over their past three outings, which will be the key to keeping this game against a stout Saint Mary’s defense (ninth in adjusted defensive efficiency) within relative striking distance.

At this point, the Gaels have little to play for as they have locked up the West Coast Conference regular-season title and the top seed in the West Coast Conference Tournament.

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Saint Mary's Prediction

With Gonzaga having such an uncharacteristically poor (relative) year, the Saint Mary’s Gaels have simply coasted to a West Coast Conference regular season title.

Due to their top-ten defense, the Gaels currently rank 23rd in the country in the AP Poll and 18th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin.

On the other end of the floor, Saint Mary’s relies heavily on Augustas Marciulionis for scoring and playmaking. He averages just shy of 15 points and seven assists per game this season.

The Gaels are an elite rebounding team (fourth in total rebounding rate) and never beat themselves (17th in turnovers per game). 

LMU Prediction

Loyola Marymount has been a middle-of-the-road West Coast Conference team this season, boasting an 8-9 conference record. The only notable WCC win was a narrow home victory over Santa Clara.

The Lions rely almost entirely on their defense to keep games close. They have a fringe top-100 defense (adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom).

Offensively, Loyola Marymount does a solid job of protecting the basketball (55th in turnovers per game), but its 3-point shooting has been an Achilles’ heel during its 2024-25 campaign.