College Basketball Picks Today: Can Saint Mary’s Knock Off The Tournament’s Second No. 2 Seed?

While Thursday and Friday were pretty tame, with the favorites mainly taking care of business, the first day of the Round of 32 had a massive upset, as Arkansas beat St. John’s by a score of 75-66.

Could we see another No. 2 seed fall on Sunday when the Saint Mary’s Gaels battle the Alabama Crimson Tide?

Find our best college basketball picks below for Saint Mary’s vs. Alabama and Colorado State vs. Maryland!

The following odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Place a $5 wager at FanDuel Sportsbook and receive $200 in bonus bets if your bet wins.

No. 7 Saint Mary’s @ No. 2 Alabama Odds

• Date: Sunday, March 23

• Time: 6:10 pm EST

• Moneyline: Saint Mary's +188 | Alabama -230

• Spread: Saint Mary's +5.5 (-110) | Alabama -5.5 (-110)

• Total: Over 148.5 (-115) | Under 148.5 (-105)

All odds are available via FanDuel Sportsbook but are subject to change.

PICK: Under 148.5 (-105) at FanDuel

This is the first and only time we will see a point total this low for an Alabama game; however, we still believe this game will be relatively low-scoring.

According to KenPom, Saint Mary’s is one of the slowest teams in the country, ranking 349th in adjusted tempo. 

The Gaels impose their style of play on all opponents, including teams like Gonzaga, which is known for always controlling the pace.

The Bulldogs failed to score over 60 points in two of their three matchups with Saint Mary’s this season.

Alabama is a slightly faster team than the ‘Zags, but the point remains: the Gaels slow the game to a screeching halt.

Saint Mary’s has a 12-20-1 over record this season and should have no problem keeping this one under 149 points.

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Saint Mary's Prediction

It has been another successful season for the Gaels, who won the WCC regular-season title and secured a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

After a slow start in the Round of 64, Saint Mary’s was able to climb back into its game against Vanderbilt and squeak out a three-point win.

The Gaels are first nationally in total rebounding rate and have the seventh-ranked defense (KenPom) this season. It should be a tight, low-scoring game if they can stop Alabama from getting out and scoring in transition.

Alabama Prediction

The Crimson Tide are the fastest team in the country, ranking first in points per game and adjusted tempo, per KenPom.

Alabama is a dangerous force on the offensive end of the floor and has made significant strides defensively since last season, which is primarily due to the addition of rim-protecting center Cliff Omoruyi.

However, Alabama could have issues with Saint Mary’s pace of play and its elite rebounding prowess.

The Tide were outrebounded by Robert Morris in their first game and turned the ball over more than the Colonials, which is a slight cause for concern.

No. 12 Colorado State @ No. 4 Maryland Odds

Date: Sunday, March 23

Time: 7:10 pm EST

Moneyline: Colorado State +245 | Maryland -310

Spread: Colorado State +7.5 (-115) | Maryland -7.5 (-105)

Total: Over 142.5 (-110) | Under 142.5 (-110)

All odds are available via FanDuel Sportsbook but are subject to change.

PICK: Maryland -7.5 (-105) at FanDuel

A last-second layup from Michigan in the Big Ten Semifinals and two three-point losses to Michigan State and Ohio State have been the only blips for Maryland over its past 16 games.

The Terps are one of the hottest teams in the country due to their elite frontcourt duo of Derik Queen and JuJu Reese and their talented guard trio of Selton Miguel, Ja’Kobe Gillespie, and Rodney Rice.

Maryland is one of the best overall defensive teams nationally, but its 3-point defense has been sensational in that stretch, which could pose a problem for Colorado State on Sunday. 

The Terps have held those opponents to just 29% shooting from deep.

I trust Maryland’s defense to shut down Colorado State from the perimeter, forcing the Rams to score in ways they are uncomfortable with. We should be in for another Terps clinic on Sunday.

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Colorado State Prediction

Colorado State was responsible for one of just a few Round of 64 upsets, securing an eight-point win over the No. 5-seeded Memphis Tigers.

However, it should be noted that Memphis was missing two key players to injury.

Still, the Rams made 3s and won the turnover and foul margin battles, which will be necessary if they want to beat Maryland.

Colorado State will also need an all-around incredible performance from Nique Clifford, who has been the Rams’ best player this season.

Maryland Prediction

Maryland looked phenomenal in its first game of the NCAA Tournament, destroying Grand Canyon by 32 points in a game that wasn’t close after the first few minutes.

The Terps shot nearly 51% from the floor and 44% from 3-point range while holding the Lopes to a 28/21/63 shooting split. “Impressive” does not do that performance justice.

The only viable critique of the Terps in that game was their free-throw shooting (12-for-24), which must be corrected once they face other top-tier teams.

If the Terps take this game as seriously as they took their matchup with Grand Canyon, they should come away with a win.

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