Best College Basketball Bets Today | NCAAB Picks March 10

In just one week, the Round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament will be on its second day, while the First Four games are less than a handful of days away. Despite March Madness being right around the corner, there is still a lot that hangs in the balance, including many of the major conference tournament championships. 

So much can change between now and Selection Sunday, and many of these games can make the difference between hearing a bubble team’s name called versus suffering a heartbreaking snub. 

Check out our list of best bets for Thursday’s impressive and exciting slate, featuring two Big Ten battles: the Rutgers Scarlet Knights versus Purdue Boilermakers and the Maryland Terrapins versus Indiana Hoosiers.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Purdue Boilermakers

When: 12:00 PM EST

Spread: Rutgers Scarlet Knights +5.5 (-110) @ DraftKings Sportsbook

Despite Rutgers losing big man, Mawot Mag, in early February to a knee injury (torn ACL), the Scarlet Knights are still dangerous. Mag will miss the remainder of the 2022-23 season, forcing Clifford Omoruyi, Aundre Hyatt, and Oskar Palmquist to absorb his minutes. 

His injury has marked an adjustment period for Rutgers, as it dropped six of its past eight games leading up to the win against Michigan in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. Despite awful shooting and a frequently stagnant offense, the Scarlet Knights put Michigan away late in the game; they only allowed one field goal for most of the second half. 

Rutgers remains one of the best defensive teams in the nation, ranking third in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency. That dominance was on full display against the Wolverines. Can the Scarlet Knights replicate that performance against Purdue and its 11th-ranked offense (KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency) in the nation?

Purdue has had some challenging moments in the past few weeks that have brought it back down to Earth after an electric start to the season. The Boilermakers have gone 4-4 in their past eight games, dropping two games to Indiana, one to Northwestern, and another to Maryland. 

Unsurprisingly, their struggles came after Indiana dissected their drop coverage scheme with Edey on the defensive end. Since then, several teams have operated similar offenses, exploiting his relatively slow feet.

These two teams faced off earlier this season, with Rutgers winning by one point on the road. The Scarlet Knights did a great job on Edey, the National Player of the Year frontrunner, in that matchup; he ended up with just 19 points. Edey, a 7-foot-4 center, has dominated everyone who has stood in his way this season, averaging roughly 22 points and 13 rebounds per game, so their defensive effort should not go without mention.

Rutgers should cover in this game; it is difficult to see it upset Purdue for the second time this season. However, in what is always a loosely officiated conference tournament, the Scarlet Knights’ extremely physical play favors them. 

Maryland Terrapins @ Indiana Hoosiers

When: 9:00 PM EST

Moneyline: Indiana Hoosiers (-120) @ DraftKings Sportsbook

Maryland is a geographically volatile basketball team. When the Terrapins are in College Park, they are virtually unbeatable; however, when they leave the state of Maryland, any team in the nation has a shot at knocking them off. Their 16-1 home and 2-9 road records should reasonably reflect the point above. 

In short, no team in the Big Ten is more challenging to beat on their home floor than Maryland, at least as far as winning percentage is concerned. Unfortunately for Maryland, this game takes place on a neutral site, complicating its chances against an Indiana team with more experience winning away from home (5-7) this season.

Still, Maryland has a lot of talent and experience; four of its top five scorers are seniors. The Terrapins’ best player, Jahmir Young, is as fast and shifty as any guard in the nation, utilizing a tremendous change of pace and a quick first step to catch defenders flat-footed. 

As a matter of fact, Young torched Indiana in their first meeting with the Hoosiers, posting 20 points, while co-star Donta Scott finished with 19. Indiana had no answer for those two the first time around. 

However, things are different now than they were five weeks ago. Indiana has won six of its past nine games, with All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis playing out of his mind; he has averaged 23 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks since the Maryland game. No one has posted similar stats during that stretch.

Aiding TJD in offensive output recently has been freshman combo guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, who has come into his own in the second half of the Big Ten regular season. Hood-Schifino dropped an absurd 35 points at Purdue just two weeks ago. The moment is no longer too big for the star freshman.

Maryland does rank better than Indiana in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin, but don’t let that scare you off the Hoosiers; they have been a hotter team, as Maryland has only won three of its past six games. Further, two of those wins came against Minnesota, the league’s worst team.

Maryland and Indiana are pretty even when it comes to two-point shooting percentage, rebounding rate, and many other statistics, but the one area that the Hoosiers have a significant advantage is three-point shooting; they shoot the ball substantially better from deep (37.6%, 22nd in the nation) than Maryland (32.9%, 233rd.) 

While the Hoosiers are surely devastated by Xavier Johnson being ruled out for the remainder of the season, they still have more than enough talent to get by the Terrapins. Maryland’s play quality drops substantially away from College Park, and this time, the Hoosiers should be able to contain Young at least a bit better. 

Additionally, don’t expect Maryland to shoot 17 more free throws than the Hoosiers in this game; it should be a much more reasonable foul ratio on a neutral floor. Indiana held the Terrapins to just 34% shooting from the field and 23% from behind the arc. Defensively, the Hoosiers have visibly taken a colossal leap since that game, so roll with them here.