Tag Archives: Against the Spread record college basketball

Men’s College Basketball Picks for Saturday, February 15, 2025

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The Super Bowl is over a new wave of sports fans is turning its attention to the college basketball season. It’s been an above .500 showing for Matty D. and the College Basketball Eye Test picks thus far in 2025. Let’s see if we can continue the momentum!

As we settle into the action, let’s take a look at some of the most compelling matchups of the day and what they mean for the landscape of college hoops.

Clemson vs. Florida State: Two Teams in Opposite Directions

One of the early matchups on the schedule sees Clemson traveling to Florida State, and these programs are heading in very different directions. Florida State is in transition, with Coach Leonard Hamilton announcing that this will be his final season at the helm. The Seminoles have struggled to find consistency, and their season has reflected the uncertainty surrounding the program’s future.

Clemson, on the other hand, is surging and might just be establishing itself as the second-best team in the ACC behind Duke. A key piece of their success has been Victor Lakhin, a transfer from Cincinnati who has bolstered the team’s defense. He currently leads the conference in blocked shots, adding an intimidating presence in the paint. With momentum on their side, I expect Clemson to take care of business on the road in what could be another statement win for the Tigers.

Texas A&M vs. Arkansas: Can the Aggies Cover the Spread?

Another game to watch is Texas A&M hosting Arkansas, where the Aggies are favored by eight points. While I’m high on Texas A&M overall, that spread feels too large given their style of play. Coach Buzz Williams likes to go deep into his bench, routinely playing 10 or 11 guys. While that’s a great strategy for building depth, it doesn’t always translate into blowout wins, especially against a team like Arkansas that is still fighting for a tournament berth.

Arkansas has had an up-and-down season, but they are still a dangerous team under Coach John Calipari. While they have struggled to stay consistent, they have enough talent to keep things interesting. I like Texas A&M to win outright, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Arkansas keeps it closer than expected.

Michigan State vs. Illinois: The Best Bet of the Day?

One of the most intriguing matchups of the day is Michigan State traveling to Illinois. Oddsmakers have Illinois as a heavy favorite, but I don’t quite understand that line. This matchup plays right into the strengths of Michigan State, and I think Coach Tom Izzo’s squad has a real shot at pulling off the upset.

Illinois has been plagued by turnovers, sometimes making inexplicable mistakes that could prove costly against a disciplined, well-coached opponent like Michigan State. Meanwhile, one of Illinois’s biggest strengths is their ability to crash the offensive boards, but Michigan State is built to neutralize that advantage. The Spartans are a tough, physical team that won’t allow Illinois many second-chance points, and that could be the deciding factor in this game.

If Michigan State does win, it would be a huge validation of their spot near the top 10 rankings. Keep an eye on this one—it could be the upset of the day.

Final Thoughts

With March Madness fast approaching, every game matters. Clemson looks like a force in the ACC, Texas A&M needs to prove they can cover a big spread, and Michigan State might just be the best underdog bet of the day. Whatever happens, today’s action is sure to have major implications for the tournament picture.

Enjoy the games, and let me know what you think about today’s matchups!

Suspect Spreads Saturday Record Against the Spread 2024 NCAAB

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College basketball blogger Matty D. of collegebasketballeyetest.com reveals his record against the spread picking Saturday college basketball games.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY FAVORITE LONG-SHOT FUTURES

Picks went 7-12 on Saturday, March 2nd bringing the season record to 20-24-1.

These college basketball picks went 4-5 starting a shaky day for yours truly.
These picks finished the day 3-7 for a poor start in March.

Picks went 6-3-2 on February 10th for a season record of 13-12-1.

Follow CBBEyeTest on Twitter for Saturday picks and ongoing debate. 

Picks went 2-5 on January 27th for a total record of 7-9-1.

Picks went 5-4-1 on January 6th to start the season barely above .500. 

Suspect Spreads Saturday Season Finale

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Here is the last regular season set of picks.   Matty D is 41-24 on the season.

Track the footprint of the season predictions by searching #SuspectSpreadsSaturday on Twitter.

Take the team on the left.

Auburn +23 vs. Kentucky
Purdue +9 vs. Wisconsin
Temple +3.5 vs.  SMU
Davidson -3 vs. VCU
Wyoming +7 vs. San Diego St.

Suspect Spreads Saturday 2 Weeks before Selection Sunday

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Of my predictions this season, my record is 35-19.  Here are my predictions for today.  Take the team on the left.

Dayton +6.5 @ VCU
Georgia -14 vs. Mizzou
Texas +7 @ KU
Villanova -2 @ Xavier
UNI +7 @ Wichita State

Here is a history of my selections so far this season:
(Starting with the most recent)

Suspect Spreads Saturday Soaring Success

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It’s a Matty D Guarantee.  My picks will finish the season with an above .500 record.  If you’re a new visitor to my blog, I make five predictions every Saturday for college basketball.  I use the Vegas odds as my guide.  Because, well, there’s no skill in predicting that a 26 point favorite (see Kentucky over Auburn) will win a game.

After suffering my first 1-4 week of the season, I rebounded on Valentine’s Day.  I have scored back-to-back 4-1 weekends.  My record for the season stands at 35-19 (with one tie).

If you’re on Twitter, check out a log of my predictions by searching the hashtag #SuspectSpreadsSaturday.  I expose what Las Vegas odds are “suspect,” as in questionable in nature. You get it.

Here is a history of my selections so far this season:
(Starting with the most recent)

Against the Spread college basketball preview: Purdue and Tulsa for starters

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I (Matty D.) am 68% against the spread so far this season.  That’s 30-14 record on the season (with one tie).  Scroll to the far below to see a time stamp history on Twitter to prove that my record is legit.

My first prediction for this weekend is that St. John’s won’t cover 8 1/2 points hosting Creighton.  If you have watched any St. John’s game this year, you know this:  nothing is easy.  I won’t give St. John’s a stitch of a chance of winning another game this year by 8.5+ points.  Not by a stitch of Lou Carnesecca’s sweater.  If you watched (again, Eye Test here people) the Creighton St. John’s game in Iowa, you know that the Storm fought their five-boroughs off just to be in that game.  As per usual, Chris Obekpa and DeAngelo Harrison were over-taxed.  Rysheed Jordan was MIA.  Sir Dominic Pointer was royalty as the name suggests.  This is the team storyline until they prove me otherwise.

How is Duke giving Notre Dame nine points?  The Irish could easily hit six three-pointers, which would be 18 points, hence making a 27 point 2-point field goal disadvantage unlikely.  I feel like baked into this point spread is the fact that Duke robbed a victory at Notre Dame.  However, the eye test clearly tells you that the Irish have the size, skill and altheticisim to make this a one-three possession game if not winning it outright.

Come on, Kansas is going down to Oklahoma State and winning the game.  The Jayhawks are a one point underdog.  If they win this game, they will essentially wrap-up the 11th consecutive Big 12 league title.  The significance of this is not lost on the hometown crowd in Lawrence, Kansas.  It will not be lost on the Jayhawks wings, who are playing out of their minds (Greene, Seldon, Oubre).

I have been riding this horse all year.  I can’t ignore Purdue getting 5 1/2 points against Minnesota.  The Gophers are not an NCAA team.  Mini Pitino is going through the growing pains as a head coach that’d you’d expect from any 30-something year old overseeing his first-ever team in a major conference.  Purdue’s two big men will outlast Mo Walker (Gopher’s big man).  Minnesota I think will win the ball game, but a Purdue win could clinch the inside track to a tournament berth.  Therefore, I just don’t see Purdue losing by three possession or more.

Hawaii and Texas A&M are both tempting to take this weekend.  But, the ebb and flow of college basketball won’t let me do it.  The respective home teams, UC Santa Barbara and Mizzou, have a lot of pride and an uphill battle to gain respectability on their home turf over the next month.

Tulsa will beat SMU outright and position itself as the team to beat in the American Conference (as if they haven’t already).  Speaking of Mizzou, the refugee of Columbia, Missouri, Frank Haith is coaching an inspired club that plays below the rim but outworks teams over-and-again.  I think Tulsa wins this game, Cincinnati slips-up somehow, and UCONN wins the American Conference tournament.  Memphis is just not an NCAA Tournament team (see my pick last year of the Memphis Tigers not covering the 17 point spread at Gonzaga…which they did not).  Tulsa will win.  That would place Tulsa, UCONN and Temple in the NCAA Tournament.  But, hey, that’s just me.

Here is a history of my selections so far this season:
(Starting with the most recent)

Analyze This: Against the Spread Record for College Basketball Eye Test

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K-State and Texas A&M are two of the hottest teams in America.  I picked both teams to cover the spread while going 4-1 this past weekend.  My record is 26-13 on the season.  Here are my conclusions after this weekend’s action:

As I shot this video, Kendal Yancey was running point guard like a Don in a serious comeback attempt in Iowa State.  I feel like, as good as Isaiah Taylor is, he is not a traditional point guard.  He needs to focus more on distributing the ball.  The carousel at point guard for the Longhorns also includes Javan Felix.  Coach Rick Barnes needs to find an offensive solution and do so fast.  This team has the size and talent to compete for a Final Four. And did anyone catch freshman Malik Pope’s performance Saturday?  On the video, I tell you where it ranks in San Diego State history. https://twitter.com/SanDiego_Sports/status/559453376896053248