Two College Basketball Picks for Thursday Starting March

With the calendar turning to March, we are now in the long-awaited homestretch of the 2022-23 college basketball season. This part of the month is great as we have conference tournaments starting up as well as the conclusion of play in major conferences.

In some instances, teams are looking to improve upon their resumes and seeding come Selection Sunday, while in other one-bid leagues, it’s win or go home. Familiarity breeds contempt, as the old saying goes, and in these NCAA conference tournaments, teams are meeting for the third time of the season in some cases.

Whether the games are staged on a neutral court or in home gyms, there will be action aplenty in the next 12 days leading up to the bracket reveal on March 12.

Meanwhile, below is the analysis, college basketball lines, and free picks for two terrific NCAA college hoops matchups happening on Thursday.

Men’s College Basketball Games to Watch for Thursday

Arch Madness Game to Watch

Evansville Purple Aces at Indiana State Sycamores

Arch Madness gets underway Thursday with four games as the Missouri Valley Tournament kicks off in St. Louis. The highest-seeded team in action Thursday is Indiana State (20-11), the 5 seed, who will take on 12th-seeded and last-place Evansville (5-26) at 3:30 p.m.

The Sycamores have experienced steady progress under third-year head man Josh Schertz and won 20 games for the first time since the 2013-14 season. They also find themselves among KenPom’s top 100 teams for the first time since the 2012-12 campaign. Team comes in off a pair of losses after reeling off seven straight wins.

They’ve blown out the hapless Aces twice this season, most recently downing Evansville 83-65 on Feb. 1. Evansville is downright bad, dropping 17 of its last 18. We expect Indiana State to have some motivation here under Schertz. KenPom has the game ISU 83-65, and we feel as though if the markets have this one, anything south of 19, take ISU.

Four and Five Seeds Square Off In Patriot League

Army Black Knights at Boston University Terriers

Fifth-seeded Boston University (15-16) heads to the banks of the Hudson for a 6 p.m. clash at fourth-seeded Army (16-15). This is the conference tourney opener for both squads. BU and Army last met eight days ago, with the Terriers beating the Knights 73-67 in West Point.

Joe Jones’ team is on a three-game winning streak and has won five of its last seven, while Army is 2-3 in its last five. KenPom has this as a close affair, giving the nod to the home team 73-68. Granted, both of these teams’ seasons should come to a screeching halt when they face top-seeded and consensus favorite Colgate in the next round, but we really lean towards Boston University in this spot.

This time of year, momentum is a real thing, and we just think that BU is playing well now and has the edge coming into this matchup. Granted, going on the road will pose a challenge, but Christl Arena is not exactly a hostile road environment, and the Terriers have confidence, avenging their home loss to Army with the recent road victory.

We feel as though anything with a + next to it is a play for us when it comes to BU in this one.

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