Best College Basketball Bets Today: Michigan vs. Illinois Picks March 2nd | Deadspin.com

As the regular season nears its end, many teams will ramp up their intensity as they take one last shot at their regular-season conference title. This often results in exciting games, unexpected finishes—and, yes, some great betting opportunities.Best College Basketball Bets Today: Michigan vs. Illinois Picks March 2nd | Deadspin.com

However, men’s games are not always the best ones to bet on, which is why I’ve included a couple of women’s games in today’s list.Best College Basketball Bets Today: Michigan vs. Illinois Picks March 2nd | Deadspin.com

Best College Basketball Bets Today: Michigan vs. Illinois Picks March 2nd | Deadspin.com

No. 15 Michigan enters this game having won eight of its last 10 games. However, the Wolverines are not playing as well as a record like that typically indicates. They went 1-2 against ranked teams, with the most recent loss to Michigan State (75-62) a little over a week ago.

Since then, they’ve won two games—49-46 against Nebraska and 84-82 against Rutgers. Neither game should have been as close as it was.

As for Illinois, the Illini are coming into this game fresh off a 20-point win over Iowa. But three losses preceded that win, and they were not competitive in any of them. They lost by 14 to Michigan State, by 21 to Wisconsin, and by 43 to Duke.

Michigan has cut it close in its last two games but managed to win both. Illinois crushed Iowa (one of the worst teams in the Big Ten) but was crushed in the three games prior. Because of that, I don’t have confidence in Illinois putting up a fight against a motivated Wolverines team at home.

The first half will be competitive—Illinois may even have a lead at the break—but Michigan will pull away in the second half.

Our Pick: Michigan -3.5 at -110 (DraftKings)

Best College Basketball Bets Today: Michigan vs. Illinois Picks March 2nd | Deadspin.com

Duke suffered a crushing loss to then-No. 1 Notre Dame a couple of weeks ago, followed by a 70-62 loss to Louisville. But then the Blue Devils dominated Syracuse 80-49 and defeated No. 8 North Carolina by 15 points (68-53) on Thursday.

The Blue Devils will have their work cut out for them against a Florida State team riding a four-game win streak, which includes victories over No. 20 Georgia Tech and No. 3 Notre Dame in its last outing.

Part of me really wants to get behind Florida State. However, Duke’s defense is solid and will hold FSU well below its season average (89.3 points per game). The Blue Devils’ offense (sixth-best in the ACC) will have no problem scoring against Florida State’s defense (second-to-last in the ACC).

Our Pick: Duke -3.5 at -115 (ESPN Bet)

Best College Basketball Bets Today: Michigan vs. Illinois Picks March 2nd | Deadspin.com

As if ending the regular season on a high note was not motivation enough, TCU (27-3, 15-2) and Baylor (25-5, 15-2) are essentially playing for the Big 12 regular-season title today. Both teams are coming in hot. TCU defeated Houston 91-56 on Wednesday for its sixth consecutive win.

With a 79-62 win over Kansas State on Monday, Baylor has won nine in a row. Its last loss? It came against TCU, 80-75, on Jan. 26. That win snapped Baylor’s 37-game win streak against TCU. The Horned Frogs have never beaten Baylor in Waco.

A focused and determined Baylor team nearly overcame a 22-point deficit with five minutes left in the third quarter. They didn’t, but they went on to win nine in a row. However, TCU won seven of its next eight (losing to Kansas State 59-50 on Feb. 5); every win was by double digits.

I want to take Baylor’s moneyline. I really do. But while the Bears have been playing great basketball since the loss, so has TCU. It will be a great game, but I ultimately think TCU will win in the end.

Our Pick: TCU -2.5 at -115 (ESPN Bet)