The countdown is on until the bracket reveal. Let’s not rush these things. This is the best month of the season. We have conference tournaments kicking off while the power schools wrap up their seasons with senior nights. Never discount the emotion of the last home game. Let’s check out the Tuesday slate. Here are the College Basketball Picks for March 5th.
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College Basketball Picks March 5th
Auburn at Missouri (+11.5) (O/U 149.5)
We know that Missouri isn’t walking away with a win against the Tigers tonight. They remain winless in the conference, and odds are they will remain winless after tonight. They have just two more games to capture their first SEC victory of the season. A really surprising fall for a team that was dancing last season.
Auburn is no stranger to blowout victories this season. Missouri is no stranger to blowout losses. I really want to give the Tigers credit and say they could come out of the gates with some fight given the circumstance but they were down by 19 at halftime against Ole Miss over the weekend in front of a Saturday ‘crowd’.
Missouri’s season is beyond lost. Auburn’s team is deep and can still cover if this game gets out of hand early. And it should be.
The Pick: Auburn -11.5
Alabama at Florida (-2) (O/U 176)
The Gators are looking to revenge their 5-point loss in Tuscaloosa. The game accounted for 191 total points. This total looks high but Alabama’s overs are 7-2 when the Crimson Tide hit the road. Don’t look at that under with an offense like Alabama on the floor.
Let’s focus on the Gators here. They’re coming off a 6-point loss on the road in South Carolina. Not a back-breaking loss by any means. They have the revenge spot. Florida has home court advantage. They have an offense that can exploit the Crimson Tide on defense as well.
The big difference here will be the rebounding. Not only do the Gators have a length advantage, but they should have the rebounding advantage in this game—something they didn’t have in Tuscaloosa. Grant Nelson is listed at 6’11 but gets just 5.5 rebounds per game. The role he is used for has him spacing the floor. He’s not a threat on the offensive boards.
This is a mismatch for the Crimson Tide despite beating them once already. Samuel, Condon, and Handlogten create trouble for the Alabama team. Alabama struggles with teams who can match their tempo. Florida is in that category.
The Pick: Florida -2