The college hoops season rolls into another Mid-Major Thursday. These games can get weird. A low-major home underdog catching 12.5 points? Time to bet the moneyline. A conference leader on the road? That’s a sleepy spot. We had better fade. Today’s slate has its fair share of potential landmines, but we’re here to help you stay away from them with three college basketball picks. Let’s get into it.
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College Basketball Preview, Picks, and Best Bets for February 18
Matt Dewoskin ATS College Basketball Picks Record (Est 11/3/2025)
All Selections: 161-143-5
Perfect 3-0 Cards: 15-87
New Hampshire at UMass-Lowell
Start Time: 6:00 PM EST
New Hampshire comes into this game with an 8-16 overall record and a 1-12 road mark. The Wildcats are 11-11 overall against the spread and 8-5 ATS on the road.
UMass-Lowell enters this matchup with an 11-15 overall record and a 7-3 mark at home. The River Hawks are 11-12 overall ATS and 4-3 ATS at home.
New Hampshire has won six out of the last 10 games against UMass-Lowell outright, and covered seven games over that stretch. These two teams played at New Hampshire in late January. The Wildcats won by five and covered a 3.5-point spread.
The Wildcats come into this game on a four-game losing streak. New Hampshire is 1-4 overall in their last five road games.
UMass-Lowell is 5-5 in their last 10 games played, but six of those were on the road. The Riverhawks are 2-2 overall and ATS in their last four home games.
New Hampshire has one of the worst offenses in the nation. Name an offensive metric, and the Wildcats are in the bottom-50 or worse in it. UMass-Lowell isn’t great on the offensive end, but they are much better at putting the ball through the hoop than New Hampshire. The River Hawks are also a much better rebounding team than New Hampshire.
UMass-Lowell has looked better over the past month than it did in November. The River Hawks get a revenge spot at home and are currently playing the better ball. Let’s lock up these River Hawks to roll against the Wildcats and get the cover.
Best Bet: UMass-Lowell -4.5
Arkansas State at Louisiana-Lafayette
Start Time: 8:00 PM EST
Arkansas State comes into this matchup with a 16-11 overall record and a 7-7 road mark. The Red Wolves are 13-12 overall ATS and 7-7 ATS on the road.
Louisiana-Lafayette enters this game with a 9-18 overall record and a 6-7 mark at home. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 13-14 overall ATS and 7-6 ATS at home.
These two teams have split the last 10 games head-to-head. Arkansas State has covered six times in the last 10 games in this series. The Red Wolves have also won and covered three straight games against the Ragin’ Cajuns.
Arkansas State is 4-6 overall and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games. The Red Wolves are 1-4 outright in their last five road games.
Louisiana-Lafayette is 5-5 in their last 10, but they’ve covered six times over that stretch. The Ragin’ Cajuns have lost and failed to cover in back-to-back games.
Louisiana-Lafayette is solid on the defensive end. They limit points in the paint and have been solid at home over the past month. This isn’t the same team that we saw look terrible in the non-conference schedule. Arkansas State has struggled at times away from Jonesboro. The Red Wolves also average 14.6 turnovers per game this year. That’s 353rd in the nation. Louisiana-Lafayette can drag this game into the mud, and should keep it within a few possessions. They’re catching more than three possessions. Lock up the Ragin’ Cajuns and the points.
Best Bet: ULL +8.5
Cal State-Northridge at UC-Santa Barbara
Start Time: 9:00 PM EST
CSUN enters this matchup with a 16-10 overall record and a 4-7 mark on the road. The Matadors are 12-12 overall ATS and 4-7 ATS on the road.
UC-Santa Barbara comes into this game with a 17-9 overall record and a 10-2 home mark. The Gauchos are 10-14 overall ATS and 7-3 ATS at home.
CSUN has won six of the last 10 head-to-head matchups with UC-Santa Barbara. The Matadors have also covered seven of the last 10 games in this series.
CSUN enters this game with a five-game winning streak. The Matadors have covered in four out of five over that stretch. UC-Santa Barbara has won eight of their last 10 and covered six times over that stretch. They’ve won and covered in four straight home games.
Both of these teams can score, but CSUN makes little effort on the defensive end. UC-Santa Barbara tries to stay in front of their opponents. For a good shooting team, CSUN is really poor at the free-throw line. The Matadors shoot 65.7% from the charity stripe. That’s 352nd in the nation. The Gauchos are also the better rebounding team and are better at holding on to the ball on the offensive end.
UC-Santa Barbara continues to roll at home. The Gauchos snap the Matadors’ winning streak and pick up a cover at home. Lock up UCSB to get home at home.
Best Bet: UC-Santa Barbara -3.5
The College Basketball Experience
For more analysis of every college basketball game in the 2025-26 season, tune in to The College Basketball Experience. Colby Dant, Moneyline Mac, and Noah Bieniek talk about each game on the entire slate. Listen for input on ATS and moneyline college basketball picks every night!
