We are less than a week away from March. This is not a drill. March Madness is almost upon us. However, we still have a few days of conference play yet before we get into conference tournament season. We only have nine games on the slate, but that means that we have nine chances to hurt the books. There are at least three games that the books have mispriced, and we’ve got best bets for all three. Let’s dig into today’s college basketball picks.
Are you looking for a sportsbook to place bets on our college basketball picks? Check out MyBookie.ag!
College Basketball Preview, Picks, and Best Bets for February 22
Matt Dewoskin ATS College Basketball Picks Record (Est 11/3/2025)
All Selections: 166-150-5
Perfect 3-0 Cards: 17-90
Louisville at North Carolina
Start Time: 7:00 PM EST
Louisville enters this game with a 20-7 overall record and a 3-5 road mark. The Cardinals are 13-14 against the spread overall and 2-6 ATS on the road.
North Carolina comes into this matchup with a 21-6 overall record and a 15-0 mark at home. The Tar Heels are 15-12 overall ATS and 10-5 ATS at home.
North Carolina has won seven out of the last 10 head-to-head matchups outright, but each team has covered five times over that stretch. Louisville hasn’t won outright at North Carolina since 2019.
North Carolina is 7-3 in its last 10 games, but it has dropped a pair of games in its last four. Louisville has won six of its last seven games, but they’ve only covered three times over that stretch.
North Carolina will be without forward Caleb Wilson, who is out for the season. UNC big man Henri Veesar is listed as a game-time decision with ‘undisclosed’.
North Carolina looks awfully average without Caleb Wilson in the lineup. The Tar Heels also struggle to defend the perimeter. Louisville is ranked 61st in the nation in three-point shooting percentage. The Cardinals are also the better rebounding team and are better at turning over the opposition. Louisville needs a signature road win, and a victory at a depleted North Carolina will have to do. Lock up the Cardinals to win and cover at the Smith Center.
Best Bet: Louisville -2.5
Houston Christian at East Texas A&M
Start Time: 7:30 PM EST
Houston Christian enters this matchup with a 10-18 overall record and a 2-18 mark on the road. The Huskies are 12-14 overall ATS and 7-8 ATS on the road.
East Texas A&M comes into this game with an 11-18 overall record and a 6-7 home mark. The Lions are 13-14 overall ATS and 4-7 ATS at home.
The home team has won and covered in five out of the last seven games between these two programs.
Houston Christian has lost their last five road games and only covered twice over that stretch. They just lost by 18-points to Northwestern State as a 1.5-point underdog.
East Texas A&M has won and covered in two of its last four home games. The Lions are off a nine-point loss at home to Incarnate Word, a 3.5-point favorite. This is a get-right spot for the Lions!
East Texas A&M is 211th in the nation in shooting percentage on two-point shots. Houston Christian is 328th in the nation in two-point shooting percentage against. The Lions struggle to defend the perimeter, but they’re solid defensively in the paint.
Houston Christian has been rough on the road, and the line is so short that even East Texas A&M can screw it up against a team that they have a clear advantage over, right? Let’s lock up the Lions to win and cover on the short slate.
Best Bet: East Texas A&M -2.5
Mississippi Valley State at Grambling
Start Time: 8:00 PM EST
Mississippi Valley State comes into this matchup with a 2-26 overall record and a 0-15 mark on the road. The Delta Devils are 13-14 overall ATS and 8-7 ATS on the road.
Grambling enters this game with an 11-15 overall record and a 6-3 home mark. The Tigers are 12-12 overall ATS and 3-4 ATS at home.
Grambling has won nine of its last 10 games against MVSU. The Delta Devils have covered in seven out of their most recent 10 games.
MVSU is off a one-point home win over Texas Southern as an 11.5-point underdog. The Delta Devils have covered two of their last three road games.
Grambling is only 3-7 outright and ATS in their last 10 games. The Tigers are on a four-game losing streak and just wrapped up a series of three straight road games.
The handicap here is simple. Mississippi Valley State is off a win, and Grambling State is on a losing streak. The Tigers just lost to Southern by 14 in a game in which they were down by over 20. Grambling is in desperate need of a get-right spot, and they just happened to have a bottom-five program in Mississippi Valley State coming to town. Let’s lock up Grambling to cover. The Tigers should win this by 30 points.
Best Bet: Grambling -16
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!
