College hoops rolls on into yet another SWAC Monday. We may have another short slate, but we can still get a little action. It’s not like we have Monday Night Football to fall back on anymore. The slate has been reviewed, the numbers have been crunched, and we’ve found three college basketball picks that you’ll want to lock up. Let’s get into it.
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College Basketball Preview, Picks, and Best Bets for February 16
Matt Dewoskin ATS College Basketball Picks Record (Est 11/3/2025)
All Selections: 157-138-5
Perfect 3-0 Cards: 15-84
Louisiana-Lafayette at Old Dominion
Start Time: 5:00 PM EST
Louisiana-Lafayette comes into this game with a 9-17 overall record and a 3-10 mark on the road. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 13-13 overall against the spread and 6-7 ATS on the road.
Old Dominion enters this matchup with a 9-18 overall record and a 6-6 mark at home. The Monarchs are 14-12 overall ATS and 6-5 ATS at home.
Old Dominion is 3-1 outright and against the spread in this series.
The Monarchs have only won two of their last five games, with two losses at home. Louisiana-Lafayette has won five of its last seven, with two wins on the road over that stretch.
The Ragin’ Cajuns have improved as the season has worn on and aren’t the same awful team that they were in November. Louisiana-Lafayette has figured out a rotation, knows what they’re good at, and has been chippy over the past month. The Ragin’ Cajuns only allow opponents to average 69.0 points per game. That’s the 50th-best scoring defense in the country. Louisiana-Lafayette can also defend the paint and can keep teams off the offensive glass. They can’t really score, but Old Dominion doesn’t really defend.
This is the case of ‘too many points’. Louisiana-Lafayette is playing well and could be live on the money line. Let’s lock up the Ragin’ Cajuns and the six points to cover.
Best Bet: Louisiana-Lafayette +6
Abilene Christian at Tarleton State
Start Time: 8:00 PM EST
Abilene Christian enters this game with a 12-13 overall record and a 3-8 mark on the road. The Wildcats are 11-11 overall ATS and 6-5 ATS on the road.
Tarleton State comes into this matchup with a 12-13 record and an 8-4 mark at home. The Texans are 12-9 overall ATS and 4-4 ATS at home.
These two teams have split the last 10 matchups in this series. However, Tarleton State has covered six of the last 10 games. These two teams have played twice this year, and Abilene Christian has won both times. They won by four points at Tarleton State, and by 14 points in Abilene. The Wildcats haven’t won on the road since they beat Tarleton State in early January.
Abilene Christian has won two matchups head-to-head with Tarleton State. Why is Tarleton favored? This is a case of the line telling us what’s going to happen in this game. Tartleton State wins the third game in this series this year. Lock up the Texans laying one point.
Best Bet: Tarleton State -1
Houston at Iowa State
Start Time: 9:00 PM EST
Houston enters this game with a 23-2 overall record and a 5-1 mark on the road. The Cougars are 14-11 overall ATS and 4-2 ATS on the road.
Iowa State comes into this matchup with a 22-3 overall record and a 14-0 mark at home. The Cyclones are 15-10 overall ATS and 7-7 ATS at home.
Iowa State has won four of six games outright in this series, and the Cyclones are 5-0-1 ATS in the last six matchups.
Houston has won nine of its last 10 games overall, with road wins at Utah, BYU, TCU, and Baylor over that stretch. The Cougars are 3-2 ATS in their last five road games.
Iowa State has also won nine of its last 10 games overall. The Cyclones are 4-1 ATS at home in their last five games in Ames, IA.
We’ve got a matchup between a pair of top-10 defenses in the nation. Iowa State is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the nation, but Houston can defend the perimeter. Houston is solid on the interior on offense, but Iowa State can defend the paint. The only key differences on the floor are that Houston is the better team at the free-throw line, and they’re better at holding on to the ball.
Houston comes into this game needing a real statement win, and Iowa State is off a beatdown against one of their biggest rivals. Iowa State has yet to lose a game at home. This looks like it could be the game. Let’s lock up the Cougars to keep this one close and stay within the 2.5 points. This could be a game in which the hook really matters.
Best Bet: Houston +2.5
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!
