Saturday’s college basketball action rolls from noon through late at night, and I’m targeting three games tipping off at 8 p.m. or beyond.
The pregame narrative: The No. 15 Missouri Tigers and No. 19 Arizona Wildcats are both solid picks to knock off teams they’ve already beaten this season. Elsewhere, I expect the Saint Mary’s Gaels to cover a fairly generous spread.
Check out my NCAA basketball predictions for Feb. 22.
NCAA basketball predictions
Parlay: Saint Mary’s +6.5 | Missouri ML | Arizona ML (+355)
Saint Mary’s +6.5 (-110): The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been the class of the West Coast Conference for quite some time, but Saint Mary’s is typically right there nipping at the Zags’ heels.
The Gaels are more than just pests for the Zags; they’re legitimate competition. Saint Mary’s is 3-1 SU against Gonzaga since February 2024, winning each of those games as an underdog.
That includes a 62-58 victory on Feb. 1 of this year, despite the fact that the Gaels shot just 11-of-22 from the free throw line. Saint Mary’s went +6 in the rebounding department and held Gonzaga to a 17.6% shooting clip beyond the arc.
Another upset win is possible, but I’m also content banking this many points with the road team.
Saint Mary’s has covered this number in 27 of 28 games (the exception was a seven-point loss vs. Utah State in December). Gonzaga is just 5-9 ATS as a home favourite.
Other parlay picks
Missouri moneyline (-125): Last month, Missouri earned an 18-point win over the Arkansas Razorbacks thanks to some efficient 3-point shooting and a massive advantage at the free throw line.
The Tigers had 19 free throw attempts — compared to just eight for Arkansas — and shot 11-of-23 (47.8%) from beyond the arc.
That type of 3-point shooting likely won’t be repeated, but Mizzou has proven it knows how to get to the line. The Tigers average 20.1 free throw attempts, which is the most in NCAA Division I.
Missouri is 9-4 in the SEC, with four wins over currently ranked teams (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Mississippi State). Arkansas has floundered in conference play, going 4-9 and losing to all of the top teams.
As an NCAA tournament bubble team, Arkansas will play hungry at home. But Missouri is the better squad and should come out with a win.
Arizona moneyline (-300): Arizona is 11-2 at home this year, and both of those losses came against top-five teams (Duke, Houston).
The BYU Cougars are pretty good, but they’re not that good.
In fact, Arizona downed BYU earlier this month, 85-74, as the road team. So I have plenty of confidence in the Wildcats to sweep the season series tonight in Tucson.
BYU is 3-5 on the road this season, with losses to Cincinnati and TCU (teams that Arizona has already beaten).
Arizona is 14-3 since Dec. 18, stacking wins over Baylor (twice), Iowa State and Texas Tech in that span.
Picks made at 1:20 p.m. ET 02/22/2025
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.