Our College Basketball Best Bets For Thursday, March 31

Two final games close out March in men’s college basketball–the finals of the NIT and The Basketball Classic. Texas A&M is looking to prove the NCAA Tournament selection committee wrong with their snub by winning the NIT, and only Xavier stands in their way. In The Basketball Classic, it’s Fresno State–who played in a competitive Mountain West Conference this year–visiting Coastal Carolina for the tournament crown.

Let’s check out both games in-depth as we present our NCAAB best bets for tonight.

Xavier Musketeers vs. Texas A&M Aggies – NIT Championship Game

The Bet: Texas A&M -4

Two teams that played very well during stretches of the regular season but were doomed by long losing streaks meet tonight with both programs trying to end their season on a high note despite not making the NCAA Tournament by claiming victory in the NIT at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Texas A&M has rolled through this tournament so far, winning each game by double digits, including a 72-56 win over Washington State as two-point favorites in the semifinals on Tuesday night. The Aggies have won 11 of their last 12 games and are 10-2 against the spread in that stretch.

Xavier had a tough end to the regular season and lost to Butler in their first game of the Big East tournament, sealing their fate to the NIT, but they have rebounded nicely in this tournament. They are 2-2 ATS but have wins over Florida and Vanderbilt of the SEC before ending St. Bonaventure’s run with an 84-77 win in the semifinals at 1.5-point underdogs on Tuesday.

Xavier is 11-4 straight up against SEC teams in their last 15 (including the two wins in this tournament) but are just 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games overall. The Aggies, on the other hand, are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games against Big East teams. The Musketeers are scoring two more points a game, but the Aggies are allowing four fewer per contest this season. Texas A&M hasn’t allowed more than 62 points in any game of this tournament, whereas Xavier has given up at least 68 in three of four games in this tournament and in nine of their last 10 games overall.

The Musketeers have had a nice run, but Texas A&M is playing well on both sides of the ball and seem to be on a mission after taking the NCAA Tournament snub very hard. We see them closing out the mission tonight with a win and fairly easy cover over Xavier to win the NIT.

H2: Fresno State Bulldogs vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers – The Basketball Classic Championship Game

H3: The Bet: Fresno State -3

Fresno State (22-13) is hoping that its difficult conference schedule pays off, as the Bulldogs are tournament tested and rolled to the finals of The Basketball Classic without too much trouble, beating Eastern Washington and Youngstown State by nine each before a 19-point victory over Southern Utah.

Coastal Carolina (19-13) was seventh in the Sun Belt Conference before going on this tournament run. In the Sun Belt conference tournament, they fell to eventual champion Georgia Southern before beating Maryland-Eastern Shore, Florida Gulf Coast, and South Alabama in this tournament to reach the title game.

The Bulldogs sport the fourth-best defense in the country, allowing 59 points per game compared to the Chanticleers’ 65 per contest. Offensively, Coastal Carolina has the edge 73 to 66, but in tournament scenarios, defense tends to be more important, especially since Fresno State will be one of the best teams that Coastal Carolina has faced all season.

This tournament is at campus sites with this game being played in South Carolina. It’s Fresno State’s longest road trip of the season, but they are 7-5-1 against the spread on the road this year. Coastal Carolina is on a hot streak, covering in six of their last seven games, but the difference in talent here will be the deciding factor with Fresno State pulling out a narrow cover.