Best College Basketball Picks and Predictions Today (How to Bet Conference Tournament Games)

Iain MacMillan | Mar 16, 2025

VCU Rams guard Michael Belle and company are favored in the A-10 Tournament Final. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Conference tournaments come to a close on Sunday as bids in the NCAA Tournament become secured ahead of the Selection Sunday show later tonight. Sunday's slate features just five finals, meaning five teams will punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament this afternoon.

The Ivy League, SEC, Atlantic 10, AAC and Big Ten have their conference championship games today, with several ranked teams looking to avoid having to wait for an at-large bid to reach March Madness.

Here’s our best conference tournament bets for Sunday's college basketball action.

Best College Basketball Picks Today, March 16

• Tennessee vs. Florida UNDER 144.5 (-115)
• VCU -8.5 (-105) vs. George Mason
• Michigan +3.5 (-108) vs. Wisconsin

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Tennessee vs. Florida Prediction for SEC Tournament Final

These teams have played some weird matchups this season, as Tennessee lost to the Gators by 30 in early January before returning the favor with a 20-point win at home on Feb. 1. 

The one constant? Both of these games were extremely low-scoring for a Florida matchup.

In their first meeting, these teams combined for 116 points, and they followed that up with just 108 points in the second matchup of the season. One big reason why?

The Volunteers play at a snail’s pace, ranking 348th in the country in adjusted tempo. That’s helped Tennessee stay in games against some of the elite teams in the SEC, as it also has the No. 3 adjusted defensive efficiency in the country, per KenPom.

Now, Florida has the No. 3 adjusted offensive efficiency, but it is also a solid defensive team, ranking seventh in that category in the 2024-25 season. 

It’s hard to take an UNDER on a Gators team that is averaging 85.4 points per game – No. 3 in the country – but this matchup has not led to high-scoring matchups this season.

With this total the way up at 144.5 – more than 28 points higher than the highest-scoring matchup between these teams – I am going to take the UNDER on Sunday.

Pick: UNDER 144.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

George Mason vs. VCU Prediction for A-10 Tournament Final

This season, VCU has been the best team in the A-10, and I don’t expect that to change against a George Mason team that it handled in their lone matchup during the regular season.

The Rams won that game by 16 points at home, and now they’re favored by just 8.5 in the A-10 Final.

George Mason and VCU are both solid defensive teams, ranking inside the top 30 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric. However, George Mason is just 200th in adjusted offensive efficiency, a major drop off from the Rams.

VCU is 45th in that metric, and it averages 77.4 points per game while allowing the fourth-fewest points per game in the country (62.4) this season. In fact, opponents are shooting just 38.9 percent from the field against the Rams – the eight-best mark in the country.

George Mason has been stout defensively (it is 12th in the country in points allowed per game), but the offense lags behind, especially from behind the arc. George Mason is averaging less than seven made 3-pointers per game – 280th in the country. 

Meanwhile, VCU – despite shooting a pedestrian percentage – is 42nd in the country in 3s made per game. That disparity, plus VCU’s overall better offense, should help it win and cover against the Patriots for the second time this season. 

Pick: VCU -8.5 (-105 at DraftKings)

Wisconsin vs. Michigan Prediction for Big Ten Tournament Final

This should be a close game, as Michigan won the lone regular-season meeting between these teams by three back in December.

Overall, these teams are both in the top 40 in the country in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, per KenPom, although the Badgers do have the No. 10 offense in the land.

Wisconsin’s upset of Michigan State was massive, but the Wolverines have won outright as dogs against both Purdue and Maryland in the last two days. I don’t think it’s crazy that they could cover in this game, especially since they have a win under their belt against the Badgers already this season. 

Wisconsin is an elite offensive team, but the Wolverines actually shoot a better percentage than them from the field, although Wisconsin is a better 3-point attack. The Wolverines also like to speed up games (61st in adjusted tempo), which may help them keep up against such an elite offense. 

Michigan is also an impressive 5-2 against the spread as an underdog this season. Don’t be shocked if it at least keeps this game within a possession on Sunday.  

Pick: Michigan +3.5 (-108 at DraftKings)

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