2025 College Basketball odds: Best bets for Houston-Baylor, Duke-North Carolina
March 8, 2025
4,808
Sam Panayotovich
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
Who’s ready to bet basketball all day Saturday?
All right, maybe not all day, but conference tournament games start bright and early, we’ll see a champion crowned in the Ohio Valley, and it’s the last full weekend of regular-season play in a handful of leagues.
Sign me up for the Madness.
Here’s the “Saturday Trifecta” for March 8.
’25 CBK Plays (3-6, -3.7 units)
St. John’s @ Marquette (-2, O/U 141.5)
This one should be a doozy on FOX. Johnnies’ stock hasn’t been this high in decades and, naturally, I’m looking to bet against the hype and against Rick Pitino. Full disclosure: I’ll be a nervous wreck if he comes out in the Tony Montana white suit. Marquette is exceptional at protecting the basketball, which is how you beat St. John’s — don’t turn over that precious pumpkin. It also doesn’t hurt that the Golden Eagles are 14-2 at home this season.
PICK: Marquette (-2) to win by more than 2 points
Houston (-4.5, O/U 131.5) @ Baylor
DraftKings opened Houston at -7.5 late Friday afternoon — just an awful opener by the way — and it got decked immediately. The market is currently sitting Cougars -4.5, and I still like the home ‘dog. Baylor needs this game in the worst of ways and an outright victory would solidify a berth in the Big Dance. I’m not going to call my shot, but I do think the Bears fight down to the wire.
PICK: Baylor (+4.5) to lose by fewer than 4.5 points, or win outright
Duke (-11, O/U 158) @ North Carolina
Fading Duke isn’t exactly what people want to do these days and I understand. The Blue Devils are destroying everything in sight, and they’ve won their last seven games by an average of 32 points. That’s not a typo, either. And yet here I am deciding to take another crack at ‘em. North Carolina has quietly rattled off six straight wins and that’s a big number to give the Heels in their home finale. I expect a big game and timely shooting from senior RJ Davis.
PICK: North Carolina (+11) to lose by fewer than 11 points, or win outright
Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and the BetMGM Network. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. Follow him on Twitter @spshoot.
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