Art Aronson College Basketball Free Picks & Betting Advice

This is a 10* on ASKAROV

This fight takes place relatively early on tonight’s UFC 246 card and can only be viewed on ESPN+. But whether or not you have the capability or desire to watch, rest assured we’re looking at an easy bet tonight. This fight takes place at flyweight with a rising Russian prospect (Askarov) taking on the journeyman Elliott. Askarov is 10-0-1 so this looks to be a wonderful price. The draw came in his only fight for the UFC so far, back in September. But he’s ready to impress the brass tonight with what should be a finish against Elliott, who has dropped three of his past five fights. Before September’s draw, all 10 Askarov wins had come by either TKO or submission. Play on ASKAROV

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This is a 10* on COLORADO

While calling this “do or die” for the Avalanche would be overstating things, it’s a game they desperately want to have. Tied for second in the Central Division, the Avs are 10 points back of first place St. Louis, who is the opponent this afternoon. Coming into the New Year, the Avs had lost six straight times to the Blues. But that changed with a commanding 7-3 win on the 2nd of this month, a game that was played right here in Denver. It just so happens that was a Game of the Week play from us. Even though the revenge angle is now technically gone, we feel even more strongly about backing Colorado today. They have the better goal differential compared to St. Louis. Also, each team’s results from its last five games are misleading. St. Louis was a massive favorite in each of its last five games. So the fact they’ve gone 4-1 shouldn’t be that surprising. All five games were also at home. Colorado had dropped a couple decisions in OT before shutting San Jose out, 4-0, on Thursday. We expect the Avs to treat this like their most important game of the year (so far). Play accordingly. Play on COLORADO

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This is a 10* on BYU

Gonzaga is #1 in the country, but we don’t believe they are the best team. It’s quite likely that they would be underdogs against Duke, Kansas or Michigan State on a neutral floor. They may not be facing any of those teams tonight, but they are laying too many points. Coming off a 50-point win over Santa Clara, we figured the Zags would be overvalued for this Saturday night matchup with BYU and they are. BYU has covered eight of its last night games, also going 8-1 SU in the same stretch. The only SU loss was by three to St. Mary’s in overtime. Since then, the Cougars have recorded two straight wins by more than 20 points. Look for them to give Gonzaga a run for the money late Saturday night. Play on BYU

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This is an 8* on OREGON

Oregon comes into this game ranked #8 in both polls. But they are almost certain to see that ranking drop after they lost out in Pullman on Thursday, 72-61 to Washington State. That was a shocking loss as the Ducks came in as nine-point favorites. They were outplayed by a team that had not beaten a top 10 opponent going back to 2007. While, on paper, today’s matchup with Washington looks to be the tougher of the two games this week, we are looking for the Ducks to bounce back here. Washington has lost four of its last six games to fall to 12-6 on the year, though they did beat Oregon State on Thursday. The Huskies are pretty strong defensively, but have not faced an opponent with the offensive capabilities of an Oregon since allowing 83 in a loss to Gonzaga over a month ago. The Ducks have dropped two straight conference games just six times in the last three seasons. Earlier this month, in what was a second road game in three days, they bounced back from a loss to Colorado to win at Utah. It’ll be the same deal here and the line is a non-factor. Play on OREGON

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THis is a 10* on MILWAUKEE

The Bucks are just plain ridiculous. At 37-6 SU, they are ahead of last year’s pace when they ended up having the best record in the league. If you’re surprised by the size of tonight’s line, you shouldn’t be. Brooklyn may have Kyrie Irving back in the lineup, but that hasn’t mattered so far as they’ve lost games to Utah and Philadelphia. Those are two good teams. But guess what? There aren’t any better teams than Milwaukee. Plus, while Irving is back, the Nets have lost some key support. It looks like backup center DeAndre Jordan is going to have to sit this one out. They may have won by only five points Thursday night, but the Bucks led Boston by as much as 20. They have scored at least 122 points in four straight games. The last three times they’ve gone to Brooklyn, they’ve come out ahead and covered the spread. The Bucks are winning by 12.5 points per game, which is amazing and we see them winning by double digits tonight. Play on MILWAUKEE

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This is a 10* on OVER 

In case you hadn’t noticed yet, Seton Hall is a really good team. The #18 ranked team in the country just went to Butler and won 78-70. We had the Over in that game, which won by more than 20 points. For the Pirates, it was the seventh consecutive win and cover. They are certainly poised to make a jump in next week’s rankings providing they can take care of business here against St. John’s. It won’t be easy. But again we like the Over. St. John’s has its own seven-game streak coming into this game, only with the Under. Obviously, we look for that to end Saturday. The Johnnie’s are coming off a loss at Providence where they did not shoot well. But at home they average 79.5 points/game, a big reason why they have a 10-2 record here in NYC. Seton Hall averages 75.2 points/game, so this one shouldn’t have much trouble going Over. During their win streak, the Pirates have failed to score at least 74 points just once. Play OVER Seton Hall-St Johns

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