NCAA Basketball Predictions, Odds & Best Bets (3/31)

We don’t have any NCAA Tournament games until this weekend, but the College Basketball Crown kicks off tonight in Las Vegas. This brand new postseason tournament features 16 teams playing in bracket-style competition until we have a champion! Let’s dive in to our College Hoops best bets for tonight in Sin City.

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NCAA Basketball Best Bets – March 31st, 2025

Utah vs Butler: College Basketball Crown Predictions

Best Bets: Butler +2 (-110) BetOnline

We are backing the underdog in this opening matchup, mainly for a couple of reasons.

Number one, the Utes will try and speed this game up, but I trust Butler to control the pace of the game. Plus playing faster will not be in Utah’s favor tonight. Number two, the Utes cannot play away from home.

In 13 games away from home this season, the Utes pulled off just one win. Just one. That’s it. Their advanced analytics take a major hit on the road as well, and while this isn’t an away game, and it is close to Utah, it’s still outside of their home gym.

Utah ranks 122nd in eFG%, 59th in FT Rate, and are Top 75 overall in both offensive and defensive efficiency. However, away from their home gym, they rank 284th in eFG%, 282nd in FT Rate (and 303rd in FT Rate Defense), as well as dropping to 138th in offensive efficiency and out of top 100 in defensive efficiency. They can’t take care of the ball (337th TO Rate) and don’t force turnovers either (340th), plus they give up tons of offensive rebounds. Plain and simple, the Utes struggle outside of their home gym.

Butler does not. Their analytics stay relatively the same no matter where they play, and personally I just think they might be the better team. Utah was hot during the middle of the season but has fizzled out since then. I think they fizzle out of the College Basketball Crown tonight with a loss to Butler.

Georgetown vs Washington State: College Basketball Crown Predictions

Best Bets: Washington State +3 (-110) BetOnline

We are going with another underdog for the late night game in Sin City. For starters, Georgetown will be playing this game at 1:00am local time, and perhaps even later if there are some delays. While I don’t think this has too much merit, it is worth mentioning.

It’s also worth talking about the fact that the Cougars are going to speed this ball game up, and test the Hoyas defense. They shoot incredibly well from everywhere on the court, and it’s always tough to stop, especially considering the amount of possessions they create each contest.

Washington State ranks 9th in eFG% overall, shooting over 36.5% from deep (Top 50) and 58% from inside the arc (8th). They rank Top 40 in assist rate, Top 30 in pace, and shoot threes on over 41% of their possessions. The one thing they struggle with is taking care of the basketball, but the Hoyas have had problems forcing turnovers over their last 10 games. Plus when you generate 70+ possessions per game and shoot as well as they do, the Cougars can afford a few TOs here and there.

Georgetown is better defensively than on offense, but they are ranking 345th in eFG% Defense over their past 10 games. They are also Bottom 20 in FT Rate and Bottom 5 in 2P% defense recently. The wrong team is favored here, and I’ll take the West Coast Cougars to take down the visiting Hoyas.

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