By Ryan Coleman

It was a bit of a tough week for me betting wise previously but I was dealing with some personal and professional issues so I wasn’t as engaged as I needed to be. But I am back and better than ever to provide you with some picks.

Disclaimer: I write this article the night before and it gets published the afternoon of the games. If there is a line change and you have any questions feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @ryancoleman_98. 

Creighton at Marquette
7:30 central, Fox Sports 1
Line: Marquette -3.0

The Pick: Creighton +3.0

Not only has this Bluejay team been on fire of late but they handily beat Marquette earlier in the season. The reason why is because Creighton doesn’t send teams to the line and has a pretty solid perimeter defense. Marquette finds a lot of their scoring from beyond the arc and at the charity stripe. Creighton seems to match up offensively well with Marquette posting 92 points against them last game and if you think it was just a fluke, their last three games they have scored 94, 87 and 93. The Big East has been a roller coaster this year but I’ll take Creighton on this one. 

Baylor at Oklahoma
8:00 pm central, ESPN2
Line: Baylor -3.5

The Pick: Baylor -3.5

Really? Again with these small road lines for Baylor? I really don’t understand it. Sure they played before but that was almost a month ago and this Bears team has only gotten better. They may not have the most efficient offense but Baylor will rebound the life out of Oklahoma and suffocate the Sooners on defense. I will trust this Baylor team until they prove me to be wrong. Bear on!

Kentucky at LSU
8:00 pm central, ESPN
Line: LSU -2.5

The Pick: LSU -2.5 (POD)

This is a tough one. LSU has basically lost all my confidence but I haven’t trusted Kentucky since the beginning of the season. LSU lines up remarkably well however against the Wildcats and of course there’s the home field advantage. The Tigers never foul and the Wildcats live and breathe by getting to the foul line so that isn’t good for the boys in blue. LSU is due for a bounce back game, especially at home, and I think they take this one down. Kentucky has actually been a better team on the road but LSU really matches up well with Kentucky and I am confident on this one. 

Dayton at VCU
7:30 pm central, ESPN
Line: Dayton -3.0

The Pick: Dayton -3.0 (POD pt. 2)

Oh that’s right, I almost forgot how Dayton beat VCU by 14 the last time they played. This may be at VCU but the Rams only play slightly better at home than Dayton does on the road. This VCU has really hit a roadblock recently losing two tough games. I have zero doubt in this Dayton team, especially in this game.

Purdue at Wisconsin
6:00 pm central, ESPN
Line: Wisconsin -4.0

The Pick: Purdue +4.0

Yes, I know that Purdue doesn’t play well on the road but Wisconsin has been playing pretty terrible of late, ranking 336th in Haslametrics’ momentum ranking with Purdue ranking 74th. This Badger team already lost to Purdue 70-51 and the Boilermakers can simply run it back with their play calling. I am not crazy confident about this one but give me the black and gold here.

Arkansas at Florida
6:00 pm, ESPNU
Line: Florida -7.0

The Pick: Arkansas +7.0

What this game comes down to is how much Florida fouls. They rank 251st in defensive free throw rate (that means they’re bad) and Arkansas ranks 27th in offensive free throw rate (that means they’re good). Not only this but the Gators two-foul participation percentage is incredibly low meaning if any of their key players foul early, something that is likely to happen, they are going to get pulled from the game and Arkansas should gain an advantage. I would sprinkle some Arkansas moneyline here especially considering Florida hasn’t had their classic fall apart game of late. 

Last Time: 5-10
POD: 10-5-1
Season Total: 212-171-7*

*While I don’t publish all of my plays you can see each of my picks by following me on the Action Sports Network app @RcCola3