This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series.
The February Grind is real, folks. As we enter dive deep into the second half of conference schedules, the opponents are familiar and the lines get tighter. A 1-2 Sunday was not what I had in mind, and I'll be very honest -- today's slate is one of the toughest to decipher that I've seen all year. I'll never back down from a good challenge, but I advise we proceed with caution today. Let's jump in.
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats vs Jackson State Tigers 
Both teams sit in the five-team cluster at 8-4 in the SWAC and both are off upset losses. B-C has been a strong team for me all year, and its upset loss came at home on Saturday, its first home loss of the year. I don't see the Wildcats losing back-to-back home games, and with the short line, I like the value on a B-C bounce back.
College Basketball Best Bet: Bethune-Cookman -1.5 (universal)
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at East TAMU Lions 
SFA has struggled mightily on the offensive side all year, but has shown signs of life of late. Winners of five of six and four straight, the 'Jacks recorded three wins over top-300 teams while scoring 70 points or more in each in each win. ETAMU does have three home wins over top-300 teams, so it does have the ability to pull an upset if SFA is not careful, but the Jacks are a proud team and can still play their way into the upper half of the Southland Conference with a strong finish to the season.
College Basketball Best Bet: Stephen F. Austin -4.5 (universal)
Texas Southern Tigers at Southern Jaguars 
This should be a heckuva game in the SWAC. Southern is the class of the conference with a three-game lead and 11-1 record, but Texas Southern has been a very tough team to beat. After opening SWAC play with a nine-point loss to Southern on Jan 4, the Tigers ripped off seven straight wins before losing sixth-man Jaylen Wysinger. Without Wysinger, the Tigers lost three in a row but battled to 1, 2, and 3-point losses before picking up a win on Saturday against Grambling. Texas Southern may not have the horses to pull off an outright road win, but I'll happily take all those points for a team that never quits.
College Basketball Best Bet: Texas Southern +7.5 (@ BetMGM)
Monday College Basketball Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best college basketball bets for Monday, February 17:
- Bethune-Cookman -1.5 (universal)
- Stephen F. Austin -4.5 (universal)
- Texas Southern +7.5 (@ BetMGM)
For up-to-date information on the latest college basketball betting odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the college basketball odds page on RotoWire.
