This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series.
We got back on track with a solid 2-1 Monday, and today's college hoops menu is very appetizing. I rarely go with so much chalk, but there are quite a few favorites with favorable situations that warrant a Best Bet distinction. On the year, I'm 40-44/-4 units with plenty of time to get into the black -- let's continue in that direction today!
Merrimack Warriors vs Marist Red Foxes 
I love me some MAACtion, and Marist has been a favorite of mine so far this year. In fact, my initial lean was to Marist, but the Red Foxes have struggled since losing senior Jackson Price. They are 1-2 without Price with two bad losses (at No. 343 Fairfield and a home loss to No. 283 Iona) and a one-point win at lower-level Siena. Merrimack has a chance to take sole ownership of first place with a win today, and the Warriors have handled their business at home. The macro trends favor Marist, but I'm going with recent form over trends with Merrimack today.
College Basketball Best Bet: Merrimack -3.5 (@ DraftKings)
New Mexico Lobos -5.5 vs Utah State Aggies 
Once again, the Mountain West is bringing talent to the table with SEVEN top-100 teams residing in the conference. This game brings together the top two teams in the standings with New Mexico all the way up to No. 36 in the KenPom rankings. The Lobos are No. 4 in tempo with a goal of overwhelming teams with their speed and depth -- a strategy that has served them well at 21-4 on the year. UNM is not only undefeated at The Pit in Mountain West play, but it has dominated the other top teams in the conference with a 14-point win over No. 43 San Diego State, a 19-point win over No. 49 Boise State and a 22-point win over No. 71 Colorado State. Utah State is a good team that will keep this close for a while, but I see the Lobos pulling away in the second half with their superior talent and depth in front of the home crowd.
College Basketball Best Bet: New Mexico -5.5 (universal)
Louisville Cardinals at Notre Dame Fighting Irish 
The Louisville resurgence is real and glorious under head man Pat Kelsey. The Cardinals are on a 13-1 SU run, with their only loss coming to a Georgia Tech squad that has proven it can get hot and take out good teams. Louisville has offset that road loss in spades, particularly with its impressive 25-point beat down at No. 46 SMU. Notre Dame is 5-8 in the ACC and is just now entering the hard part of the conference schedule. Of its first 13 conference games, only THREE have come against top-100 teams! Starting today, Notre Dame's next six will be against top-100 teams. The step up in competition will be overwhelming for an Irish team that is without senior starter Matt Allocco.
College Basketball Best Bet: Louisville -7.5 (universal)
Sunday College Basketball Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best college basketball bets for Sunday, February 16:
- Merrimack -3.5 (@ DraftKings)
- New Mexico -5.5 (universal)
- Louisville -7.5 (universal)
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.
