College Basketball Best Bets: Three Favorite Picks for Thursday, February 23

Our college basketball best bets are back! Our college basketball best bets are back for a big night in the Big Ten on Thursday, February 23. We're looking to give you some winning best bets using a combination of key stats and trends, as well as some artificial intelligence from our DimersBOT NCAA basketball predictions. With that said, keep reading so that we can help you narrow down what you should be taking on a great day of NCAA basketball betting. If you want insight into our best bets to win the NCAA National Championship, you can check out our best CBB futures. Today we lock in on games involving the Penn State Nittany Lions, Ohio State Buckeyes, Illinois Fighting Illini, Northwestern Wildcats, Michigan Wolverines and Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

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College Basketball Best Bets for Thursday, February 23

Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Ohio State Buckeyes - 6:30PM ET

It's hard to overstate just how much Ohio State's season has fallen off the rails. The Buckeyes are nearly buried, have lost 13 of their last 14 games. The first ten losses in that string came by an average of six points per game. The last three losses came by an average of 22 points per game. The Buckeyes have not covered the spread in 13 of their last 14 games. That's insane! And tonight, they are favorites? Penn State has won two straight games, including a road win over Minnesota. They still have an outside shot of making the NCAA Tournament, but they need to win this game.

BET: Penn State +2.5 (-110) at DraftKings Sportsbook

🏀 Penn State vs. Ohio State Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Penn State vs. Ohio State

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Michigan Wolverines vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knight - 8:30PM ET

Another much-needed road game belongs to the Wolverines, who currently sit just outside the bubble but have a fantastic opportunity tonight. This is a bit of an "injury-off", as Michigan's Terrance Williams has missed two games in a row and Jett Howard did not return against Michigan State after exiting with an ankle injury. Both are questionable for this game, as is Rutgers' Caleb McConnell, who did not play against Wisconsin on Saturday. Rutgers just lost by ten points at home to Nebraska, this is not the same team as it was early in the season. Michigan is 20-8 in February in the Juwan Howard era. His teams get better as the season goes on, and tonight given all the uncertainty, we will side with the more desperate team.

BET: Michigan +5.5 (-110) at DraftKings Sportsbook

🏀 Michigan vs. Rutgers Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Michigan vs. Rutgers

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Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Northwestern Wildcats - 9:00PM ET

Unranked home favorites hosting ranked teams are a whopping 30-14 against the spread this season. Illinois has won eight of their last nine home games, all by nine points or more. Something has to give here - as Northwestern has been road warriors this season. The Wildcats are coming off a series of three straight games at home, and it will be a bit of a shock to step into a raucous State Farm Center crowd tonight. All eyes are on Northwestern, as they attempt to chase down Purdue for a share of the Big Ten title, but the moment may just get a little too big for them tonight.

BET: Illinois -5.5 (-110) at DraftKings Sportsbook

Best College Basketball Parlay Today

There are numerous different ways you can wager on College Basketball games in 2023, such as the moneyline, spread, total, player and team props, and, of course, parlays. While we normally suggest taking our picks on their own, we also really love parlays! With that said, check out the fat payout you can get by throwing all of our best bets together tonight. 

🔥 Penn State +2.5
🔥 Michigan +5.5
🔥 Illinois -6

*All odds and lines correct at time of publishing