Saturdays aren't only for college football.
There's plenty of college basketball action on the docket for Saturday, featuring mainly low- and mid-major action. That's where Three Man Weave and Matt Cox come in.
Cox broke down three games on behalf of the Weave and shared a pick for each, including the Shaheen Holloway Bowl between Seton Hall and Saint Peter's and two other matchups.
Check out all three of Three Man Weave's breakdowns and picks for Saturday's college basketball slate below.
Saturday College Basketball Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our Three Man Weave's Matt Cox is targeting from today's slate of games. Click the team logos for one of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
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| Specific bet recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Saint Peter's vs. Seton Hall
Saturday, Nov. 12 12 p.m. ET FS2 |
Saint Peter's +17  |
By Matt Cox
The Shaheen Holloway bowl, baby.
Everyone and their mother remembers Saint Peter's glorious run to the Elite Eight last year. The wunderkind Holloway instantly became the hottest name on the coaching carousel, prompting nearby Seton Hall to anoint Holloway, a Queens native, to the head-coaching throne this season.
The schedule shakes out serendipitously. In just his second game as the Seton Hall head honcho, Holloway squares off against his old allies.
The pomp and circumstance surrounding Holloway’s meeting with his old employer accounts for part of the edge in this handicap.
Holloway is sure to drowning in an emotional tsunami of highs and lows, while former players, such as SPU alpha Jaylen Murray, set out to spoil Holloway’s ceremonious reunion.
Moreover, the Peacocks that Holloway left behind are as pesky as ever this year.
Led by another big apple-based rising star in Bashir Mason, who built a perennial NEC power at Wagner, Saint Peter’s is built to thrive in the underdog role. The Peacocks may be undersized relative to Holloway’s power conference roster, but that’s negated by a slew of untimely injuries to the Pirates’ frontline.
At full strength, the likes of Alexis Yetna and Abdou Ndiaye could wall off any prayer of Saint Peter’s scoring at the rim. Without them — or without them at top speed — the Peacocks can compete in the paint and on the glass, which is where this game will be won.
In short, 17 points feels like a mountain to climb for Holloway and his banged-up Pirates.
Pick: Saint Peter's +17 or Better
SIUE vs. IPFW
Saturday, Nov. 12 1 p.m. ET ESPN+ |
Purdue Fort Wayne -10  |
By Matt Cox
The Mastodons were in for a rude awakening in their season-opening loss against Michigan. The host Wolverines controlled Purdue Fort Wayne wire-to-wire in a 22-point defeat and cover, much to the chagrin of Mastodon backers.
Purdue Fort Wayne was far from the only mid-major to take it on the chin an early nonconference buy game defeat.
In fact, let’s peel back the onion of that result. For starters, the Mastodons were without one of their best players in Jarred Godfrey, a first-team all-conference talent regarded as one of the top pro prospects in the Horizon League. He’s the tone setter on both ends, as he showed last year as the catalyst to the Mastodons' red-hot run through the Horizon.
Godfrey will be available today against SIUE after missing the Michigan game for undisclosed reasons. With Godfrey back in the lineup, the roles and pecking order should fall seamlessly back into place.
This price may seem expensive at first glance. However, Purdue Fort Wayne’s been a mini-juggernaut against inferior opponents under Jon Coffman.
For example, the ‘Dons went 11-5 against the spread as a favorite last year, compared to just 8-8 as an underdog. It’s a team built to carve through opponents in the same weight class. That situational context applies here against SIUE.
Lay the points with the Mastodons, reinvigorated by the return of Godfrey.
Pick: Purdue Fort Wayne -10 (Play to -11)
New Mexico State vs. UTEP
Saturday, Nov. 12 9 p.m. ET C-USA TV |
UTEP +1  |
By Matt Cox
The Battle of I-10 rivalry may not be as lopsided as, say, Ohio State-Michigan, but the recent results tilt heavily against our best bet tonight. New Mexico State has won 12 of the last 13 meetings between the two, an impressive streak of dominance sustained in the Chris Jans era at NMSU.
Jans is no longer around, however, as the Aggies are under new stewardship. Greg Heiar is the new boss, and his roots do bear a striking resemblance to Jans’ path. Heiar comes in heralded star amongst the JUCO ranks, which is where Jans’ rise to fame began as well.
However, this new regime has much to prove at this stage of the year. We saw the Aggies dismantle a non-D-I opponent in the opener, but that test won’t prepare them for tonight’s date with the Miners.
Joe Golding’s club could be a thorn in the Aggies’ side this season — after all, this is the first of three meetings between the nearby programs.
In UTEP’s season opener, the Miners hung with Texas for 40 minutes, a result that should age like a fine wine, as Texas may boast a claim as the country’s top defense.
Backing a team with so many new pieces sounds dicey, but the Miners’ roster might actually be more continuous than the Aggies.
On top of that, one of New Mexico State’s top transfer prizes, Xavier Pinson, wasn’t even approved to play until about a week ago. Pinson played modestly in the exhibition opener, but the delay in green lighting his debut could manifest in disjointed chemistry early on.
All in all, the retooled rosters are a wash, as is the collective talent top to bottom. The situational edge is where Golding and his hungry Miners have value tonight as a virtual pick‘em at home.
Pick: UTEP +1 (Play to -2)
