Saturday College Basketball Predictions: Two Best Bets

It’s Saturday on the college hardwood, and we’re going to focus on local games which are driveable by bus due to Friday’s FAA national ground stop, and the potential of delays or postponements due to travel issues. We have three total games postponed already, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see more as Saturday unfolds.We have an extremely lengthy slate of games on top, running for roughly 12 hours from noon ET until midnight ET. It will be a busy day in conjunction with college football, NBA and NHL.PENN VS. SAINT JOSEPH’SThe Penn Quakers (1-2) and the Saint Joseph’s Hawks (3-0) meet at the Michael J. Hagan ‘85 Arena in Philadelphia in a Big 5 rivalry game. The best part is that it’s a simple bus ride for the Quakers, so air travel won’t be involved for the rare trip to St. Joe’s. Tip off is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.The City of Brotherly Love rivals met at the historic Palestra last season, with the Quakers picking up an 83-74 win as 5.5-point underdogs as the Under (162.5) cashed. St. Joe’s has won five of the past six meetings, though, while also going 5-1 against the spread (ATS).St. Joe’s is good for 77.3 points per game (PPG) in three victories so far, while allowing 70.0 PPG. The Hawks failed to cover in the first two wins, however, which was a narrow win over Longwood, and an OTW against Lafayette. They were very impressive against South Florida last time out, however, beating the Bulls 83-80 on a neutral floor as 6.5-point underdogs as the Over (151.5) connected.Penn has dropped two of the past three games, with both losses on the road against Illinois and Navy. The only victory came against Howard on Monday, 78-65, covering as a 6.5-point favorite. The Over has cashed in both games on the road. The total has gone high in five of the past seven meetings in this series, too.As such, we’re going to back SAINT JOSEPH’S -4.5 (-110) laying the points, and let’s go UNDER 152.5 (-105). The total has gone low in two of the past three meetings, and when these rivals meet, we can get some forced shots and early nerves. Our Current Best OffersChannel debug: betting LOUISIANA TECH VS. NICHOLLSThe Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (2-1) head to Thibodaux to battle the Nicholls Colonels (1-2) at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.The Bulldogs rolled to a pair of victories to open the season, but they were manhandled by LSU in Baton Rouge on Monday night, 90-50, so proceed with caution. However, we should see a result closer to La. Tech’s win over Kent State in the opener, when it posted an 85-75 victory as 5.5-point underdogs.Nicholls has dropped back-to-back games to UAB and Tulane in its only two games against Division I opponents, while the Under has cashed in both outings.Louisiana Tech leads the all-time series 17-2, including a 68-55 win in Ruston in the most recent meeting Dec. 2, 2023. The Bulldogs have won five in a row in this series since 1994.Let’s take the LOUISIANA TECH MONEYLINE (+110), while going UNDER 138.5 (-115) for the total. Our Current Best OffersChannel debug: betting