NCAA Basketball Season Heats Up Now – February 12

Now that the Super Bowl is over, the NCAA basketball season takes center stage. It won’t be long before NCAA basketball teams begin playing in their own conference tournaments. Once all of the conference tournaments are complete, you know what that means? March Madness! The NCAA basketball tournament will be here before you know it. 

Mondays are typically a slow day in NCAA basketball. After a weekend full of dozens of games, most teams take Monday off to recover and get ready for the week ahead. However, there are 16 games on tonight’s NCAA basketball schedule. One of those just happens to be a primetime Big 12 showdown between No. 4 Kansas and No. 23 Texas Tech. That game starts at 9:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN. The Red Raiders (17-6, 6-4) are a 1-point home favorite over the Jayhawks (19-5, 7-4).

Big Week in NCAA Basketball

This is a big week in NCAA basketball as teams are now in March Madness prep mode. Defending champion UConn (20-2) remains the No. 1-ranked team in the country. Purdue (21-2), North Carolina (18-4), and Kansas round out the top four teams in the country. They are the likely No. 1 seeds in the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament. Houston, which is 19-3 overall, is ranked No. 5 and is in the mix for a No. 1 seed. The Cougars lost to Kansas on Feb. 3. Both teams were No. 1 seeds in last year’s NCAA basketball tournament.

In the latest edition of bracketology, one of the big surprises is that you will not find perennial power Gonzaga anywhere. They are not among the bubble teams, the first four out, or even the next four out. The Bulldogs are 18-6 overall and 8-2 in the West Coast Conference. They just lost to Saint Mary’s 64-62 last week, but rebounded over the weekend to beat No. 17 Kentucky. 

Gonzaga has made every single NCAA basketball tournament since the 1998-99 season. The Bulldogs have made 24 straight NCAA basketball tournaments and qualified in every season of head coach Mark Few’s tenure. The win over Kentucky will help their cause for an at-large bid if the Bulldogs do not win the WCC tournament. Wins over San Francisco and Saint Mary’s in the final two regular season games would also be a boost.

Super Cappers Nail Super Bowl

Yesterday was, of course, Super Bowl Sunday and Sports Hub’s handicappers were all over it. Dozens and dozens of picks were put into our database by our expert cappers. Guess what? There were dozens and dozens of wins. Moneyline, point spread, totals, props, you name it. Our guys nailed it. 

Our top dog yesterday was Sports Hub expert Sean Kuchman, who came up big on the big game. 

Let’s see how he did.

• Super Bowl winner: Sean Kuchman put in 17 Super Bowl picks yesterday and one on the NBA. He ended up 11-7 and took home $305. He hit on Kansas City +2 and the rest of his picks were all props.
• Sports Hub rules: It was a four-way tie for second-place on the board yesterday. Four Sports Hub exclusive handicappers each went 3-0 and won $300. Mario Deluca also hit on Kansas City +2. Frankie the Fan, Al Grant, and the Sports Hub Insider all enjoyed perfect days. Frankie’s perfect day just happened to be on NCAA basketball picks.
• The Coach & The Hawk: Coach Rick was another of our Sports Hub handicappers to pick the Chiefs. The Coach had Kansas City +2.5 as part of his 4-1 day that netted him $292. Mike Hawk wagered on the big game, but the results were two pushes. He still went 3-0 and is up $1347 for the last 30 days. That is sixth overall on the 30-day leaderboard. 

Mahomes Wins Third Super Bowl MVP

It was an epic Super Bowl last night. It was just the second overtime game in the Super Bowl era. Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes led a fourth-quarter drive to tie the game at the end of regulation. Then, he directed a game-winning 13-play, 75-yard drive to win it in overtime. 

Here’s what’s trending today.

• MVP No. 3: After leading that game-winning drive, Mahome was awarded his third Super Bowl MVP. Mahomes is now tied with legendary Hall of Famer Joe Montana for second place on the list of Most Super Bowl MVPs. Tom Brady is the leader with five. Mahomes finished 34-of-46 for 333 yards and two touchdowns. The most important of those scores was his three-yard TD pass to Mecole Hardman with three seconds remaining in the first overtime period.

• Overtime rules: Once again, NFL players said they did not know the overtime rules for a postseason game. A number of 49ers players said they were unaware of the playoff overtime rules, which differ from those in the regular season.
• Public wins big: It was only the second overtime game in the history of the Super Bowl. That actually paid out big for the betting public. It allowed the total to just get Over the consensus closing 46.5. Also, it was one of the biggest paying prop bets – Will there be overtime in Super Bowl LVIII? 

NCAA Basketball & the NBA Top Today’s Schedule

Despite a light NCAA basketball schedule tonight, there are a few key games in conference races. Check it out below and make sure you visit the Sports Hub members’ area for winning NCAA basketball picks. 

There is more than just NCAA basketball tonight. The NBA has a full schedule of games as they get ready for the All-Star break later this week. There is NHL, soccer, and tons of tennis action around the world today. 

Here’s what’s on tap.

• NCAA basketball: The big games tonight are Wake Forest at ninth-ranked Duke in the ACC and a Big 12 battle between No. 4 Kansas and No. 23 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are at home tonight. They are 12-1 SU at home this season.
• 10 NBA games: It’s a full schedule tonight in the NBA with 20 teams in action. The NBATV doubleheader features four of the best in the league right now. Defending NBA champ Denver is at Milwaukee and the two teams atop the Western Conference – Minnesota and the LA Clippers – play tonight in Los Angeles. 

• NHL: There are only four NHL games on the schedule tonight. Over the last 30 days Coach Rick (19-10, $763) and Sal Lombardi (31-24, $615) have been crushing their hockey picks.
• Elite soccer: There are matches in some of the world’s top soccer leagues. The English Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, and Italy’s Serie A all have matches today. 
• Tennis: The men’s ATP Tour currently has six tournaments on the schedule: the Cordoba Open, Open 13 Provence, Dallas Open, ABN Amro Open, Delray Beach Open, and IEB+ Argentina Open. It’s the same on the WTA Tour where the women are playing in four tournaments: L&T Mumbai Open, Transylvania Open, the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, and the Qatar Total Energies Open.

The Super Bowl is complete and that means no more football until late August. No worries. There is plenty of NCAA basketball to keep us busy through March and early April. By that time, the NBA and NHL postseasons will be upon us. All that means is that there is still lots of betting value even if it isn’t football season anymore. 

Dig into the Sports Hub picks database and set yourself up for some big wins today. If you’re not a member, it’s easy to become one. Click on that orange button above to get started. You won’t be disappointed. See you back here tomorrow!