Best College Basketball Bets for Tuesday, March 10: WCC Finals and CAA Final

• This will be the fourth time Gonzaga and Santa Clara have faced off in the tournament final; Gonzaga has won all three

• This will be Monmouth’s first appearance in the CAA Tournament Final and Hofstra’s fifth appearance (1-3)

Power Four conference tournaments are getting underway, but we will not see the good teams playing just yet. So, rather than cover games between two lackluster teams, let's take a look at a pair of small conference title games for today’s Best College Basketball Bets.

Let’s start with the West Coast Conference tournament final between the Santa Clara Broncos and the No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs, and then move on to the CAA tournament final between the Monmouth Hawks and Hofstra Pride.

West Coast Conference Final: Santa Clara Broncos vs. No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs Odds & Pick

• Spread: Santa Clara +6.5 (-110) | Gonzaga -6.5 (-110)   

• Moneyline: Santa Clara +230 | Gonzaga -285

• Total: OVER 162.5 (-110) | UNDER 162.5 (-110)

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History certainly favors Gonzaga in this matchup; the Bulldogs and Broncos have played 59 times over the years. Gonzaga has won 53 of them. However, while Gonzaga has won the last three, Santa Clara has won two of the last six. So, a Broncos win is not unheard of.

But how can it happen?

In Gonzaga’s three losses this season, there were a few common elements that the winning teams had.

•  All three (Michigan, Portland, and Saint Mary’s) won the rebound battle vs. the Bulldogs; not by much, but they did.

•  Michigan hit 13 three-pointers to Gonzaga’s three and won the paint (42-34).

•  Portland dominated the paint, 40-26, but lost the three-point battle (they hit seven; Gonzaga hit ten).

• Saint Mary’s hit 16 three-pointers to the Bulldogs’ five.

Santa Clara has a high-scoring offense (t-No. 30 in the country, 83.5 ppg) and does a lot of work behind the line (10.1 three-pointers per game, t-No. 30). As far as their rebounding goes, they are decent but not great (No. 5 in the conference).

In both regular-season games, the Broncos won the three-point battle but lost the rebounding battle, and got dominated in the paint.

• My Pick: Santa Clara +6.5

On paper, Gonzaga should easily win this game; they are the better team by far in so many ways. However, if a team can go off behind the three-point line while the Bulldogs struggle from that range, there is upset potential.

In their last three games, Santa Clara made 11, 15, and 13 three-pointers. Gonzaga made three against Oregon State. I’m not going to be shocked if Santa Clara wins, but I’m going to  be cautious and take the points.

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CAA Championship Final: Monmouth Hawks vs. Hofstra Pride Odds & Pick

• Spread: Monmouth +5.5 (-110) | Hofstra -5.5 (-110)        

• Moneyline: Monmouth +195 | Hofstra -240

• Total: OVER 136.5 (-110) | UNDER 136.5 (-110)

Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook

From a historical perspective, these two teams have a competitive rivalry going on. Hofstra leads the all-time series, 10-9, and won both regular-season games. But Monmouth won the previous three, including when they met last year in the second round of the tournament.

The first game was tight; Hofstra won the rebound battle and had an advantage at the free-throw line, but Monmouth had more points off turnovers. In the end, Hofstra pulled out a 67-64 win in OT.

As for the second, Hofstra dominated the rebound battle again, but also sank 11 three-pointers to Monmouth’s three (final score 73-57, Hofstra).

• My Pick: Hofstra -4.5

Hofstra has a solid defense (No. 19 in the country, allowing 66 ppg) and plays decent offense (averaging 9.6 three-pointers per game). Monmouth’s strength is also its defense (No. 93, 70.7 ppg allowed), but it averages just 72.8 ppg on offense and does not defend the perimeter well.

We know the Pride will take their shots from three-point range (avg. 25.9 per game). The Hawks do not defend well against them, so it will all come down to whether they can hit their shots enough to win the game.

It is more likely that they do than don’t.

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