Best NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions: Thursday College Hoops
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Thu Feb 12, 2026, 10:56 am ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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It's a packed Thursday slate of college hoops with plenty of low and mid majors schools in play. Let's waste no time and dive into our CBB experts' favorite NCAA Basketball picks for today's board.
Go check out what else I've got on my daily card, and view the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks.
Best NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions February 12
Vermont Catamounts vs. Binghamton Bearcats NCAA Basketball Picks
TJ Hurley and the Catamounts take on the Binghamton Bearcats on the road tonight
Best Bet: Vermont/Binghamton Under 138 (-107) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Binghamton and Vermont go head to head tonight for the second time this season. We already saw a game end with 119 total points last time they met, and I don't see anything changing. The Bearcats are extremely slow, and they drop into the bottom 40 in the country in pace in their own gym. They also have a completely non-existent offense, ranking bottom 20 in overall efficiency, bottom 50 in 2P% (where over 70% of their shots come from), and are the fifth worst offensive rebounding team in the nation.
As for the Catamounts, they love to slow things down as well, ranking No. 319 in possessions per game overall. Vermont is also north of 300 at getting to the line and grabbing second chance rebounds, yet they are second in the nation in defensive rebounding. While neither defense is stellar, the pace alone should keep this game under the total. We only saw 62 possessions in their earlier meeting, and I don't see anything changing with the Bearcats hosting.
Memphis Tigers vs. North Texas Mean Green NCAA Basketball Picks
Sincere Parker adds 11.3 points and 3.1 rebounds for the Tigers
Best Bet: Memphis/North Texas Under 137 (-108) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
The Mean Green host the Tigers in a revenge spot at home, and we are backing both defenses. We already saw an extremely low scoring game the first time these teams played. They hardly combined for 100 points, as the Tigers beat North Texas 57-48, yet we are essentially seeing the exact same total.
Should that worry me? Maybe. But North Texas is at home where they will control the pace of the game, and they do not like to speed things up.
While Memphis is top 70 in pace, they are No. 216 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 251 in eFG%. Defensively, they rank No. 26 and No. 38 in those categories nationally. North Texas is No. 308 overall in possessions per game, but drop all the way into the bottom 25 in their own gym, averaging less than 65 trips up and down the floor per contest. They also boast a top 40 defense in terms of efficiency and opponent eFG%, but admittedly the offense can struggle with putting the ball in the hoop.
Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Belmont Bruins NCAA Basketball Picks
Trey Campbell puts up 13.5 points and 3.8 assists per game for the Panthers this season
Best Bet: Northern Iowa +5 (-105) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Plug your nose and back the Panthers with me as two possession underdogs on the road. Belmont was on a nine game winning streak before losing to Bradley in overtime on the road on Monday. This seems like a "bounce back" spot at home against a Northern Iowa team that isn't all that scary. However, there shouldn't be a lot of points in this game and I think the visitors are catching too many.
Belmont beat this team already on the road, which kicked off their nearly double digit winning streak. Sure, the Bruins like to run, but they also play great defense, don't crash the glass, and keep their foes off of the free throw line. Northern Iowa will do everything they can to slow this game down.
The Panthers, despite ranking No. 83 overall are top 20 in both adjusted defensive efficiency and opponent eFG%, along with ranking top 70 in FT Rate defense and are No. 12 in offensive rebounds allowed. Offensively, they are bottom 10 at grabbing boards and getting to the stripe.
But they have the No. 1 perimeter defense in the nation and jump into the top five nationally defensively in nine true road games. The defense steps up when they need it away from home, and being the fifth slowest team in the country gives me faith that they can limit the Bruins scoring and keep this one close.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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