Best NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions: Friday CBB
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Fri Mar 13, 2026, 1:45 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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We already have 15 tickets to the Big Dance punched, and despite not having any conference championships today, we will have 16 more automatic qualifiers by the end of the weekend. Some major conference tournaments are down to their final four, as the ACC, the Big 12, and the Big East play their semifinals today, while the Big Ten and SEC give us their quarterfinal matchups. Another great day of college hoops is upon us, so let's check out our favorite NCAA Basketball picks for Friday the 13th!
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Best NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions March 13
#25 Tennessee Volunteers vs. #22 Vanderbilt Commodores NCAA Basketball Picks
Give me the Commodores over the Volunteers today at Bridgestone Arena
Best Bet: Vanderbilt ML (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Despite the steam on the Volunteers, I like the Commodores to get the job done in the SEC Tournament today. For starters, Tennessee has some tired legs as they went toe to toe with the Auburn Tigers last night, beating them and successfully ending their shot at the NCAA Tournament. Now they face an in-state rival in Music City. The two teams split earlier this season, as the Volunteers won by four in Nashville but Vanderbilt returned the favor in Knoxville to end the season. Simply put, the Vols do not have the offense to keep up.
Vanderbilt likes to run, they shoot the ball extremely well and very often from beyond the arc, and we saw that in the regular season finale. The Commodores shot 53% from the field and 50% from deep overall. Are they going to keep that up at Bridgestone Arena? Probably not to that extent. However, despite the regression that is coming, they are much more balanced on both sides of the basketball, and they'll look to push the pace. Turning this into a shootout is what the Dores want to do, I think they are more than capable of doing so, and it's March. We can't trust Rick Barnes in March.
#18 Purdue Boilermakers vs. #7 Nebraska Cornhuskers NCAA Basketball Picks
Braden Smith and the Boilermakers should take down the Huskers tonight in Chicago
Best Bets: Purdue -4 (-105) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
I am all over the Boilermakers tonight. For starters, they already beat this Nebraska team in Lincoln earlier this year as underdogs. Were they up big in that game? Yes. Did they melt down in the final few minutes and let the Huskers force overtime? Also, yes. Why would they do everything in their power to try and let Nebraska back into the game? That I can't answer. However, I trust Matt Painter to not let it happen again.
Nebraska is a corpse. I have extremely little faith in the Cornhuskers after their success in their weaker non-conference schedule. Despite finishing second in the Big Ten, arguably the second best league in college hoops this year, I would fade them against Michigan, Sparty, Illinois and even Wisconsin. And based on these odds, the books agree with me. Purdue is favored for a reason on this neutral site, and with Nebraska having not played in this arena yet, I see them starting slow. The Huskers finished the season winning four of their last five, but look at who they beat. They ended with three of those four wins over Penn State, Maryland and USC. The Nittany Lions and Terps finished in the last two spots of the Big Ten. Not exactly wins against stellar competition for the Huskers. Tonight they are in for a wake up call.
Purdue should leave no doubt and then rest up for a Big Ten semifinal against (likely) Michigan State.
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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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