Lock Mamba

Pickswise Expert

My name is Robby Nardini and I have been a diehard college basketball fan my whole life. I am a former University of Illinois basketball manager and have been writing about college hoops since I moved on from the program in 2020. My gambling picks here on Pickswise are heavily calculated by using my overall college basketball knowledge, specific trends and analytical sites such as KenPom, Bart Torvik, Evan Miya and more. I write here at Pickswise as well as Illinois basketball specific outlets such as Armchair Illini and The Champaign Room. You can find me on X @robbynardini and @lockmamba, where I write a wide range of college hoops focused pieces and do my own Bracketology.

Live Picks 3

Live Parlays 0

Weekly News Articles 0

Location

Chicago, Illinois

Favorite Sports

NFL

MLB

CBB

Favorite Teams

Greatest Betting Win

My best betting memory is having a Same Game Parlay on the Buccaneers and Rams game back when Tom Brady was the quarterback. DraftKings gave me a $25 no sweat bet to use on the game so I created a same game parlay to win $3,250. The parlay was Tyler Higbee to score the first touchdown, Cooper Kupp anytime touchdown, Chris Godwin anytime touchdown and Rams money line (plus money). Tyler Higbee scored the first touchdown of the game followed by Kupp scoring the second and Godwin scoring the third. The touchdown’s all hit in the first half, so all I needed was for the Rams to get the upset win. They got the job done and I cashed the $3,250 parlay!

Greatest Achievements

+40.65 units overall as a college basketball handicapper from plays tweeted out and tracked on Lock Mamba Twitter. Featured on the Bracket Matrix Bracketology website which includes the best Bracketologist out there from ESPN, CBS, etc. Braves to win the 2021 World Series at +1000 odds. Kansas Jayhawks to win the 2022 NCAAB National Championship.

Education

Lock Mamba has his Bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Recreation, Sport & Tourism from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He also received a certification in Sports Media from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Experience

Lock Mamba has been working with Pickswise writing college basketball previews for three years and has proven to be one of the best out there. He gained interest in sports betting through playing fantasy football and participating in numerous sports pools ran by friends over the years. His official college basketball plays tweeted off his Lock Mamba twitter account have an all-time ROI of 6.49% and is +40.65 units. As of February 16th , his NCAAB plays tweeted and tracked are +21.45 units. Lock Mamba has also tapped into other sports such as NFL, NBA and MLB showing that he can provide great knowledge in every sport.

Favorite betting market / type

Point Spreads and Futures.

Favorite bookmakers

Lock's Picks

Game Totals Pick

Over 178.0(-110)

Reasoning

The Arizona Wildcats and the Alabama Crimson Tide will face off on Saturday night in Birmingham for a ranked matchup. It will be a top-15 tilt inside Legacy Arena with Arizona ranked #1 in the country and Alabama ranked #12. It’s a semi- home game for Alabama, but Arizona is still a slight favorite in this one. ‘Zona is currently -1.5 but my best bet of the game is the over.

Both teams boast efficient offenses and play a high-paced style. The Crimson Tide are one of the fastest teams in the country and like to shoot as many 3s as they can, so their up-and-down style should dictate a fast-paced game. According to KenPom, Alabama is ranked #9 nationally in adjusted tempo and #9 in average offensive possession length. Likewise, Arizona is ranked #34 in adjusted tempo and #41 in average offensive possession length.

Elite offense should be on display all night as both Alabama and Arizona are ranked inside the top 23 in points per game this season. Alabama is ranked #2 in adjusted offensive efficiency; Arizona is ranked #9 per KenPom. A battle between 2 top-10 offenses and fast-paced teams should help carry the total over.

Arizona vs Alabama prediction: Over 178 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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Lock Mamba

Point Spread Pick

Michigan -19.0(-110)

Reasoning

The Michigan Wolverines will travel to College Park on Saturday for a Big Ten matchup against the Maryland Terrapins. Maryland is 6-4 on the season under new head coach Buzz Williams and has lost 3 out of the last 4 games. The Terps’ last 3 high-major games have resulted in blowout losses. Michigan has been one of the best teams in the entire country this season and is now #1. The Wolverines are -19 on the road and I like them to cover.

The Wolverines have blown out every opponent they have played over their last 6 games. They have moved from preseason #11 KenPom ranked to the #1 ranked team following their routs of Middle Tennessee, San Diego State, Auburn, Gonzaga, Rutgers and Villanova. Their defense should make it very hard for Maryland’s offense to score in this one, as Michigan’s defense is ranked #1 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency and #1 in 2-point percentage. Maryland’s offense is ranked in #277 in 2-point percentage and #130 overall, so I do not see the Terps having much success in this one.

Michigan vs Maryland: Michigan -19 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at -20.

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Lock Mamba

Game Totals Pick

Under 131.5(-110)

Reasoning

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights will make the short trip to Newark on Saturday for a non-conference matchup against the Seton Hall Pirates. This game will be played at Seton Hall this season for the Garden State Hardwood Classic. The Pirates are 9-1 on the year and are a big favorite in this one. Seton Hall is an 11-point favorite, but my best bet of the game is the under.

The total is set at just 131.5 points, and I believe the total will remain under that number. I like the under here because both teams play slow and do not have good offenses. According to KenPom, Seton Hall is ranked #299 in adjusted tempo and Rutgers is ranked #294. It should be a slow-paced game and neither offense is efficient enough for me to back the over. Rutgers’ offense is ranked #160 in adjusted offensive efficiency, #275 in effective field-goal percentage and #321 in 2-point percentage. Seton Hall’s offense is ranked #122 in adjusted offensive efficiency, #181 in effective field-goal percentage and #210 in 2-point percentage. I do not see either offense being good enough to carry the total over, especially against a Seton Hall defense that is ranked #13 nationally in adjusted efficiency. I’m taking the under.

Rutgers vs Seton Hall prediction: Under 131.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to 130.

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Lock Mamba