Wise n' Shine: What you need to know to bet better on Saturday, February 26

Andrew Ortenberg

Show Bio

I'm an NFL handicapper here at Pickswise who was raised in a household full of sports fanatics. Since I unfortunately never had LeBron James' jumping ability I wasn't able to make it to the NBA, and chose writing about sports as the next best thing. An avid sports bettor myself, I'm excited to get to write about the industry as it gets set to take off across the country. Buckle up. For Andrew Ortenberg media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.

About Last Night

NBA parlay success continues
Our NBA parlays continued their recent great run on Friday. Heat -5, Magic -4.5 and Spurs -2 all cashed to give us a 3-leg parlay hit at +602. We hit each of our last two parlays before the all-star break, too, meaning we’re now 3-1 in our last four. We have also been crushing it with our same game parlays and just hit one on Thursday for Celtics/Nets at +954 odds.

Offensive explosions in the NHL
There was a lot of action for hockey fans on Friday. Three out of the 6 games saw at least 8 total goals scored, and Devils/Blackhawks turned into an 8-5 shootout in favor of Chicago. In all 6 contests, one or more teams scored at least 3 goals. Our experts went 4-2 on sides in those six games, which included a +140 winner on the Kings’ 3-way money line.

Today’s Slate

Huge NCAAB card
Saturdays during college basketball season are special. 19 of the 25 teams ranked in the latest AP poll will be in action. There are four matchups featuring two teams that are both ranked, including the highly anticipated showdown between Baylor and Kansas on ESPN at 8:00pm ET. Get our picks for all the day’s big NCAAB games.

All day long on the ice
There is also a big NHL slate on Saturday, with games starting at 12:30 pm ET and going the entire night. There are a couple of marquee matchups, including Rangers/Penguins and Lightning/Predators. Read our predictions for today’s NHL matchups.

NBA back in full swing
It’s the first weekend since the all-star break, and we have seven NBA games on the docket to celebrate. The Bucks will host the Nets at 8:30 pm ET on ABC for the only nationally televised game of the slate. Check out our full game previews for all seven NBA games on Saturday.

Best Bet of the Day

Boston Bruins ML (-170) over San Jose Sharks
10:00 pm ET, ESPN+

We have a 3-star best bet for one of the nightcaps of the NHL slate. Boston enters this one riding a three-game winning streak, while the Sharks have looked like one of the worst teams in hockey over the past few weeks. One of those wins for the Bruins was an impressive 5-2 dismantling of an elite Avalanche squad. San Jose is just 2-9 in its last 11, and the Bruins scored four goals on them when these teams first played this season. What really separates these teams is the defenses. Boston is stingy defensively, ranking first in the league in expected goals allowed. The Sharks, on the other hand, have been a sieve of late; they have given up at least 3 goals in 6 straight games. Read our full game preview for Bruins vs Sharks.

Must-watch

Make sure you catch today’s edition of our daily sports betting show, Let’s Bet It!, at 10:00 am ET on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/Pickswise. Today, Alex Glaze and Jared Smith will be joined by Mark Zinno to discuss the massive college basketball and NBA slates. Plus, we’ll be having NHL Ice Picks and the team’s Plays of the Day.

Must-read

There’s a gigantic college basketball slate on the horizon, and NCAAB expert Jim Root is here to get you primed with his full card of best bets. Plus, for all you soccer fans we have our 2022 MLS season preview and best futures bets as well as our EPL Saturday parlay (+1671 odds!).

We’re continuing our buildup to the 2022 MLB season with our team preview of the Houston Astros. Be sure to head over to the Analysis tab for even more great sports betting content as it arrives throughout the day.

Stat of the Day

Baylor shot just 29.6 percent from the floor when the Bears played Kansas earlier this season.

Boost of the Day

UFC Fight Night 202 – Makhachev vs Green to end by KO/TKO/DQ

Boosted to +240 from +200 with DraftKings Sportsbook

Don’t forget about MMA. There’s also UFC Fight Night 202 on Saturday, and DraftKings is offering a significant odds boost if you want to bet on Makhachev vs Green ending in a KO/TKO/DQ. Whether you dabble with this boost or not, you’re going to want to check out our full write-up for the fight night — which includes best bets.

Pickswise is the home of free sports picks, news, and best bets. Check out our expert NBA picks, NCAAB picks, NHL picks and Soccer picks for the latest game picks.