🏀 Oklahoma vs. Colorado Prediction & Picks: College Basketball Crown Quarterfinals (April 1)

Colorado is competing in the College Basketball Crown for the second straight season, and it kicks off this year’s event against Oklahoma, the first team left out of the NCAA Tournament. This SEC vs. Big 12 matchup tips from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. ET (FS1), with the Sooners as an 8.5-point betting favorite.

My Oklahoma vs. Colorado prediction, part of our College Basketball Crown predictions, expects the Sooners to continue their torrid play from the end of the season. Combined with the Buffaloes seeing three of their best players hit the transfer portal, that should lead to a big Oklahoma win and cover in this College Basketball Crown quarterfinal matchup.

🏀 Oklahoma vs. Colorado picks & odds: College Basketball Crown Quarterfinals

See all of our experts' college basketball picks based on the latest college basketball odds; picks rated on a 1-to-5 star confidence scale based on betting value.

Total wagered: 2.5 units | Max profit: 2.29 units

🏆 Who will win Oklahoma vs. Colorado?

Oklahoma did anything but fold after a nine-game losing streak left it at 11-12, as it rebounded to win eight of its final 11 games. Though three weeks off may have cooled off the Sooners, I still expect them to be the hungrier team and to knock off the decimated Buffaloes.

Score prediction: Oklahoma 88, Colorado 74

💰 Oklahoma vs. Colorado prediction & best bet

Oklahoma -8.5 (-110)

Oklahoma beat five NCAA Tournament teams, as well as Auburn who is still alive in the NIT semifinals in its 8-3 stretch over its final 11 games. Because of its 12th-most Wins Above Bubble (WAB) in that span, it was the last team left out of the NCAA Tournament field.

From the day before Oklahoma beat Vanderbilt to its exit from the SEC Tournament, the Sooners rank fourth in adjusted offensive efficiency and 18th in effective field goal percentage. Though they rank in the bottom-10 in defensive rebounding percentage in that span, Colorado ranks just 235th in offensive rebounding rate.

🔥 Best Oklahoma vs. Colorado team prop bet

Colorado team total Under 78.5 (-110)

Three of Colorado's four leading scorers (guard Isaiah Johnson, forward Sebastian Rancik, forward Bangot Dak) have already entered the transfer portal. While Johnson averaged a team-high 16.9 points per game, the trio altogether scored more than half of the team's points (40.7 of the 80.0 points per game).

By comparison, Oklahoma's roster remained intact for this College Basketball Crown run, and it looks to get back to playing the kind of defense it played when it ranked sixth in SEC play in 3-point percentage allowed. 

With a fully intact roster, Colorado may have been able to take advantage of Oklahoma's weak interior defense, as the Sooners allowed the third-worst 2-point percentage in SEC play. But Sebastian Rancik's replacement, 6-foot-10 Elijah Malone, hasn't topped seven points in a game since late-November. 

🚀 Oklahoma vs. Colorado same-game parlay

I'm laying some extra juice with the Oklahoma point spread by making this wager at DraftKings, but that is evened out by the -105 price for the Under, while all other best sports betting sites charge the standard -110 juice for the total. But DraftKings was also a no-brainer choice for this same-game parlay, as it was the only sportsbook with a wide array of team props available at the time of this writing. 

💵 My betting record for college basketball

All college basketball picks, including SGPs, have been tracked since March 13.

💡 How I'm betting Oklahoma vs. Colorado: College Basketball Crown strategy

Follow all of our college basketball analysis and expert predictions for March Madness.

Oklahoma and Colorado's team total Under are standard one-unit plays. But I am only making a play on the Under a half-unit wager out of respect for what the Sooners offense has done over the last two months. I wouldn't be surprised if Oklahoma scores 90 or more points for the fourth time since the calendar turned to February, which would give less room for the full-game Under to cash.

📊 Live Oklahoma vs. Colorado odds: College Basketball Crown Quarterfinals

After opening as 5.5-point betting favorites, Oklahoma steamed up to -8.5 after stops at -6.5 and -7.5 once Colorado's transfer portal news surfaced. 

The O/U opened anywhere from 162.5 to 164.5, but has since been bet up to 165.5 across the market. Caesars is the only sportsbook that hasn't seen complete one-way movement on the Over. When it got to 165, it briefly lowered to 164.5 before being steamed up to 165.5, suggesting the more respected money is coming in on the Over.

📈 Oklahoma vs. Colorado betting trends

📺 How to watch Oklahoma vs. Colorado: College Basketball Crown Quarterfinals

• Date: Wednesday, April 1
• Tipoff: 8 p.m. ET
• Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena (Las Vegas)
• TV: FS1
• Streaming: Fubo