The college basketball season is rolling along, giving us plentiful betting options with so many teams in action each day.
Fortunately, we have abundant tools available that can aid our chances of finding good betting value. Bart Torvik and KenPom are excellent sources that give insights into team-level efficiency, and Sports Reference provides a wide range of useful team stats, as well.
Let’s check out FanDuel Sportsbook’s college basketball odds and select some of the best bets of the day by utilizing the mentioned tools.
Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.
Today’s Best College Basketball Betting Picks
Northwestern at Ohio State
Northwestern +10.5 (-118)
Northwestern visits Ohio State in one of Thursday’s two Power Conference games, with the Wildcats entering as 10.5-point underdogs. Though Northwestern has gone just 1-4 since a season-ending injury to Brooks Barnhizer, they’ve managed to stay competitive with all four losses have come by single digits. That includes a six-point road loss to the same Oregon team Ohio State lost to on their home floor.
As such, the Buckeyes being favored by 10.5 points is a bit rich for my blood, presenting value in Northwestern +10.5.
Despite their ugly record since Barnhizer’s injury, Northwestern has largely held their own. They’re 74th nationally in Bart Torvik’s power ratings over this stretch, aided by a No. 40 standing in adjusted offensive efficiency. Part of that is thanks to an above-average offensive rebound rate (34.8%; 55th), and that should come in handy tonight.
Ohio State is 23rd on Torvik during this same stretch, so they’re clearly a tier above Northwestern. But they’re down to 202nd in defensive rebound rate over that span, and the Buckeyes haven’t exactly been blowing teams out of the gym. In five February games, Ohio State is just 2-3.
Granted, Ohio State does have a handful of resounding victories in Big Ten play. They blasted Rutgers, Iowa, Penn State, and Washington by double-digits — with three of those Ws coming on their home floor.
But we’ve also seen the Buckeyes partake in their fair share of tight contests. They notably have home losses to Indiana and Oregon — both of whom are closer to Northwestern’s level.
Northwestern, meanwhile, kept things close with Wisconsin to kick off February, and they competed on the road against two of the Big Ten’s West Coast teams in Oregon and Washington.
With KenPom and Bart Torvik each projecting Ohio State to win by less than 9 tonight, I’m comfortable playing Northwestern at +10.5.
USC at Maryland
Ja’Kobi Gillespie 3+ Made Threes (+148)
Entering Thursday, Maryland point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie was averaging 2.4 made threes per game, hitting them at a 41% clip, but that actually undersells how often he’s drained at least 3 threes. Despite the 2.4-three average, Gillespie has nailed at least 3 threes in 13-of-25 games. In Big Ten play, he’s done so in 9-of-14 outings.
That’s good for a 64% clip in conference games — well above the 40% implied probability we get from his +148 odds to make 3+ threes tonight.
In fact, Gillespie has made at least 4 threes in 43% of his conference games, perhaps showing value in his +370 odds to make 4+ threes (21% implied).
Granted, USC isn’t the best matchup for trey-balls, but they’re not one to fade at these odds. The Trojans have let up the second-lowest 3P% (30.5%) in the Big Ten, and just 27.1% of their points allowed have come via the three-ball.
Still, I’d attribute that more to luck more than defensive skill. They’re just 165th nationally in three-point attempt rate allowed, and we’ve seen several Big Ten point guards gash them from distance.
Against conference PGs, the Trojans have surrendered a 39% 3P%, and they’re near the league-average in three-point field goal attempts allowed (per 40 minutes).
As such, this is more of a neutral matchup than one we should shy away from given how often Gillespie’s let it reign from beyond the arc. I’ll happily ladder this prop up to 4+ made threes given the favorable odds, though still allocating more of my bankroll to his 3+ made threes prop.
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Which bets stand out to you across the nation tonight? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook’s latest college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.
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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.