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College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday (12/30)

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For most college basketball teams playing on Monday, this is their first game action since the holiday break, with it being very common for most teams to have had more than a week off. That puts a big onus on coaching to keep their teams sharp and motivated despite the long layoff.

How will that impact our college basketball picks for today?

Keep reading for a detailed breakdown of our college basketball best bets and top picks for Monday, December 30th.

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    Monday's Best College Basketball Bets

    (Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

    Columbia (+12) @ Rutgers (-12) | O/U 155 (-110/-110) 

    Rutgers started the year ranked in the AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll but has had some baffling results to this point in the season. The Scarlet Knights lost at Kennesaw State, needed overtime to eke out a one-point victory against Notre Dame and beat Penn State and Seton Hall by a combined seven points before losing their last game to Princeton. Now they face another dangerous Ivy League school that already owns a road win over Villanova.

    Rutgers has had difficulty staying in front of speedier guards on defense - an issue when facing a Lions squad that scored 1.34 points per possession against Villanova. The Wildcats didn’t play poorly all around in that loss, making 11 three-pointers grabbing 41% of their misses, and only committing 12 turnovers. But that speaks to how dangerous Columbia is. The Lions rank fourth in assists per made field goals (66.1%) while ranking 17th in effective field goal percentage.

    Rutgers is just 2-6-1 against the spread (ATS) as a favorite this year. I expect this game to be much closer than the experts predict in a Jersey Mike’s Arena environment not nearly as intimidating without a full student section behind the basket.

    Pick: Columbia +12 (-112)

    Oakland (+18.5) @ Arkansas (-18.5) | O/U 143 (-112/-108) 

    Oakland got a much-needed four days off after playing five games in eight days, mostly as part of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The Golden Grizzlies may have gone 1-2 in Honolulu, but under Greg Kampe, they always are tough to prepare for given the unique style of zone they play.

    On paper, Arkansas should be able to dice up Oakland’s zone, shooting 36.1% from beyond the arc, while the Golden Grizzlies rank outside the top 300 in three-point defense. But John Calipari has never been known to be a mastermind in attacking zones, and it is always tough blowing out a team like Oakland who plays at one of the slowest paces in the country (359th in adjusted tempo).

    Oddsmakers would likely have a much different opinion on Oakland entering this matchup if it did not drop its final two games of the Diamond Head Classic in overtime. But if not for blowing a 12-point lead with under five minutes to play in the second game against Oregon State, the Golden Grizzlies would have appeared in the championship game of the Men's College Basketball Multi-Team Event (MTE).

    Oakland is 6-3 ATS as an underdog this year and has covered 60% of games as road underdogs under Kampe since 2020. Meanwhile, Arkansas has been off since December 21st. I expect Oakland to be much more in rhythm as a result of its trip to Hawaii.

    Pick: Oakland +18.5 (-110)

    Iowa State (-9.5) @ Colorado (+9.5) | O/U 147 (-108/-112) 

    Iowa State’s offense under T.J. Otzelberger has been a thing of beauty to watch thus far. The Cyclones ranked 171st in adjusted offensive efficiency under Otzelberger in 2022 and have improved upon that number every year since.

    Thus far, Iowa State ranks fourth in adjusted offensive efficiency. And while that will certainly change when conference play starts, I expect its offense to keep coming against a frontcourt-dominated Buffaloes team that will be vulnerable to the Cyclones’ spacing.

    Colorado’s defense ranks 207th in three-point attempts allowed, so I expect the Cyclones to play another clean game (they have the eighth-lowest turnover rate in the country) and bomb away often from the perimeter.

    However, the biggest reason for liking the over is the fact this game will be played in altitude, which means there could be some tired legs late for a Cyclones team that hasn’t played in eight days.

    The over has cashed in three of Colorado’s last four games as a home underdog and should be on the right side of the total tonight.

    Pick: Over 147 Points (-108)

    Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.

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