College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday (12/9)
College basketball last week offered us the best glimpse of non-conference action we will see outside of multi-team tournaments.
No. 1 Kansas suffered its first two losses at Creighton and Missouri. Fans and bettors were treated to a slew of AP top-10 matchups between the Big 12-Big East Battle, the SEC/ACC Men’s Challenge and the Battle in Seattle between Kentucky and Gonzaga.
Monday’s college basketball slate is rather light with just eight games on tap, and only five involving two teams from Division I. Nevertheless, we have scoured the data to make our two best bets of the day.
For a detailed breakdown of Monday’s matchups, keep reading for our college basketball best bets and top picks for Monday, December 9th.
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Monday's Best College Basketball Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Minnesota (+10) @ Indiana (-10) | O/U 140.5 (-108/-112)
Indiana avoided an 0-3 trip to the Bahamas in the Battle 4 Atlantis over Feast Week, salvaging a win against Providence after losing by a combined 44 points to Louisville and Gonzaga.
The Hoosiers’ struggles have come against teams that can trot out smaller lineups and space the floor, as their two-big tandem of Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo are hesitant (and too slow-footed) to defend on the perimeter. But Minnesota does not play that style with its big frontcourt tandem of Parker Fox and Dawson Garcia.
Even when the Golden Gophers do shoot from beyond the arc, they are making them at just a 29.7% clip (291st). Minnesota’s best chance to weather the early storm is to use its size down low to create foul trouble for Indiana. But the fact this is the first conference game of the season at Assembly Hall has me siding with Indiana, especially since the Golden Gophers are 1-7-2 against the spread (ATS) this season. The Hoosiers have covered 56.5% of their home games since the start of last season.
Pick: Indiana -10 (-112)
UPenn (+23.5) @ VCU (-23.5) | O/U 134.5 (-110/-110)
UPenn has had a disastrous start to the season, beating just one team ranked inside KenPom‘s top 345 (Maine), while losing four other games by 13+ points.
One big key to being able to hang with VCU, especially in a tough road environment, is to limit its drive-and-kick ability which leads to open three-pointers. The Quakers have shown nothing so far that suggests they will be successful in that department, allowing opponents to shoot 41.3% from beyond the arc (a bottom-ten rate among Division I teams).
UPenn also does not have a clear path to offense, ranking 330th in effective field goal percentage, while VCU ranks third in the country in that metric defensively. The Rams are also one of the best rim-protecting teams in the country, ranking second while holding opponents under 40% inside the arc.
Between VCU forcing turnovers at a 23% clip and having versatility offensively with four players averaging more than 11 points per game, I expect the Rams to cover for the fifth time in six games following a win.
Pick: VCU -23.5 (-108)
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.