College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (12/16)
We were stuck in neutral last week, winning two of the four picks. This week we’ll do things a little differently, picking a few more games with some quick-hit analysis to hopefully get back on track, and build some bankroll heading into the holidays.
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Saturday’s Best College Basketball Bets
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All wagers are for 1 unit
Vermont at Virginia Tech – 4 p.m. ET
The Catamounts of Vermont head to Blacksburg for a tough matchup against an ACC foe. Virginia Tech will have a decisive size advantage, but Vermont is definitely no pushover, scoring wins over Charleston and Saint Louis so far, as well as topping a decent Yale side.
Still, Virginia Tech is more battle-tested, notching wins over the likes of Boise State, Iowa State, and Louisville so far, as well as a nice win over solid mid-major Wofford. Each of these teams has been skidding, as far as the number is concerned. Virginia Tech is 0-4 ATS in the past four games, while Vermont is just 1-5 ATS in the past six games overall. UVM lost by nine in its most recent road game against Bradley, and it is a much different team off campus than at home. Back the home side.
Bets: Virginia Tech -8.5 (-110)
Evansville at Bellarmine – 4 p.m. ET
The Purple Aces of Evansville are licking their wounds after getting pounded 96-55 by BYU last time out as a 24.5-point underdog. Evansville has dropped its past two road games by 12 or more points, looking like a completely different team than the one that fired out of the box with six straight wins and a 5-0 ATS to start.
Bellarmine is a pesky team that has covered games against big boys Kansas State, Louisville, and West Virginia while scoring an outright road win against a solid Bowling Green team. It is a respectable 4-3 ATS across the past seven games. Backing the Knights comes with a little risk, though, as it was dusted by 13 points against Morehead State in its most recent home game against a Division I team. It beat up on a couple of lower-level teams in the past two outings to get some confidence back, and it should be able to ease by Evansville here.
Bets: Bellarmine -2.5 (-115)
Chicago State at Valparaiso – 4 p.m. ET
The Cougars of Chicago State are flying high after bouncing a ranked Northwestern team last time by a 75-73 score as a 24.5-point underdog. It was easily the biggest win in school history, as this program has been rather moribund since its inception. Before the win over the Wildcats, though, St. Thomas (Minn.) came in and blew the doors off the Cougars by 16 points. So which Chicago State team will show up on this road trip to Valpo?
The Beacons (don’t call them the Crusaders anymore!) have dropped four straight games, but this Valparaiso team has posted a solid 6-2 ATS mark across the previous eight outings overall. The Beacons have also cashed in three straight games at home as a favorite, pushing past Green Bay, Southern Illinois, and Western Illinois by an average margin of victory of 8.0 PPG. It might be a nail-biter, but the Beacons will get the job done on their home court.
Bets: Valparaiso -3.5 (-110)
UNC Greensboro at Marshall – 7 p.m. ET
The Spartans of UNC Greensboro hit the road for Huntington, and they’re in search of an eighth consecutive victory. This Spartans team is fierce, posting wins on the road against Arkansas as a 15-point ‘dog, while also notching nice wins over solid mid-majors Delaware, Eastern Kentucky, and Illinois-Chicago. UNCG has had some issues against the number lately, failing to cash in the past three outings, but that shouldn’t be a problem against a Marshall team which is just 3-7 SU overall on the season.
The Thundering Herd has covered the past two outings, but they have lost the past two games at home against Duquesne and Miami (Ohio). In addition, while UNCG has struggled to cover lately, Marshall has been poor all season against the number, going 3-6 ATS in the past nine games overall. Back the visitors, who have a much better body of work overall, and all they have to do is win by a single bucket or more.
Bet: UNC Greensboro -1.5 (-120)
Winthrop at Xavier – 7:30 p.m. ET
The Eagles of Winthrop are no slouch, and the Musketeers of Xavier better be on upset alert on Saturday night.
Winthrop swoops in with four consecutive victories, including an 85-68 win on the road against a Little Rock team that has been decent at times. The Eagles can also score the basketball early and often, going for 85 or more points in each of the past four outings. This is a team that has two of its three losses against Power 6 conference teams Clemson and Georgia, with the other setback against Drexel, so it won’t be fazed by a trip to Cincy.
Xavier has managed just a .500 record through the first 10 games while alternating covers and non-covers in each of the past five contests. In the past two games as a double-digit favorite at home, the Musketeers have not only failed to cover, but they have lost outright in games against Delaware and Oakland. Back the Eagles with the points. While Winthrop might not win, Xavier just can’t be trusted laying big points.
Bet: Winthrop +11.5 (-102)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Saturday:
- NFL Betting Primer: Top Picks & Player Prop Bets for Every Game (Week 15)
- NFL Saturday Same Game Parlays Odds, Picks & Predictions (Week 15)
- NFL Saturday Player Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions: (Week 15)
- College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions
- Top NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions
- Top NHL Odds, Picks & Predictions
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