College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Wednesday (11/15)
It's been a solid start to the season and is only getting more exciting with Feast Week rapidly approaching. Tonight's slate may not be as exciting as the bigger teams get prepped for their respective invitationals but it will still give you a chance to get a look at some of the mid-majors that are dormant now but will be awoken in March as potential Cinderella teams. Be sure to shop around, especially with these lower-market games that get less hype, and avoid books being sharp to the lines.
Here are my best bets for Wednesday's slate. You can follow all my bets on my BettingPros profile as I add last-minute bets and player props once they drop.
Wednesday’s College Basketball Best Bets
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | Last Time: 3-2 Season: 8-4
Princeton vs. Duquesne
If you want to like a team before they're cool, I have two great options for you. Princeton has reloaded from a Sweet Sixteen run and hit the ground running. Duquesne has surprised with solid wins over Cleveland State and Charleston, two top-150 teams.
Princeton has continued its ways, shooting nearly 39 percent from beyond the arc with some awesome play by sophomore Caden Pierce and Xaivian Lee while still repping an above-average defense. They have truly impressed with a neutral win against Rutgers and a true road win at Hofstra. This team should not be slept on.
Duquesne was dubbed a sleeper team preseason and has shown why they should be the favorite in the Atlantic-10. Jimmy Clark and Dae Dae Grant make a solid backcourt, leading a dynamic offense and effective interior defense.
I simply can't keep doubting Princeton. They have shown that playing on the road doesn't limit them, especially as an underdog. The Dukes’ biggest weakness is their perimeter defense, allowing teams to shoot nearly 37 percent from deep this year. That is a problem for Princeton who scored 44 percent of their points from deep, 12th highest in the country.
This will be a live bettor’s paradise as there will be plenty of runs. With the opportunities from deep the Tigers will have, I imagine they will keep it close at the very least.
Pick: Princeton +5.5 (-110)
Georgetown vs. Rutgers
Like I said, the games today are not exciting, to put it simply. Both teams have stumbled out of the gate with Georgetown losing to Holy Cross and Rutgers falling to the aforementioned Princeton.
In case you can't tell, one of those losses is worse than the other. Holy Cross is ranked bottom 300 in the nation on KenPom and the Hoyas were still defeated. May not be a hot take but Rutgers is better than Holy Cross and is anchored by their defense.
Ed Cooley took over for Georgetown and all was supposed to be well but I think it's ambitious for expectations to be anything higher than the ground floor with the lack of talent. The Scarlet Knights should dominate the boards and I expect Clifford Omoruyi to eat.
This spread may seem high for two struggling teams but Georgetown is far from rock bottom just yet. Rutgers may lack dynamic scorers but with their defense and offensive rebounding they should cover double-digits.
Pick: Rutgers -8.5 (-110)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts