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College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Wednesday (12/13)

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With the in-season tournaments and Jimmy V Week behind us, we've reached a bit of a lull in the college basketball season as the holiday season is upon us. Still, now is the time when a team's true identity is formed and some valuable data points are added. This is a good opportunity to get ahead on some potential mid-majors who can make waves come March and it's still college basketball which means we can still gamble on it so I'm happy with that. Remember to shop around for the best odds. With these lower-tier games, books are bound to be less sharp with the spreads and totals set.

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.

Last Time: 1-1
Season: 21-16

Wednesday’s Best College Basketball Bets

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

Utah State at Santa Clara

Like I said, it's not the most exciting of games, but it's still college basketball, and that's good enough for me. Utah State has had an impressive 9-1 start to the season out of the Mountain West with their lone loss coming on the road in overtime. Santa Clara has yet to lose at home – and even beat Stanford already – but sit as 3.5-point underdogs.

I expect Utah State to dominate down low on both sides of the ball. Currently leading the nation in near-proximity scoring, the Aggies frontcourt is dangerous. Great Osobor has been monstrous on the glass and excels at scoring in the paint. Utah State is the 55th-best team in the nation at converting second-chance opportunities, a point where the Santa Clara defense won't offer much contention.

I simply don't expect the Broncos offense to keep up tonight. Their fast pace leads to erratic play, turning over 19 percent of their possessions. Utah State's interior defense may not be electric but they don't allow second-chance looks and their mid-range and three-point defense is solid. It may be close early on, but I expect Utah State to pull away late and cover. 

Play: Utah State -3.0 (-108)

Seattle at San Francisco 

For another West Coast matchup, we have San Francisco as a 9.5-point favorite against Seattle. The Dons have been a much more consistent team and have excelled at home, going 4-0 in true home games in addition to notching a double-digit win over Minnesota. Seattle has struggled, without a victory over a top 240 win.

San Francisco is simply the more dominant team here. On the interior, they rank in the top 25 at defensive rebound rate while ranking in the top 15 in proximity scoring while top-10 in transition points. Despite their slower pace, there's a reason San Francisco is such a favorite in this matchup.

I don't see how Seattle hangs tough. They may have an elite perimeter defense but where San Francisco will beat them is with their interior scoring. The way to beat the Dons is with perimeter scoring, as San Francisco ranks 244th at three-point defense. I wouldn't exactly say Seattle has many sharpshooters, ranking 264th in exterior shooting. I'll take San Francisco and the points here.  

Play: San Francisco -9.5 (-110)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday:

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