Top 3 College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (12/10)
The 2024-25 NCAA Men’s College Basketball season rolls on Tuesday with some solid games. While we have four ranked teams in action, we do not have any of those schools facing each other.
Head coach Dusty May leads the Michigan Wolverines into Madison Square Garden to meet the Arkansas Razorbacks in an intriguing game in perhaps the closest thing to a ranked team vs. ranked team contest.
Last week, we finally had a stinker, going 1-3 with the picks. To be fair, we missed the Delaware State game by a half-point. The High Point game closed with a total of 139, and the game had 140 combined points. We weren’t that far off, but losses count just the same.
Let’s keep that bankroll in the black with our best college basketball picks for Tuesday, December 10.
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Tuesday’s Best College Basketball Picks
Last Week: 1-3 (25.0%, -218) | Season: 12-5 (70.6%, +670) | Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All picks are for 1 unit
North Dakota State Bison (+800) at Butler Bulldogs (-1400) | O/U 142.5 (-110/-110)
The Butler Bulldogs (7-2) host the North Dakota State Bison (7-4) of the Summit League at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. We have a tip-off time of 6:30 p.m. ET. The game can be viewed or streamed on FOX Sports 1.
Butler was thrashed 79-51 on Saturday at the Fertitta Center as a 17-point underdog. It was a season-low in points for the Bulldogs, which isn’t a shock, as the Cougars really can play lockdown defense. Butler has failed to cover the past two games.
It’s a roller coaster ride for Butler, at least in terms of the number. It opened 0-2 against the spread (ATS) in the first two games, went 5-0 ATS in the next five games from November 11-29 and it is 0-2 ATS since flipping the calendar from November to December.
For the Bison, they’re coming off an 82-70 win over Northern Colorado of the Big Sky Conference last time out on Saturday as a favorite by a bucket. North Dakota State has covered five in a row since opening the season 1-3 ATS in the first four games with a spread.
It also has covered both instances as a double-digit underdog this season, winning 88-80 in overtime outright at Santa Clara on November 13, while losing 103-98 in overtime at Samford. Yes, that’s two road games as a double-digit underdog, and two overtime results. Interesting, eh?
Pick: North Dakota State +14.5 (-115)
Rhode Island Rams (-190) at Brown Bears (+160) | O/U 149.5 (-112/-108)
The Rhode Island Rams (9-0) hit the road inside the Ocean State to battle the Brown Bears (6-3) at the Paul Bailey Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence. Tip-off time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Rhode Island gets no love from the coaches, as they didn’t even pick up a single point in the ‘others receiving votes’ area. UC Irvine received five points and Loyola Chicago received two points. C’mon, coaches.
The Rams haven’t been tested, with their best wins coming against Fairfield, Charleston, Detroit, Texas-Arlington, Yale and Providence. The last two games against the Elis and Friars might be the most impressive victories and covers.
For Brown, it steams in with five straight victories and covered three in a row, while going 4-1 ATS in the win streak after a 1-3 ATS start. The Bears have won the past three meetings, while also covering those three battles, all as an underdog. So, yeah, we’re going hard against the series trends.
Rhode Island’s last win and cover in the series came pre-COVID-19 on November 28, 2018. While Rhode Island has been red-hot out of the gate, let’s take Brown and the points.
Picks: Brown +4.5 (-110)
Michigan Wolverines (-184) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (+152) | O/U 146.5 (-105/-115)
This game saddens me for a multitude of reasons. One, I was born in Ohio, and raised to hate the Wolverines. Two, I went to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, and one of my best (and most unexpected) sports moments was seeing the Owls go to the Final Four in April 2023.
Dusty May was responsible for that team, and he ended up taking the Michigan job in the offseason. He brought former Florida Atlantic center Vladislav Goldin with him to Ann Arbor via the transfer portal. Three, guard Johnell Davis, another star from that Final Four team, transferred to Arkansas when May bolted for the Great Lakes State.
Honestly, as much as I dislike that maize and blue thing, I cheer for Michigan basketball. Yeah, I said it publicly. I love Coach May and Goldin. I just want to see them do well. I think fans of teams who never attended the school should not have an opinion on the transfer portal.
If you went to a school, the name on the back of a jersey doesn’t matter. The name on the front matters more. Wish a departing player, coach, etc. well, and hope the new regime and new players can represent your team well. There, that’s over. Hey, I feel better, so thanks for listening.
Michigan has won seven in a row since losing 72-70 to Wake Forest on a neutral floor in the team’s second game on November 10. The Wolverines have jelled together nicely, going 5-2 ATS in the seven-game win streak The under is 4-1 in the past five games and 5-2 in the past seven.
For Arkansas, it is 6-1 straight up (SU) in the past seven games, but just 1-5 ATS in the previous six outings, including a 90-77 loss on November 28 on a neutral floor against Illinois, their only other Big Ten opponent so far this season.
The Hogs are 0-2 SU/ATS in two neutral-floor games, too. Go with Michigan, and go rather aggressively.
Pick: Michigan -3.5 (-118)
Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish.