Top 3 College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (12/17)
The 2024-25 NCAA Men’s College Basketball season continues Tuesday with a solid slate of games. We have a slew of ranked teams in action, but there are no ranked vs. ranked matchups.
Last week we were able to bounce back, taking North Dakota State +14.5 at Butler as the Bison won outright. Meanwhile, Brown was another pick at +4.5, and it topped Rhode Island outright in double overtime. However, we couldn’t make it a perfect 3-for-3, as Michigan wilted against Arkansas in the second half at Madison Square Garden. But, two out of three ain’t bad.
Let’s keep that bankroll in the black with our best college basketball picks for Tuesday, December 17.
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Tuesday’s Best College Basketball Picks
Last Week: 2-1 (66.7%, +82) | Season: 14-6 (70.0%, +752) | Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All picks are for 1 unit
Drexel Dragons (-140) at Howard Bison (+120) | O/U 146.5 (-110/-110)
The Drexel Dragons (7-4) hit the road for Burr Gymnasium in Washington D.C. to battle the Howard Bison (5-6). The Dragons have won the past three true road games, while also going 4-0 against the spread (ATS) in four road games this season.
The Bison are coming off a stunning 88-83 win over UNC Washington last time out. Howard has covered in each of the last two games.
We’ll be looking at the total in this one. The over has cashed four in a row for Howard, going for 75+ points in three of the past four games and five of the past seven against Division I teams. They cashed the over at a 5-2 clip in those games, too.
For Drexel, the over hit last time out at UAlbany in a 77-70 win as a 2.5-point underdog. The Dragons are on a 7-3 ATS run in 10 games with a spread this season. The over is 5-1 in the past six games, hitting at least 73 points in five of those six outings, while allowing 70+ points in those contests, too. We’ll roll with Drexel, as well as the over in this one.
Picks: Drexel -2.5 (-110) & Over 145.5 Points (-110)
Holy Cross Crusaders (+325) at Quinnipiac Bobcats (-425) | O/U 143 (-110/-110)
The Holy Cross Crusaders (5-5) and Quinnipiac Bobcats (5-5) meet at M&T Bank Arena. The Quinnipiac Poll results say to back the Crusaders. OK, hopefully, people know Quinnipiac is famous for polling, or that joke makes no sense.
Anyway, the Crusaders and Bobcats have been two of my favorite teams to bet on in the past two seasons. Holy Cross is on a 1-4 ATS skid in the past five games after opening the season 3-0-1 ATS in their first four outings. The under has cashed in three in a row for Holy Cross, going for 56 or fewer points in three of the past four outings. They’ve allowed 69 or fewer points in the previous three contests, too.
For the Bobcats, they’ve covered the past two games, and they’re 3-1 ATS in the past four games as a favorite. The under has cashed at a 5-2 clip in the past seven outings, too, dating back to November 15.
We’ll roll with Holy Cross catching the nine and go low on the total.
Picks: Holy Cross +9 (-110) & Under 143.5 Points (-110)
Houston Christian Huskies (+200) at UL Monroe Warhawks (-250) | O/U 139.5 (-115/-105)
The Houston Christian Huskies (3-7) travel to Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe, La. to battle the Warhawks (4-8) in a battle of sub-.500 teams.
Houston Christian is coming off a 64-57 loss as a 3.5-point underdog last time out on December 7th, the only non-cover in eight tries for the Huskies so far this season. Houston Christian has cashed high on the total in four of its past five games. They have had trouble on offense, going for 68.5 points (PPG) while hitting 42.2% from the field and just 29.9% from the three-point line. They’ve also been awful on defense, allowing 49% from the field and 72.1 PPG
For UL Monroe, they’re coming off a 77-68 loss at Texas-Arlington, but it covered as a 13-point underdog as the under (150.5) cashed. UL Monroe has cashed in back-to-back games for the first time this season after opening 1-7 ATS. The under has cashed in seven out of nine games for the Warhawks.
Let’s back the Huskies catching nearly three buckets. We’ll go high on the total, too. UL Monroe has allowed 73+ points in three straight and four of the past five games.
Picks: Houston Christian +5.5 (-110) & Over 139.5 Points (-115)
Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish.