Top College Basketball Picks for Thursday, December 16 (2021)
Tonight’s slate is very boring. If you’re going to choose a day to sit back and relax without betting college basketball, today’s probably the day. Still, I have some optimism and have three games that I’ll sprinkle some money on.
Whatever you do, don’t go crazy tonight. We’re betting some extremely odd games. Still, these are my three favorites. So let’s get right to it.
All odds via BettingPros consensus
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Duke vs. Appalachian State: Appalachian State +21.5 (-110)
(7:00 PM ET tip)
The Duke Blue Devils have played just one game in December. That was against South Carolina State on December 14. It was a two-week layoff for the Blue Devils after losing to Ohio State, on the road in the Big 10-ACC Challenge. In the game against South Carolina State, Duke won 103-62 and dominated.
But Appalachian State is much better than South Carolina State. They’ve got experience, something that Duke doesn’t have. There’s a possibility that Duke can run away with this game in the second half, like all premier teams, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Appalachian State’s experience helps them stick around in this game.
As long as Appalachian State limits the turnovers on offense and grabs a bunch of rebounds on defense like the Mountaineers have been doing all season long, I like Appalachian State’s chances of covering this game.
Chicago State vs. IUPUI: IUPUI-130
(8:00 PM ET tip)
IUPUI hasn’t won a division-I game all year, but I think today is the day. We’ve got two teams ranked in the bottom five at KenPom. So basically, if IUPUI can’t win this game, they won’t win any game.
The IUPUI Jaguars can at least play defense. They’ve held opponents to a 47.8 percent effective field goal percentage and also held teams to 46.9 percent inside the arc. Chicago State will shoot their fair share of threes and can rebound on the offensive glass effectively, but outside that, they’ve struggled, especially inside.
On the other hand, IUPUI turns the ball over 29.2 percent of the time. That’s basically what’s losing the Jaguars most games. Against Chicago State, if IUPUI turns the ball over nearly 30 times, the Jaguars should just get relegated out of D1.
IUPUI’s defense should be the difference in this game at home.
Tennessee State vs. Charleston Southern: Tennessee State -110 Moneyline
(8:00 PM ET tip)
The Tennessee State Tigers have won two straight games against IUPUI and Lipscomb. The offense has some potential, shooting a 50.2 percent effective field goal percentage and 37.2 percent from downtown. The two things Charleston Southern does on the defensive end are rebound well and limit fouls. However, Tennessee State should earn a couple of offensive rebounds in this game.
Charleston Southern also allows a 55.9 percent effective field goal percentage on defense and has struggled to force turnovers while allowing teams to shoot 38.2 percent from long range and 55.2 percent from inside the arc.
The Tigers also force 21.5 percent turnovers and limit teams from long range at 30.7 percent on the year. Charleston Southern isn’t shy about shooting the three, despite only shooting 23.7 percent for the year. Good luck with that.
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Jason Radowitz is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @Jason_Radowitz.