2 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for St. Francis (PA) vs. Alabama State

The 2025 men's college basketball tournament wastes no time getting underway with the first two play-in games taking place on Tuesday. The opening matchup will pit St. Francis (PA) against Alabama State in a battle of 16 seeds. The winner will take on Auburn, the tournament's top overall seed.

To see thoughts on other games, check out our full men's college basketball tournament predictions page. But for St. Francis (PA) vs. Alabama State, here are my favorite bets in FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball betting odds.

Betting Picks for St. Francis (PA) vs. Alabama State

St. Francis +3.5 (-115)

Given that these two teams are competing for the right to play the top seed, it isn't shocking that they rate as the worst in the field. According to Bart Torvik, Alabama State ranks 274th this season while St. Francis is 301st.

However, while Hornets are technically the better of the two squads, there really isn't that much that separates them, suggesting the Red Flash should keep things close and might even be able to pull off the slight upset.

We won't confuse either team as being an offensive powerhouse, as Alabama State ranks 282nd in adjusted offense while St. Francis sits at 294th. But even with the Hornets getting the small edge here, they're actually 325th in effective field goal percentage -- the Red Flash are a more palatable 129th -- showing that bad shooting nights aren't all that uncommon for Alabama State.

Defensively, the Hornets once again rate better (246th in adjusted defense) than the Red Flash (289th), but we're once again looking at low marks for both.

Ultimately, turnovers might be the main concern for St. Francis. They rank 321st in turnover rate, whereas Alabama State is actually quite strong at 4th. But outside of this gap, we're largely looking at two evenly matched teams, and Alabama State's poor shooting means they might not be able to take full advantage if St. Francis plays sloppy on offense.

Bart Torvik projects Alabama State to win by just one point, and Massey Ratings forecasts a two-point victory. Backing St. Francis to cover looks like the ideal play on Tuesday.

Valentino Pinedo Over 4.5 Rebounds (-144)

Valentino Pinedo leads St. Francis in rebounds per game (6.5), and considering Alabama State's inefficient shooting, we should expect him to be busy on the glass. The Hornets' opponents have averaged 39.6 rebounds per game, which is the country's seventh-highest number.

Pinedo has logged 5+ rebounds in 22 of his 28 games (78.6%), so even with this over being priced at -144 (59.0% implied odds), we're getting solid value here. It's worth noting that one of those games under five boards came when he played just 10 minutes in a return from injury, so if we throw that out, his hit rate has been an even better 81.4%.

You can also download our FREE college basketball printable bracket.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.