2 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Wednesday 2/5/24

The college basketball season is rolling along, giving us plentiful betting options with so many teams in action each day.

Fortunately, we have abundant tools available that can aid our chances of finding good betting value. Bart Torvik and KenPom are excellent sources that give insights into team-level efficiency, and Sports Reference provides a wide range of useful team stats, as well.

Let's check out FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds and select some of the best bets of the day by utilizing the mentioned tools.

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

Today's Best College Basketball Betting Picks

Cincinnati at UCF

UCF -2.5 (-120)

Cincinatti is riding a four-game skid to UCF tonight in a Big 12 showdown -- one the Bearcats are ill-equipped to handle. Though UCF has dropped four of their last five, Cincy fits the profile of a team the Knights should fare well against.

We typically consider home-court advantage worth around 3.0 points. In this case, a 2.5-point spread suggests Cincinatti would be favored over UCF on a neutral court.

I don't buy that, and neither do the numbers. UCF (56th overall) has a slight edge over Cincy (61st) on KenPom, and Torvik has an even wider margin (15 spots) between the two sides. That's reflected in the Big 12 standings, too. UCF is 4-6 with a -5.7 average point differential in conference play; Cincy is 2-8 with a -8.3 average point differential.

The Bearcats have a top five scoring defense in the Big 12, but they have -- without question -- the worst offense in the conference. They're dead last in scoring (59.6 PPG) and have managed 70 points just once.

UCF could not be more different. The Knights have the Big 12's worst scoring defense (84 PPG) but rank second in scoring offense (78.3 (PPG) and lead the conference in average pace.

Cincy is closer to the middle of the pack in terms of Big 12 pace, but they're just 298th nationally in adjusted tempo. UCF is 21st in adjusted tempo, so it's not a stretch to say they're the fastest team the Bearcats have faced this season. They've gone up against only two other top-100 tempo teams in league play, losing both by an average of 4.0 points per game.

UCF, meanwhile, has proven more capable of handling slower teams. The Knights took Houston (360th in tempo) to the wire, blasted TCU (246th), and bested Texas Tech (275th) by 4 points.

With that, UCF figures to stand a much better chance of dictating the pace at home tonight. Considering how much Cincy has struggled to score this season, the Knights are showing value as 2.5-point favorites.

Duke at Syracuse

Tyrese Proctor (DUKE) Over 10.5 Points (-125)

With No. 2 Duke headed to the Carrier Dome to take on Syracuse, all signs point to Blue Devils putting up points in bunches. Duke has a massive 80.5-point implied total as they take on an Orange defense that allows the sixth-most points and plays at the fifth-fastest pace in the ACC.

Even so, I'm hesitant to back such a young offense playing in unique conditions, especially when they're coming off a high-profile win against arch-rival North Carolina.

However, we can attack this Syracuse defense via the prop market -- namely via the over on Tyrese Proctor's points prop.

Proctor has been Duke's third option during ACC play, finishing right behind standout freshmen Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel in scoring (10.3 PPG) and usage rate (16.9).

The junior guard has dealt with inconsistency, and he was struggling prior to a 17-point effort over the weekend. Though Proctor had cracked double-digit points just once in his previous five games, his role hasn't faded. He's put up at least 10 shots in three of the last four contests, notching 30 minutes in three of those.

That role should serve him well tonight given how much Syracuse has struggled to defend opposing guards. Among ACC teams, the Orange have given up the most points and shot attempts (per 40 minutes) to guards. Backcourts facing Syracuse have the conference's highest usage rate and sixth-highest field goal percentage (45%).

On top of that, the Orange are 88th nationally in KenPom's adjusted tempo. In five games against top-100 tempo teams, Proctor has gone over 10.5 points four times, averaging 12.2 points per game.

As such, there's enough in this matchup to back Proctor over 10.5 points, giving us exposure to one of the night's highest implied totals.

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Which bets stand out to you across the nation tonight? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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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.