3 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Friday 3/7/25

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

Dayton at VCU

Over 141.5 Points (-105)
Max Shulga to Make 3+ Threes (+168)

An A10 clash between Dayton and VCU has the total set at 141.5. Each team is in the 62nd percentile for the slowest adjusted tempos, contributing to a low total. Additionally, the Rams rank 23rd in Bart Torvik's adjusted defensive efficiency.

However, both of these offenses are logging over 75.0 points per game (PPG). The Flyers ranking 142nd in adjusted defensive efficiency should mean plenty of points for VCU, too. The Rams are in the 93rd percentile of three-point shot distribution while attempting 28.1 triples per game (93rd percentile), and Dayton ranks in the 22nd percentile of three-point shot distribution allowed and cede 23.8 three-point attempts per contest (30th percentile).

On the other side of the court, the Flyers tend to attack the rim by sitting in the 91st percentile of dunk shot share and 74th percentile of close twos shot distribution. Meanwhile, the Rams are in the 31st percentile of close twos shot distribution allowed.

Dayton is averaging 79.3 PPG over its previous six, and VCU is putting up 76.5 PPG during the same split. Considering the favorable shot distributions for scoring, give me the over.

Sticking with the theme of points, it's worth circling one of the Rams' shooters. This is one of college basketball's most potent three-point attacks, and leading scorer Max Shulga (15.5 PPG) takes 49.5% of his shots from three. We've seen big performances from Shulga of recent, for he's reached at least 19 points in three of the last five. He's also made at least three triples in four of the past five.

When facing point guards in A10 play, Dayton is allowing 18.5 points per 40 minutes (the most in the A10). The position is even shooting a blistering 45.3% from three against the Flyers in conference play. Look for Shulga to take advantage of a weak perimeter defense tonight.

Purdue at Illinois

Tomislav Ivisic Over 12.5 Points (-104)

Despite ranking 48th in adjusted defensive efficiency, Purdue actually ranks quite well in points allowed per 40 minutes against most positions in Big Ten play. However, tonight's game against Illinois feature two offenses in the top 15 of offensive efficiency paired with a 158.5 total. Someone is bound to score points.

The Boilermakers' defensive frontcourt could be the area to target for a point prop. Trey Kaufman-Renn (6'9") and Caleb Furst (6'10") take most of the minutes in the frontcourt, and against most teams, this is more than enough height. However, it could be a tad undersized against the Fighting Illini -- who feature 7-foot-1 Tomislav Ivisic and 6-foot-8 Will Riley.

Despite shooting an alarming 30.8% from three (11th percentile), Illinois still hoists 30.3 three-point shots per game (99th percentile) while sitting in the 93rd percentile of three-point shot distribution. With Purdue ceding a 42.4% three-point shot distribution (19th percentile), the Illini probably won't be shy about letting it fly.

With that said, Ivisic takes 45.1% of his shots from three-point land while converting 33.6% of his attempts -- which, believe it or not, is the second-highest mark in Illinois' leading six-man rotation. He has the ability to shoot threes and his 7-foot-1 frame should pose problem for the Boilermakers. Potential switches on Kaufman-Renn should spell buckets, for he has a 0.93 Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating (DBPR) -- per EvanMiya.

Furthermore, Purdue gives up 2.3 three-point attempts per 40 minutes to big men in conference play (the highest in the Big Ten). This once again plays right into what Ivisic wants to do. After averaging 13.0 PPG over his last three, give me the sophomore big man to go over 12.5 points.

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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.