3 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Monday 1/13/25

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

UCLA at Rutgers

Rutgers Moneyline (+130)

Rutgers hosts UCLA at 6:30pm ET in a battle of two of the coldest teams in the Big Ten. Both have lost three straight prior to Monday's bout at The RAC, so we shouldn't expect either side to take the other lightly. This is a borderline-must win given how deep the conference is this season.

UCLA (28th on Bart Torvik) rates out significantly better than Rutgers (92nd) in the predictive metrics. But for as good as Bruins' defense (7th in adjusted defensive efficiency) has been, their offense (96th in adjusted offense) leaves a lot to be desired. Rutgers (107th on offense; 105th on defense) has struggled on both sides of the ball, but they have more than enough talent to upset UCLA at home.

At +130 odds, I do see value backing the Scarlett Knights to win outright.

For one, Rutgers has been a much better team at home. The Scarlett Knights have a 7-2 record and +10.4 net rating at home this season compared to their 1-6 record and -6.6 net rating on the road. They've given up 16.3 fewer points per game at home than on the road.

But this is as much about UCLA's shortcomings as it is Rutgers' home prowess. The Bruins have a -15 average point differential over their last three games, and that's resulted in head coach Mike Cronin imploding on the sideline. Just one game after publicly lambasting his entire roster, Cronin was ejected from their most recent loss.

A trip to The RAC -- a top-15 home venue according to KenPom's home court estimate -- won't do them any favors.

Considering how poor UCLA's offense has played this season, tonight's game could easily come down to the wire. In that case, I'm happy to back the home team with two future NBA lottery picks to win outright.

Minnesota at Maryland

Julian Reese (MD) Over 13.5 Points (-122)

Maryland is a massive, 15.5-point favorite over Minnesota tonight. Though the Gophers are 0-5 with a league-worst -15.0 average point differential in Big Ten games this season, I can't quite get there backing Maryland (2-3, +5.4 average point diff.) to coverage such a hefty spread.

But, this is still a great spot for the Terrapins offense against a Minnesota side that's let up conference-high 84.4 points per game in conference play. My favorite way to get exposure to this offense is via third-leading scorer Julian Reese's points prop.

Reese is averaging 13.2 points per game while ranking second on Maryland with a 24.2% usage rate (per Bart Torvik). Reese has scored at least 14 points in half of his 16 games this season, so going over 13.5 certainly isn't out of his range of outcomes.

His scoring has taken a hit in conference play, but we've seen him feast against the lesser teams on Maryland's schedule. In the 11 games the Terrapins have won by double digits, Reese is averaging 14.4 points and a 25.1% usage rate. He's gone over 13.5 points in 6 of 10 home games that Maryland has won by at least 10 points.

That puts him in a nice spot to produce in what's expected to be a lopsided affair. It doesn't hurt that Minnesota's defense has been particularly poor around the rim -- where Reese has attempted 55% of his shots, making them at a 76.1% clip. Per Torvik, the Gophers have let up the fifth-highest rate of at-rim attempts in the Big Ten. They've allowed opponents to shoot 55.5% on such shots.

On top of that, this is a matchup the junior has fared well in during his time at Maryland. He's cracked 14 points in three of his last four meetings with Minnesota, notching 16, 21, 10, and 14 points against the Gophers.

That puts him in a nice spot to go over 13.5, and this is a prop I'd consider pairing with an alt. Minnesota line. A Same Game Parlay with Julian Reese over 13.5 points and Maryland -9.5 carries +136 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook (as of Monday afternoon).

Boston College at Notre Dame

Markus Burton (ND) Over 19.5 Points (-106)

Notre Dame guard Markus Burton hasn't missed a beat since returning from injury. In three games following his return, the sophomore has totaled 23, 15, and 23 points. He's posted an eye-popping 39.3% usage rate over that stretch, and the Irish have increased his minutes each of the last three games.

With Notre Dame coming in as 10.5-point favorites against Boston College, Burton's positioned well to go over 19.5 points.

Burton is averaging 18.9 points on the year, and he's managed to crack 20 points in four of eight full games. That includes three of five home games -- a venue that's pushed his volume up dramatically. In five home games, Burton is averaging 18 field goal attempts per game on a 34.5% usage rate.

BC is the right matchup for that volume to turn into points. The Eagles have surrendered an ACC-high 81.6 points per game in conference play, and they're fifth in average pace through five league games. Their conference games are averaging 152.6 total points, so points could be plentiful especially given ND's 76.0-point implied team total.

Coming off a 23-point outing against Duke's second-ranked defense, Markus Burton is in a lovely spot to crack 20 points against Boston College tonight.

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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.