3 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Monday 1/6/25

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

Wisconsin at Rutgers

Wisconsin -1.5 (-110)

Monday's slate is light on high-major action, though Wisconsin-Rutgers profiles as one of the better games of the day. Though Wisconsin is on the road, they've been the much more consistent and proven side thus far. As such, we can look for them to cover as 1.5-point favorites.

The Badgers head to the RAC with an 11-3 record and No. 26 standing on KenPom. They've yet to lose to a team outside of KenPom's top 15 and are fresh off a resounding 31-point win over Iowa (56th) which saw them clear 100 points for the second time this season.

With that effort, Wisconsin now ranks 32nd nationally in scoring and 12th in adjusted offensive efficiency (per KenPom). They've done well to limit turnovers (18th in TO%) and make the most of their open looks (62nd in eFG%).

That sets them up well to cover against Rutgers (75th on KenPom). The Scarlet Knights have been lackluster on defense this season, ranking 282nd in scoring D and 99th in adjusted defensive efficiency. They're just 177th in eFG% allowed and have struggled against top offenses. Against top-100 adjusted offenses, Rutgers is just 2-5 straight up.

Now, Rutgers also has a high-octane offense, and they're led by two future lottery picks. Wisconsin's defense isn't their strong suit, so an alternative way to attack this angle would be the over on Wisconsin's 79.5-point team total.

That's certainly appealing, but Rutgers hasn't shown an ability to beat teams of Wisconsin's caliber just yet. Bart Torvik's model projects Wisconsin to win 84-79 here, so I'm content taking the points with the road favorites.

TCU at Houston

Under 128.5 Total Points (-115)

The only other game between top-100 KenPom teams on Monday tips off at 9pm ET when TCU (73rd) takes on Houston (3rd). This one isn't expected to be nearly as competitive as Wisconsin-Rutgers, evidenced by an 18.5-point spread in favor of the Cougars.

Houston has been rock-solid at 10-3, and they've yet to win a true home game by fewer than 20 points. They just blasted BYU (41st on KenPom) by 31 on their home floor, so they're the direction I'd lean spread-wise.

But TCU's been competitive enough that I can quite back the Cougars to cover 18.5 points. Instead, we can look toward the under, currently set at 128.5 points.

Houston has again been dominant defensively, leading the country in scoring defense while ranking second in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency. And while Kelvin Sampson's teams have become notorious for their slow pace, this year's squad has been especially snail-like. They rank 361st out of 364 teams in KenPom's adjusted tempo -- on pace for the slowest Sampson team on record.

TCU hasn't been as stout as Houston, but they're not far off. The Horned Frogs are 52nd in scoring defense and 25th in adjusted defensive efficiency. They, too, play at a slow pace, sitting at 220th in adjusted tempo.

But TCU hasn't been especially fearsome on offense, and that's where this under becomes such a strong play. The Horned Frogs are just 253rd in scoring and 155th in adjusted offense. That's less than ideal when you're up against Houston; the Cougars have allowed 51 points or fewer to all eight opponents outside the top 75 in adjusted offense.

Bart Torvik projects a 68-52 final in favor of Houston -- well under this 128.5-point over/under. I'll back the model here again, expecting a low-possession game between two strong defenses.

Ohio State at Minnesota

Dawson Garcia (MINN) Over 25.5 Pts + Reb (-120)

Neither Ohio State (9-5; 30th on KenPom) nor Minnesota (8-6; 119th) have been especially trustworthy from a results standpoint, so I don't want much to do with the spread (Ohio State -4.5) or total (over/under 136.5). However, this is a spot we can target a player prop.

With Minnesota at home against an Ohio State side that's just 244th in average height and only plays one big taller than 6-foot-9, let's look for Gophers big man Dawson Garcia to go over 25.5 combined points and rebounds (PRs).

Garcia is averaging 19.1 points and 7.2 rebounds (26.3 PRs) per game this season, and he leads Minnesota with a 25.1% usage rate (per Torvik). The fifth-year senior is shooting a career-best 50.9% from the floor despite upping his three-point attempts to 3.9 per game.

The 6-foot-11 big man has been even better at home where he's put up 21.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. And while the Gophers have only faced five top 60 defenses -- Ohio State is 31st in adjusted D -- Garcia has more than held his own against them. He put up 29 PRs against Michigan State (11th), 13 against Wake Forest (29th), 32 against North Texas (39th), 26 against Indiana (49th), and 25 against Purdue (60th).

Against an Ohio State side that lacks interior size and is just 193rd in total rebound rate, Dawson Garcia is well-positioned to go over 25.5 combined points and rebounds.

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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.