3 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Thursday 2/13/25

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

No. 25 Maryland at Nebraska

Maryland Moneyline (+100)

Derik Queen Over 8.5 Rebounds (-102)

Despite both offenses sitting in the 74th percentile of points per game (PPG), tonight's 147.5 total for Maryland-Nebraska comes with good reason. The shot distributions from both offenses cause some worries.

For example, the Terrapins are in the 49th percentile of close twos shot distribution and the 28th percentile for three-point shots. The Cornhuskers show similar numbers, sitting in the 52nd percentile for close twos shot distribution and 47th percentile for three-pointers.

With both teams in the top 40 of Bart Torvik's adjusted defensive efficiency, iffy shot distributions could cause some scoring woes. Getting as many shots as possible (aka the possession battle) could be the deciding factor for this one.

Maryland is 101st in offensive rebounding percentage and 53rd for defensive rebounding rate compared to Nebraska ranked 272nd and 78th in the categories. Derik Queen and Julian Reese are one of the best frontcourt tandems in America, from scoring points to grabbing boards.

Among qualifying players in the Big Ten, Queen (24.3%) and Reese (24.4%) are in the top four of defensive rebounding rate. Reese also leads the conference with a 13.8% offensive rebounding rate. Meanwhile, Berke Buyuktuncel leads Nebraska with a 20.2% defensive rebounding rate, but he's still well outside the top 10 for this category in the Big Ten.

Additionally, the Terrapins have a turnovers per play rate of 12.7% (93rd percentile) and turnovers forced per play rate of 18.1% (90th percentile). Meanwhile, the Cornhuskers are in the 60th and 62nd percentiles of the categories.

In a tightly-contested game, if Maryland is dominating the rebounding and turnover battles as we expect, this should be enough to lead to a narrow win. Bart Torvik's game projections are leaning with the Terrapins (74-73).

Staying with the rebounding category, give me Queen to go over 8.5 rebounds. He's recording 11.5 rebounds per game (RPG) over his last four. Getting to nine rebounds is more than reasonable, and Queen has an ideal matchup with one of the Big Ten's best defensive rebounding percentages.

Liberty at New Mexico State

New Mexico State Under 65.5 Points (-112)

Among mid-majors, Liberty is shaping up to be one of the Cinderella favorites in March, ranking 59th on Bart Torvik. However, the Flames have work to do as they're two games back from Jacksonville State (125th in Bart Torvik) in the Conference USA standings.

Liberty is in for a tough road test as 3.5-point favorites against New Mexico State, and Bart Torvik is projecting a 65-63 final in favor of the Flames. The projected total is telling at 128 points, suggesting under the 132.5 total.

Both teams lean on their defense while among the 73rd percentile for the slowest tempos in college basketball. However, I have some confidence Liberty's offense thanks to its 57.4% effective field goal percentage (5th-highest) while in the 77th percentile of close twos and three-point shot distributions.

With the Flames' offensive efficiency in mind, I'm leaning on New Mexico State to go under 65.5 points (-112).

Liberty has the best unit in this matchup, ranking 32nd in adjusted defensive efficiency. The next-best mark is New Mexico State ranking 91st in the same category.

The Aggies are in the 12th percentile of close twos shot distribution and the 46th percentile for threes. Their effective field goal percentage is dreadful at 46.8% (12th percentile).

Additionally, New Mexico State is averaging 62.4 PPG over its last seven, and January 18's meeting against Liberty was the only top-50 adjusted defense faced in this split. Similar to the previous meeting, expect a frustrating scoring night from the Aggies.

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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.