3 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Thursday 2/27/25

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

North Texas at Florida Atlantic

North Texas Moneyline (-110)

The American Athletic Conference is led by Memphis, which is 52nd in Bart Torvik's power ratings. This isn't the only notable team from this conference, though, as North Texas is only one game back in the conference standings and ranks 59th on Bart Torvik. Despite an 8-6 conference record, Florida Atlantic is 114th on Bart Torvik (fourth highest in conference).

Thursday night brings a treat with North Texas visiting Florida Atlantic. As 1.5-point road underdogs, the Mean Green's four-game win streak is in danger against the Owls. However, FAU is on a two-game losing streak. Can North Texas pull off the upset?

The short answer is yes. Bart Torvik's game projections have North Texas winning 69-67. Of course, the Mean Green are viewed as the far more efficient team and their 32nd-ranked adjusted defense should hold a ton of weight tonight.

Florida Atlantic's strength is sitting 71st in offensive efficiency while ranking in the 83rd percentile for pace. Meanwhile, North Texas is in the 99th percentile for the slowest paces and has the ability to force a snail-like pace thanks to winning the rebounding battle. The Mean Green are in the 79th percentile for offensive and defensive rebounding percentages while the Owls are in the 48th percentile of each category.

The paint battle should be important, as well, for FAU is in the 87th percentile of close twos shot distribution. North Texas is also in the 87th percentile of close twos shot distribution allowed. Each unit should have its wins here and there, but overall, the Owls probably won't be able to live in the paint.

On the other side of the court, Florida Atlantic is 201st in defensive efficiency and in the 16th percentile for points per game (PPG) allowed. Despite sitting 106th in offensive efficiency, the Mean Green offense still has a nice matchup.

Led by a strong defense and the ability to force the Owls into a slow-paced game, give me the road 'dogs.

Rutgers at Michigan

Rutgers +8.5 (-102)
Ace Bailey Over 16.5 Points (-105)

The most notable Power Five matchup resides in the Big Ten with Rutgers visiting Michigan. The two met on February 1, and the Wolverines squeaked out with a three-point win as 6.5-point favorites.

Considering the close call, the 8.5-point spread in favor of Michigan feels too high -- especially when the Scarlet Knights are coming off back-to-back wins. Rutgers also kept it close a couple of weeks ago without Dylan Harper (19.4 PPG) in the lineup. The Knights are fully healthy for this matchup, suggesting another cover.

One of the Wolverines' major problems has been logging 14.4 turnovers per game (5th percentile), and Rutgers can take advantage of this by sitting in the 70th percentile of turnovers per game and 54th percentile of forced turnovers per contest. The Scarlet Knights won the turnover battle by five in the previous matchup.

Additionally, projected NBA lottery picks Harper and Ace Bailey (18.4 PPG) are a beast for any team to guard. The Knights' lineup in general is very tall for college ball, posing plenty of problems. Harper (6'6") and Bailey (6'10") could draw matchups against the Wolverines' wings Roddy Gayle (6'5") and Nimari Burnett (6'5"). Along with a size advantage -- especially for Bailey -- Gayle (1.78) and Burnett (1.73) have meh Defensive Bayesian Performance Ratings (DBPR), per Evan Miya.

If Harper and Bailey keep carrying the scoring load while Michigan struggles to take care of the ball, this certainly points a cover for the Scarlet Knights.

Between the two players, I like Bailey's 16.5-point prop. He's capable of some splash performances, such as his 37 points on January 29 and 30 points on January 20. He's been the more efficient three-point shooter compared to Harper, shooting 36.7% versus 34.4%. Bailey is also less reliant on getting in the paint by taking 24.2% of his shots at the rim (Harper is at 43.7%).

Michigan is in the 78th percentile of close twos shot distribution allowed compared to sitting in the 44th percentile of three-point shots allowed per game. Shooting the three will be important. Despite standing at 6'10", Bailey is listed as a guard by ESPN. That tells you enough about his skill. He could have a mobility advantage against the Wolverines' big men or a size advantage over their wings. Expect the projected top-five NBA draft pick to put up big numbers, helping Rutgers cover the spread.

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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.