3 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Tuesday 1/21/25

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

Mississippi State at Tennessee

Tennessee -8.5 (-105)

If you're just looking at the AP Poll, Tuesday's top matchup is No. 14 Mississippi State at No. 6 Tennessee. It's the lone top-25 matchup on the slate, though the spread doesn't hint at an especially tight contest.

The home Volunteers are favored by 8.5 points. That's a hefty spread for a matchup between two ranked teams, but it's one Tennessee is well-positioned to cover.

Tennessee (sixth on KenPom) enters Tuesday's showdown with a perfect 10-0 home record. Only three of those came against other Power Conference teams, but the Vols still posted a +22.7 average scoring margin in such games.

In general, Tennessee has fared well against the better teams on their schedule. They're 5-2 against top-50 KenPom teams, with three of those wins coming by double-digits.

Mississippi State (22nd on KenPom) has an identical record (3-2) in SEC play as Tennessee, and they've fared just well against top-50 KenPom teams. But they're just 3-1 in true road games and have real question marks on defense.

The Bulldogs are just 45th in adjusted defense -- per KenPom -- and have let up a 46.7% three-point attempt rate against top-50 opponents, 7th-highest among Power Conference teams. That jumps to 48.7% against top-25 teams, and they've permitted a 43% three-point field goal percentage in that split.

That bodes well for Tennessee's offense. Though the Vols are more of a defensive-minded team, they have the second-highest three-point attempt rate in the SEC. In the 10 games Tennessee has attempted at least 25 threes, they're 9-1 with all nine wins coming by double-digits.

Coming off a road loss over the weekend, this is a nice spot for Tennessee to bounce back and cover as 8.5-point home favorites against Mississippi State.

Marquette at Seton Hall

Stevie Mitchell 1+ Made Threes (-128)

No. 10 Marquette takes on unranked Seton Hall tonight in a battle between two teams at opposite ends of the Big East ladder. Marquette (6-1 in conference play) sits in second place in the Big East, while Seton Hall (1-6) is second-to-last.

That explains tonight's wide spread (Marquette -12.5), though it's hard for me to get behind any road team covering double-digits in conference play. However, this is a spot we want a piece of the Golden Eagles offense, so we can turn to Marquette guard Stevie Mitchell for a player prop.

Mitchell has -128 odds to make at least one three-pointer tonight -- something he's done in 10-of-18 games this season. He's averaging 0.8 made threes per game despite shooting 42% from beyond the arc.

Now, Mitchell only attempts 2.0 threes per game, explaining his low prop tonight. He's failed to even attempt a three in four separate games this season, including three times in Big East play.

But he's been more aggressive from beyond the arc in recent games, nailing multiple triples in three of his last five games. That makes Stevie Mitchell 2+ Made Threes (+360) an intriguing wager, especially considering Seton Hall's lackluster defense.

The Pirates are just 116th in KenPom's adjusted defense, and they've permitted the second-most points per game (80.9) in conference play. Seton Hall has allowed the third-highest three-point attempt rate (42.7%) and second-highest three-point field goal percentage (40.3%) in Big East games.

They've been especially vulnerable to the three-ball against the better teams on their schedule. Against top-50 KenPom opponents, Seton Hall has let up a 46.6% three-point attempt rate -- eighth highest among Power Conference teams.

With Mitchell needing just one made three to hit this prop, I can certainly get behind him in such an advantageous matchup.

Washington at Oregon

Washington Under 66.5 Total Points (-110)

Washington hits the road for a Big Ten conference matchup against Oregon tonight. With the 15th-ranked Ducks sporting KenPom's No. 30 adjusted defense, the visiting Huskies are going to be hard-pressed to clear their 66.5-point team total.

Washington is tied for the worst record in the Big Ten (1-6), and they've lost four straight coming into tonight. With KenPom's 147th-ranked adjusted offense, it's not a stretch to say the Huskies are poor on offense. But they've been one of the worst high-major offenses in the country away from their home floor.

Among Power Conference teams, Washington has averaged the sixth-fewest points (64.8) and the lowest eFG% (44.7%) on the road and at neutral sites. They're 0-3 on the road in conference play, managing 75, 54, and 58 points in such games.

Despite strong season-long metrics, Oregon is actually below-average in the conference for scoring defense, and they've let up the second-most points per game at home. But their poor marks on that end are somewhat skewed by them giving up 109 points to Illinois. In three other home Big Ten games, the Ducks let up 65, 73, and 79 points.

Oregon has locked down the lesser offenses on their schedule, though. They've faced seven teams ranked outside the top 100 in adjusted offense; in those games, they've allowed just 61.9 points per game. Only two of those foes cracked 70 points, and one needed overtime to do so.

On top of that, neither Washington nor Oregon plays at a particularly fast pace, with both sitting outside the top 100 in adjusted tempo. Against the four Power Conference teams that Washington has faced who fit that criterion, the Huskies have only averaged 57.8 points per game.

As such, this is an intriguing spot to take Washington under 66.5 total points -- a mark they've been held under in two of their last three games.

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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.