3 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Wednesday 1/22/25

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

Texas A&M at Ole Miss

Ole Miss -2.5 (-120)

Wednesday's lone ranked matchup tips off at 9pm ET when No. 13 Texas A&M visits No. 16 Ole Miss. The Rebels are 2.5-point favorites here, and that's the side I want to be on given how well Ole Miss has played at home.

Ole Miss has won four of their first five conference games, sporting the fourth-best net rating (+10.9) in the SEC. Although they're closer to middle-of-the-pack on offense, the Rebels sport one of the best defenses in the country. They're 12th nationally in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency metric and have let up the second-fewest points per game in conference play (66.0).

The Rebels have cruised in their two conference home games, winning both by an average of 12 points per game. Granted, those came against Georgia and LSU -- both of whom have losing records in the SEC -- but their work on the defensive end was impressive, nonetheless. Ole Miss held both to fewer than 70 points -- a feat they also accomplished on the road against an Alabama offense that leads the entire country in scoring.

Texas A&M isn't in the same stratosphere as 'Bama on offense, ranking 38th in adjusted offensive efficiency. Though the Aggies have averaged the fifth-most points in SEC play (77.0), they've struggled of late. Texas A&M has failed to crack 70 points in consecutive games despite facing two teams outside the top 50 in adjusted defense. Despite their 3-2 conference record, the Aggies have an ugly 46.9% effective field goal percentage (eFG%) in SEC games.

A&M does feature the country's 11th-ranked adjusted defense, but the Rebels have fared well against elite stoppers this season. They're averaging 75 points per game against top-50 defenses, sporting the SEC's sixth-best eFG% (51.2%) in such matchups.

That sets Ole Miss up well to cover as 2.5-point favorites tonight in what should be a bounce-back effort following a road loss to their in-state rivals.

Utah at Houston

LJ Cryer (HOU) Over 13.5 Points (-110)

The No. 7 Houston Cougars are 18.5-point favorites against unranked Utah tonight. Though the Cougars are more known for their defense, a home date with the Utes is an intriguing spot to target the over on Houston guard LJ Cryer's 13.5-point prop.

Cryer enters Wednesday averaging 13.8 points per game on the year. He's played a team-high 30.1 minutes per game while leading Houston with 11.8 field goal attempts per game and a 21.6% usage rate (per Bart Torvik).

Though Cryer's notched 14 points in just 8-of-17 games overall, he's proven more effective against faster-paced teams. In six games versus opponents in the top 100 of KenPom's adjusted tempo, Cryer has averaged 14.8 points on 13.2 field goal attempts per game. He's gotten up to 15 points in four of those six games.

That sets him up nicely against a Utah side which ranks 64th in adjusted tempo. They're not an especially fearsome defense, either. The Utes are just 67th in adjusted defense and have given up the third-most points per game in Big 12 play (75.8). Through six conference games, the Utes rank fourth in average pace, so we can expect more scoring opportunities from the entire Houston lineup.

Now, Cryer is coming off a 6-point outing, but he still hoisted 13 shots across 36 minutes. He went for 18 points on 12 shots the game prior, so the volume should still be there tonight.

In a pace-up spot, consider LJ Cryer to bounce back and go over 13.5 points against Utah.

Xavier at St. John's

Xavier Under 70.5 Points (-120)

Xavier hits the road for a conference date with No. 20 St. John's tonight. Considering how the Musketeers have fared against top defenses, this is a nice spot to target Xavier under 70.5 total points.

St. John's ranks fifth in adjusted defense ahead of Wednesday's games, but they've been even stingier in Big East games. Through eight conference showdowns, the Red Storm have allowed a Big East-low 62.4 points per game. Among high-major teams, St. John's has the second-best conference defensive rating in the country.

The Red Storm have yet to allow a conference foe to crack 70 points on their home floor -- a trend I don't expect to change with Xavier in town.

The Musketeers are just 67th nationally in adjusted offense, and they're right at league average in terms of offensive rating. But they've struggled on the road during Big East play, failing to score 70 points in three of four conference road games.

They've struggled on that end of the floor when matched up with the country's best defenses, too. Xavier has already faced six teams inside the top 25 for adjusted defense. In those six games, they've averaged just 63.7 points per game while posting a 42.8% eFG%.

It doesn't help that St. John's has limited opponents to a 43.8% field goal percentage inside the arc -- a top-10 mark among Power Conference teams. Xavier attempts twos at an above-average rate, and they've shot just 34.7% from three against Power Conference opponents.

As such, the Musketeers face an uphill battle on offense tonight. That makes Xavier under 70.5 a wager worth considering against St. John's.

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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.