College basketball is back, 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 Picks

SIU Edwardsville Cougars vs. Indiana Hoosiers

SIU Edwardsville +26.5 (-110)

Indiana is facing what could be one of this seasons's worst teams, so it's no surprise to see them as a heavy favorite in their home opener. Bart Torvik ranks the Hoosiers 32nd while KenPom places them 42nd; both sites have the Cougars at 321st.

Still, SIU Edwardsville might be able to keep things just competitive enough to cover this spread.

Per Bart Torvik, Indiana wasn't exactly an elite offense last season, ranking 98th in adjusted offensive efficiency while owning poor marks in free-throw percentage (332nd), three-point percentage (255th), and three-point rate (351st). Additionally, the Hoosiers were outside the top 200 in both offensive and defensive rebounding rate and were among the worst teams at forcing turnovers (307th).

That last point could be noteworthy because if there was one thing the Cougars did right in the previous campaign, it was suppressing turnovers on offense (80th in turnover rate). SIU Edwardsville also already has a game under its belt, cruising to an easy win over Westminster, 95-42.

Indiana beefed up their roster through the transfer portal this offseason, which could help them fix some of last season's issues, but even a slightly slow start could lead to SIU Edwardsville covering. While Bart Torvik and Massey Ratings both see the Hoosiers cruising to a victory, they have the margin of victory projected for 25 and 19 points, respectively.

Vermont Catamounts vs. Auburn Tigers

Under 143.5 (-115)

As 17.5-point favorites, Auburn should get the win at home over Vermont, but this might not be an especially high-scoring affair.

Although the Catamounts were just 199th in adjusted offensive efficiency last season, they were a stout team defensively. On defense, they ranked 48th in adjusted efficiency, 22nd in effective field goal percentage, 8th in rebounding rate, and 37th in free-throw rate.

Vermont also played at a snail's pace, coming in at 350th in adjusted tempo, which should further put the clamps on points tonight.

In the Catamounts' opening win at UAB, the two teams combined for just 129 points.

All of this points to the under, and we haven't even gotten to Auburn's elite defense. In the 2023-24 season, they were seventh in adjusted defensive efficiency and first in effective field goal percentage defense.

Bart Torvik projects the teams to combine for 141 points while Massey Ratings forecasts 138 points.

UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros vs. Creighton Blue Jays

UT Rio Grande Valley +31.5 (-115)

UT Rio Grande Valley won just six games last season and are already 0-1 after losing by 20 at Nebraska. While that doesn't exactly inspire confidence, this is still a hefty number for Creighton to cover in their home opener.

The Blue Jays are inside the top 15 on both Bart Torvik and KenPom, so another strong campaign should be on tap for them. But there are a couple of areas where they struggled last season that could keep them from running up the score on the Vaqueros.

In the 2023-24 season, Creighton was just 273rd in offensive rebounding rate and 352nd in free throw rate, which means they're less likely to get second-chance points or reach the charity stripe if they have a below-average shooting night.

Further, they were 362nd in defensive turnover rate, so they aren't likely to get easy points on the defensive end, either.

As their record would suggest, the Vaqueros performed poorly almost across the board last season, but they were 61st in defensive rebounding rate, so they should be able to take advantage of the Blue Jays' modest offensive rebounding abilities. UTRGV was also 15th in free-throw rate, which could be a path to points on offense.

Bart Torvik sees Creighton winning by 23 points, and Massey Ratings is slightly more bullish, projecting a 27-point win. While backing such big underdog might not feel great, it's worth noting that in the lone meeting between these teams in 2019, the Blue Jays crushed the Vaqueros, 89-58, and that still wouldn't be enough to cover tonight's number.

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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.