College Basketball Betting Picks for Friday 1/26/24

The college basketball season always provides a flurry of twists and turns that few saw coming -- especially when March Madness comes around. This can make college basketball one of the most challenging sports to bet on.

Fortunately, we have plenty of tools available that can aid our chances of taking the most favorable college basketball bets. 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.

College Basketball Best Bets

Michigan State at No. 13 Wisconsin

Michigan State Moneyline (+132)

The Michigan State Spartans (12-7) will visit the Wisconsin Badgers (15-4) at Kohl Center, and though the Badgers have more to show for their season, I think the Spartans have what it takes to pull off the upset tonight.

Wisconsin not only sits atop the Big Ten standings, but they are also undefeated on their home court. They beat MSU this past December to the tune of a 70-57 victory and have one of the most efficient offenses in college basketball, led by standout guard AJ Storr.

But despite this, Michigan State (12th) still ranks ahead of Wisconsin (15th) in Bart Torvik's power ratings, which measures a team's chance of beating an average D1 program.

KenPom's overall efficiency rating has Wisco ranked 11th and MSU ranked 16th, so the models show these teams are more neck-and-neck than their records would indicate.

The Spartans have a great defense, coming in with the 13th-best adjusted defensive efficiency marker (per BartTorvik). Wisconsin has played three other teams that rank in the top 15 of adjusted defensive efficiency; they went 0-3 in this span.

The Badgers have been great this season due to their efficient offense (seventh-best), but they struggle against teams such as MSU that can slow down the pace of play.

When these teams went up against each other in December, Wisconsin ended the game with a better three-point percentage (43.5%) than MSU (31.6%) and won the rebounding battle. On the season, MSU is shooting the three-ball at a better clip than Wisconsin, and their gritty defense should look to control the boards tonight.

The Spartans have the 19th-worst luck rating out of 362 eligible D1 teams, so I think the tide should turn for them. This should be a close and exciting game, and if there's one player I want to side with down the stretch, it's MSU's Tyson Walker (19.7 points per game).

I'll side with the plus odds in a game that could come down to the wire.

Iona at Siena

Iona -8.5 (-110)

The Iona Gaels (8-10) will visit the Siena Saints (3-15) tonight, and I think the Gaels have proved they can cover against the lowly Saints.

Iona comes in sitting at the 180th spot on Bart Torvik's power rating, while Siena falls far behind at the 345th spot, making them one of the worst teams in college basketball.

The Saints have managed to go 0-15 against teams that rank in the top 250 of Bart Torvik's ratings. They are losing games by an average of 16.1 points.

The Gaels, meanwhile, tout a 13.5-point average margin of victory, which spikes to 14.7 points against programs that rank in the bottom 150 of Bart Torvik's ratings.

If we take a look at the alike opponents for these teams, we can find even more encouragement in backing Iona. The Gaels beat Canisius by 12 points while the Saints lost to this school by 4 points. Iona beat Fairfield by 11 points, while Siena got blown out by this squad, losing by 24 points.

Though neither of these teams have turned heads in the MAAC conference, it's clear that Iona has the upper hand in this one. Siena has gone 0-15 against opponents with any status in college basketball models and have been losing these games by a wide margin. Plus, this team comes in with a 27.0% three-point percentage (3P%) and 40.8% field-goal percentage (FG%).

Iona is rocking with a 35.8 3P% and 43.3 FG%, so I won't be surprised if this game gets out of hand.

Looking for more college basketball betting opportunities? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook to check out all of the upcoming college basketball odds.

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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.