College Basketball Betting Picks for Friday 1/5/24

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

No. 9 Illinois at No. 1 Purdue

Purdue -10.5 (-106)

We've got a Big 10 battle tonight with the Illinois Fighting Illini (11-2) taking on the Purdue Boilermakers (13-1).

While this matchup features the two highest-ranked teams in the conference, the spread shows us that Purdue is a heavy favorite, and I think we can trust the Boilermakers to cover.

Illinois will come into West Lafayette without Terrence Shannon Jr. (suspended). He led the team in minutes (33.0), points (21.7), and blocks (1.3) per game prior to his suspension.

The Illini have gone 2-0 in Shannon's absence, with Marcus Domask taking on the lion's share of scoring duties. However, finding depth and an offensive spark will be an issue tonight. Illinois now has just three players who average 10-plus points per game.

Purdue will likely win this game with their size. Zach Edey is averaging 23.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. The 7-foot-4 star should have no problem dominating the interior against an Illinois team that is very small -- Coleman Hawkins offers the Illini their biggest size at 6-foot-10.

According to BartTorvik, the Boilermakers enter tonight with the second-best adjusted offensive efficiency rating and the fourth-best adjusted defensive efficiency rating, while the Illini rank 18th and 21st, respectively, in those regards.

Illinois has kept games close against tough opponents this season. They lost to the then-fourth-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles by seven points and a then-17th-ranked Tennessee team by seven points.

Purdue, meanwhile, is 4-0 against nationally ranked opponents. Though Purdue's average margin of victory in these contests stands at a modest 6.3 points, I think Shannon's absence will be felt for the Fighting Illini, and Edey should go off tonight to help the Boilermakers pull away with a double-digit win.

No. 4 Connecticut at Butler

Connecticut -5.5 (-102)

The Connecticut Huskies (12-2) are the third and final nationally ranked team featured on Friday's college basketball slate. UConn will go into Hinkle Fieldhouse to take on the Butler Bulldogs (10-4), and though the Bulldogs should get some mojo from their home crowd, the Huskies have proved too much this season for me to side with anything but a UConn cover.

UConn is 3-1 against nationally ranked opponents, with their average margin of victory in these games standing at 11.3 points.

Across their 12 wins, UConn is winning games by an average margin of 24.3 points. Their two losses have been by just four and five points.

Butler is 0-2 against teams in the AP Top 25, and their average margin of loss in their four defeats sits at 12.75 points.

The Bulldogs have dropped their last two games, one against a 29th-ranked St John's team and the other against a 44th-ranked Providence team (rankings per BartTorvik). Now they'll have to compete against an eighth-ranked UConn squad.

UConn ranks eighth in adjusted offensive efficiency and 26th in adjusted defensive efficiency, while Butler ranks 35th and 91st, respectively, in these areas.

Cam Spencer, Tristen Newton, Alex Karaban, and Donovan Clingan lead the way for the Huskies, with all of those players averaging at least 13.9 points per game. Add in that freshman guard and NBA draft prospect Stephon Castle has returned from injury to give UConn a boost, and it seems their depth and talent will be too powerful to keep Butler within five points.

Butler allows opponents to fire off 25.7 three-point attempts (3PA) per game, which is good for the 33rd-most in all of college basketball. UConn is shooting the 14th-most 3PA per game, so look for plenty of 3PA from the Huskies to help them pull away with a comfortable win.

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.