College Basketball Betting Picks for Friday 11/10/23: Top-15 Matchup Takes the Cake

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. 15 Texas A&M Aggies at Ohio State Buckeyes

Texas A&M Moneyline (-108)

Friday features an exciting slate of non-conference games with several participating teams ranked within the AP Poll's Top 25. The No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies seem to be the disrespected team among the ranked bunch. Despite ranking 21st in KenPom compared to Ohio State at 47th, the Aggies are 1.5-point underdogs.

However, the line could swing in A&M's favor; they are -122 to cover the spread. I'm looking past the point spread, though. I love the Aggies to pull off the upset on the road. With the moneyline at -108, this could be like taking candy from a baby.

Why am I so firm on Texas A&M emerging with a win? The Buckeyes stumbled to a season-opening 79-73 win against Oakland as 19.5-point favorites. Like typical Chris Holtmann-led OSU teams, the offense led the way while the defense struggled.

The perimeter defense struggled, allowing 35 three-point shots and leading to Oakland shooting at a 40.0% clip. Fortunately, Texas A&M is not a team that lives from the three-point line; the Aggies ranked among the 20th percentile last season with 19.0 three-pointers attempted per game.

A&M was a bit out of character in their season-opening 78-46 win as they hoisted 28 shots from deep while draining 11 attempts. Wade Taylor IV (4-7) and Hayden Hefner (3-6) were lethal from three-point land. This was not a fluke, either, as both players shot over 35.0% from deep in the 2022-23 season.

While the Aggies do not shoot threes at a high volume, they would be silly to overlook the Buckeyes' weak perimeter defense. Ohio State also ranked in the bottom half nationally in opponent three-pointers attempted per game last season.

Texas A&M has a strong group of guards in Taylor, Hefner, and Tyrece Radford, who averaged 13.3 points per game (PPG) a season ago. Taylor, in particular, could feast; he is one of the best guards in America. Meanwhile, OSU is leaning on two second-year guards -- Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr. -- and true freshman Scotty Middleton.

Most importantly, the Aggies feature could have a big advantage on the glass. They ranked 5th in offensive rebounding percentage, and rebounding has been one of OSU's weaknesses for several seasons -- 167th in defensive rebounding percentage last season. Gaining extra possessions on the glass should remain a strength as Texas A&M returns 76.2% of their minutes, per Bart Torvik.

No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers at Wisconsin Badgers

Tennessee -2.5 (-105)

No. 9 Tennessee is another notable SEC squad hitting the road against a Big Ten team. Unlike Texas A&M, the Volunteers are a 2.5-point favorite against the Wisconsin Badgers.

Wisconsin could be a sleeper in the Big Ten. They return 89.6% of their minutes, are ranked 16th in KenPom, and have the fourth-shortest odds to win the Big Ten (+1000) when looking at FanDuel's college basketball conference odds. Tennessee is at another level, though; they are the clear favorite to win the SEC (+290).

Both defenses shined in their first game of the season. The Badgers held Arkansas State to 4-of-21 on three-pointers, and the Volunteers limited Tennessee Tech to a 27.5% field goal percentage (FG%). According to KenPom, Wisconsin boasts the 14th-best adjusted defensive rating, and Tennessee leads the nation in the same category.

With that said, a low-scoring affair could be imminent, making the under an intriguing bet. But who will reign supreme with a win?

Chucky Hepburn (12.2 PPG last season) and Steven Crowl (12.1 PPG last season) are back after leading the Badgers in scoring last season. This offense is pretty much the same; A.J. Storr was the only notable addition via the transfer portal. The St. John's transfer put up 15 points in his Wisconsin debut.

The Badgers' offense was hard to watch last season. They ranked in the bottom 20% nationally in effective field goal percentage (eFG%). I have a hard time seeing Wisconsin become an efficient buzzsaw on offense -- especially with mostly the same players.

This underwhelming offense could be on show once again facing the Volunteers. Tennessee ranked third in opponent eFG% in the 2022-23 season and currently sit at fourth in the same category. This should be one of college basketball's best defenses yet again.

Essentially, this could be a defensive battle, and Tennessee touts the best unit on the floor. Plus, the Volunteers should have a balanced offense with Santiago Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James, and Dalton Knecht, who scored 17 points in his Tennessee debut.

Give me the Volunteers to cover the spread; the best defense will prevail.

No. 12 Arizona Wildcats at No. 2 Duke Blue Devils

Arizona +5.5 (-110)

Now it's time for the top matchup of the day: No. 12 Arizona vs. No. 2 Duke. The Blue Devils are 5.5-point favorites -- and rightfully so. According to FanDuel's college basketball national championship odds, Duke is the co-favorite to win it all (+1100). Add that the Devils will have the Cameron Crazies behind them, and good luck to Arizona.

However, I believe the Wildcats are up to the task. I must admit that taking Arizona to cover is a risky bet. Duke is a known commodity with 74.1% of their minutes back while the Wildcats return only 39.9% of their minutes.

Arizona lost Azuolas Tubelis, who led the 2022-23 squad with 19.8 PPG and 9.1 rebounds per game (RPG). Plus, the starting backcourt of Courtney Ramey and Kerr Kriisa are gone. The Wildcats did an excellent job in the transfer portal, landing North Carolina's Caleb Love and San Diego State's Keshad Johnson. Former Alabama guard Jaden Bradley also provides Arizona with solid backcourt depth.

Moving on from Kriisa could be the correct decision, as well. He was always streaky. The former five-star recruit Kylan Boswell takes over the role. He shined in his first game with 18 points and 5 rebounds. Love was also an excellent scoring threat at UNC, averaging over 15.0 PPG in his last two seasons.

In coach Tommy Lloyd's first two seasons, the Wildcats leaned on their frontcourt. This season, Arizona could be stronger at guard. Backcourt play and three-point shooting is why the Wildcats could have success in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke is excellent; it's that simple. They feature two of the best players in college basketball: Kyle Filipowski and Tyrese Proctor. The Blue Devils' defense was a big strength last season, ranking 16th in efficiency. However, it ranked 132nd in opponent three-pointers attempted per game.

Arizona attempted only 22.3 three-pointers per game last season (137th), but with an improved backcourt, this could change. We saw that in Game 1 as the Wildcats launched 27 shots from deep. The three-ball could be an X-factor on Friday. Love is one player to keep an eye on since he can morph into the Human Torch at any moment.

On the other side of the ball, Duke was 233rd in attempted threes per game last season. The Blue Devils want to attack the paint led by Filipowski. The Wildcats held opponents to 46.2% shooting on two-pointers in 2022-23 (32nd in Division 1). One could argue the paint defense will be even better with Johnson added to the equation.

I'm not quite bold enough to take the Arizona moneyline, but the Wildcats could keep it close with threes and a strong interior D.

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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.