College Basketball Betting Picks for Friday 2/16/24

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

Villanova at Georgetown

Villanova -9.5 (-110)

The Villanova Wildcats (13-11) will visit the Georgetown Hoyas tonight for what will be the first meeting of the season between these Big East schools.

Villanova has been sliding as of late. In mid-January, they went on a five-game losing streak, which now has them sitting towards the bottom of the Big East standings (6-7). However, their struggles can't hold a candle to Georgetown's uninspiring season.

The Hoyas suffer with a 1-12 conference record with their lone win coming against a DePaul team that has yet to see the win column in the Big East.

Georgetown's average margin of loss in these conference games stands at a mighty 14.9 points. But, if we take out the games against nationally-ranked opponents -- UConn, Marquette, and Creighton -- their average margin of loss sits at 8.8 points -- right around the spread for tonight's matchup.

According to Bart Torvik's power ratings, which measure a team's chance of beating an average D1 program, Villanova ranks 32nd while Georgetown comes in at the 172nd spot.

This season, Georgetown has played in nine games against teams that rank in the top 50 of Bart Torvik's power ratings. The Hoyas went 0-9 in this span and dropped each contest by an average of 19.6 points.

Villanova's record might not be flashy, but their status in college basketball models is indicative of a solid team. Not only did they beat Creighton earlier this season, but they've forced close games against other reputable Big East teams, such as Marquette and UConn.

The Wildcats come into this one sporting the fourth-worst luck rating in all of college basketball (per KenPom), which gives credence to their record being a potentially misleading metric.

Plus, Villanova is shooting the 17th-most three-point attempts (3PA) per game, and the Hoyas have not been great at defending the three-ball. Over their last three games, Georgetown has surrendered the 19th-most three-point makes (3PM) each game.

The Wildcats are led by Eric Dixon (15.8 points per game), TJ Bamba (10.5 points), and Justin Moore (9.8 points), but this team isn't short on solid depth. I'd look for Brendan Hausen (team-leading 41.8% three-point percentage) to factor into this one and help Villanova secure a double-digit victory tonight.

Our Aidan Cotter is backing Dixon to go over 16.5 points tonight.

Harvard at Cornell

Under 160.5 (-118)

Two weeks ago, the Cornell Big Red visited the Harvard Crimson and left with an 89-76 victory.

Tonight, these programs will meet up once again, and though Cornell comes in as the rightful favorite, I think we should expect a lower-scoring game than last time around.

Harvard is scoring just 71.7 points per game (243rd among D1 programs), and this includes a handful of contests against bottom-tier defenses within their conference. Cornell sports a middle-the-road defense (178th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per Bart Torvik) but one that is capable of holding the Crimson to, at the very least, average shooting numbers.

On the season, Cornell is letting opponents shoot the ball at a 44.9% clip. Harvard, meanwhile, comes into the night with a 45.4% team field-goal percentage.

However, in the aforementioned matchup between these teams, Cornell allowed Harvard to finish with an above-average 52.6% field-goal percentage. I'd be quite surprised if Cornell surrenders another above-average shooting night to the Crimson -- especially since they will be on their home court. At home, Cornell is forcing opponents into a 42.6% field-goal percentage.

We should see each program's defense tighten up tonight as they implement what they learned from this matchup that took place earlier this month. Bart Torvik is projecting a 157.0-point game total for this one while numberFire is anticipating a 147.83 total.

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.