College Basketball Betting Picks for Monday 12/18/23

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

Oakland at Michigan State

Michigan State -16.5 (-110)

The Michigan State Spartans (5-5) have had a tough go of it this season. Though their record has resulted in a residency at the bottom of the Big Ten standings, they have only lost games to worthy competition. According to KenPom's ratings, the Spartans have dropped matchups to teams that rank 4th, 12th, 17th, 42nd, and 68th.

MSU's inability to close out games against demanding opponents is concerning, but they are off the heels of a 22-point victory against the nationally-sixth-ranked Baylor Bears. This statement victory, paired with a respectable strength of schedule, has the Spartans sitting at the 23rd spot in KenPom's rankings. They are a better team than either their record or tonight's spread indicates, and I think they are primed to cover in a matchup versus the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.

Oakland comes into tonight with a 138th-ranked team. Though they pulled off a road win against Xavier (ranked 41st) earlier this season, they rank 145th in adjusted offensive efficiency. They should have all the trouble in the world getting past a ninth-ranked MSU defense that held Baylor, who ranks fourth in adjusted offensive efficiency, to only 64 points.

Tyson Walker (20.8 points per game) is the standout for Michigan State and has gone 10-for-19 from behind the arc across his last three games. We should be quite interested in Walker and MSU's three-point percentage numbers. The team started this season by going 8-50 (16.0%) from downtown, which is a major reason why they were kept out of games. Regression from last year's numbers has reared its head, and now they will get a chance to let shots fly against an Oakland team that is allowing opponents to shoot the three-ball at a 44.6% clip over their last three games (14th-worst).

Throughout program history, these Michigan schools have matched up on 21 occasions. The Spartans have yet to walk away without a victory. Dating back to 2017, the Spartans have won this matchup by an average margin of 18.2 points.

MSU's defense should silence the Golden Grizzlies and allow them to sail to their 22nd victory against Oakland. Each Spartan victory this season has been won by at least 20 points with their average margin of victory standing at 26.0 points. When MSU wins, they blow teams out of the water, so we should expect a cover tonight.

Quinnipiac at Holy Cross

Under 145.5 (-110)

The Quinnipiac Bobcats will visit the Holy Cross Crusaders for a matchup that is expected to be competitive. The 5.5-point spread favors the Bobcats, who rank 242nd overall to the Crusaders' 276th rank (per BartTorvik).

Given the close-natured affair that we should be in for, it seems the under is the side to be on tonight. Both teams play at a slow pace, and Quinnipiac ranks 241st in adjusted offensive efficiency. Holy Cross ranks 356th in adjusted offensive efficiency, so we should see them meet in the middle to produce a leisurely pace of play.

Quinnipiac has played in six games that have been decided by 10 or fewer points. The average game total across this span comes in at 142.8 points. Two Holy Cross games have been decided by 10 or fewer points with the average game total sitting at 139.5 points.

Holy Cross is averaging just 64.3 points per game, which is the 15th-fewest in all of college basketball.

On defense, they are most sacrificial from behind the arc. They allow opponents to shoot three-pointers at a 39.8% clip (11th-highest), but Quinnipiac will have a tough time capitalizing off of these looks. On the road, the Bobcats struggle with a 27.6% three-point percentage.

numberFire

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

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

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.