College Basketball Betting Picks for Saturday 2/24/24

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. 2 Houston at No. 11 Baylor

Houston ML (-152)

Presenting an epic clash of "Lone Star" proportions, the Houston Cougars will make the nearly 200-mile trip north to Waco where the Baylor Bears await. Noon ET will be the tipoff time here. Due to the expansiveness of the Big 12, this Saturday will be the only meeting of 2024 between respective sides.

The upcoming contest at Baylor will be the marquee game of the upcoming weekend. At numberFire, Houston (20.29 nERD) is rated as the second-best team in all of men's college basketball. Still, Baylor (14.50 nERD) is not too far behind, slotted at 15th of 363 Division I programs.

Frankly, head coach Kelvin Sampson and the Cougs are mugging opponents right now. UH has jammed to a 23-3 overall record. In that span, they've held relative competition to only 55.3 PPG, which is currently the most dominant rate in the men's game.

Right now, Houston sits atop the Big 12 standings while the Bears are in fourth. Naturally, this is college basketball's top grouping at the moment. With that considered, is Baylor in position for an upset on their own floor? ESPN Analytics give BU a 27.3% chance at a win on Saturday.

The Cougars have emerged victorious in 9 of their past 10 contests, most recently losing in Lawrence at the beginning of February. That gives them the momentum of four straight wins heading to Waco. When looking at Baylor, the Bears have dropped two of four games since last week. In this situation, I don't mind wagering with inflated juice (-152 odds) on another Cougar win straight up (SU).

No. 13 Alabama at No. 17 Kentucky

Kentucky ML (-114)

For another heavyweight bout on the hardwood, let us head to Lexington, KY. There, John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats will host the Alabama Crimson Tide. Collectively, these two programs are cream of SEC hoops.

Alabama is currently the odds-on favorite (-135) at FanDuel Sportsbook to be named the SEC's regular-season winner, but the Tide have experienced struggles lately. They were blown out at archrival Auburn last week by a score of 99-81. More recently, they nearly lost in Tuscaloosa to a scrappy Florida team. The latter bid required overtime, but 'Bama emerged victorious.

Kentucky -- a perpetual launching pad for NBA talent -- is once again a contender in 2024. The Wildcats have played to an 18-8 overall record. Still, they are coming off a narrow loss at LSU. Seemingly, this could be a bounce-back spot for Coach Calipari and UK being back at home.

For our afternoon action, this SEC clash will commence Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. Right now, numberFire's college basketball game projections show Kentucky defeating Alabama by an estimated score of 82.76-78.96. That translates nicely to Wildcats on the moneyline (-114 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook).

UK is a side that can actually hang with 'Bama in the scoring department. With this game taking place at raucous Rupp Arena, I like Kentucky SU.

Oregon State at Stanford

Stanford -10.5 (-105)

For a late-night tip (10 p.m. ET) in the Bay Area, the Oregon State Beavers and Stanford Cardinal will get together on the hardwood. Notably, this will be these institutions' final regular-season meeting as Pac-12 foes. Starting in the 2024-25 academic year, Stanford will begin competing in the ACC indefinitely.

Naturally, the Cardinal and Beavers have clashed head-to-head once prior in 2024. Last month, Stanford traveled up to Corvallis where they ultimately defeated Oregon State in overtime, 88-84. With the venue now flipped to "The Farm," I think Stanford can really run away with this bid.

In 2024, the Beavs are one of the worst offensive sides in all of college basketball. To this point, Oregon State has produced a team clip of 68.2 PPG, which leaves them in the 14th percentile of Division I hoops. Across the court, Stanford has scored 77.0 PPG this year. Upping the ante, the Cardinal have converted prolifically from three-point range (38.4%).

With this game to be played in Palo Alto, I see Stanford pulling away from Oregon State. In nature, trees and beavers are sworn enemies, but this Cardinal team has roots to stand tall. Approximately half of Stanford's squad is underclassmen, but they are still considerably more talented than ORST.

At home, I am willing to lay points on the Cardinal (-10.5) going against the Pac-12's last-place team.

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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.