College Basketball Betting Picks for Thursday 1/25/24

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. Team-level efficiency stats are from KenPom.

College Basketball Best Bets

Arizona State at Oregon

Arizona State +9.5 (-114)

The Arizona State Sun Devils (11-7, 5-2 conference) are 9.5-point road underdogs against the Oregon Ducks (13-5, 5-2). While the metrics and resumes favor Oregon, Arizona State is in a good spot to cover a hefty spread and keep things tight.

ASU were up and down in nonconference, but they've proven capable playing with the best the Pac-12 has to offer. They have a pair of notable wins over Utah (30th in KenPom's overall efficiency) and Colorado (21st), and they've gotten it done on the road, too. Despite dropping their most recent away game by 15 points, the Sun Devils boast a 2-1 conference road record after wins at Stanford (89th) and California (121st).

Oregon started conference play 5-0, but they've since lost two straight to Utah and Colorado. Granted, those were both on the road, but they haven't exactly blown teams out of Matthew Knight Arena. All three of their home conference wins were decided by single digits despite two coming against teams outside the top 100 in KenPom's overall efficiency metric.

The Ducks have totaled at least 70 points in five straight games, but Arizona State is well-equipped to handle Oregon on that end of the floor. Oregon ranks second in the Pac-12 in three-point rate and three-point field goal percentage, while the Sun Devils are the conference's top three-point defense.

This one likely comes down to ASU's offense. The Sun Devils are 10-1 straight up when scoring at least 70 points this season -- a mark they should be able to hit tonight. Oregon's has struggled to defend in conference play, ranking 6th in scoring defense and 10th in defensive efficiency.

Both numberFire and Bart Torvik project Oregon to win by fewer than 8.0 points tonight. I'll side with the models and take Arizona State +9.5 (-114).

San Francisco at Gonzaga

San Francisco +8.5 (-102)

The San Francisco Dons (15-5, 4-1) are 8.5-point underdogs in a road battle with the Gonzaga Bulldogs (13-5, 4-1). I think that's a tick too high, so I'll take the Dons to cover the spread.

San Francisco had its seven-game win streak snapped the last time out, losing by 17 points at home to Saint Mary's (28th overall by KenPom). While four of the Dons' five losses have come away from home, all four came against teams inside the top 100 in KenPom's overall efficiency metric. Three of those four Ls were decided by fewer than five points; so while San Francisco doesn't have a signature road win, they've been competitive.

Gonzaga has played just two home games against top 100 KenPom teams. Though they blasted Yale (98th) in the season-opener, they suffered a 10-point loss to San Diego State (22nd) just last month. While the Zags are coming off a pair of 20-point road Ws, those came against Pepperdine and San Diego -- two teams that have a combined 3-9 West Coast Conference (WCC) record.

San Francisco will be a major step up in competition tonight. The Dons are third in the WCC in both offensive and defensive efficiency, and they've averaged 84.2 points per game in conference play. San Francisco lives in the paint, ranking 10th nationally in two-point field goal percentage. Big man Jonathan Mogbo has been a matchup nightmare all season, averaging 15.4 points while leading the country in field goal percentage (68%).

That's where I see the Dons having an advantage; Gonzaga is vulnerable near the rim. Per Bart Torvik, the Bulldogs allow opponents to shoot 58% at the rim, a mark that ranks just fifth in the WCC. San Diego State shot 17 of 19 at the rim when they won in Spokane earlier this year, and I'm expecting the Dons to somewhat replicate that success.

The Dons have been consistently undervalued all season, and given San Fran's interior dominance, I'll take San Francisco +8.5 (-102) in what should be a bounce-back effort.

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.