College Basketball Betting Picks for Thursday 11/16/23

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

Wright State at Indiana

Wright State 1H +5.5 (-104)

The 0-2 Wright State Raiders travel to Assembly Hall tonight to take on the 2-0 Indiana Hoosiers. I won't be shocked to see IU blow Wright State out of the building in the second half, but given how these teams have played thus far, I'm expecting the Raiders to keep things within five in the first.

Wright State is ranked 167th on KenPom while Indiana sits at No. 61.

The Raiders got crushed by Colorado State (55th on KenPom), 105-77, in their season opener. They proceeded to drop a heartbreaker to Toledo (108th) in their most recent outing, 78-77. However, they were highly competitive in the first half of both games, trailing CSU by three in Game 1 and Toledo by just one in Game 2.

It's a small sample, but Wright State has averaged a respectable 41 first-half points per game, tied for 67th nationally.

Indiana, meanwhile, has struggled to put away inferior competition at home. They squeaked out a six-point win against Florida Gulf Coast (135th on KenPom) to open the year before beating Army (325th) by eight. At the half of those games, they led FGCU by two and Army by just one.

The Hoosiers have averaged just 30 first-half points per game (tied for 260th).

Given how lackluster the Hoosiers have started games thus far, I'm expecting a competitive first half again tonight. Wright State certainly has the talent to keep things close. Senior guards Trey Calvin (27.5 points per game) and Tanner Holden (15.5 points) are more than capable of lighting up the scoreboard, while big man AJ Braun (12 points; 5.5 rebounds) should help the Raiders down low.

Indiana could very well end up covering over the course of the full game, but I like IU's first-half struggles to keep this within five at halftime.

Oklahoma State at St. Bonaventure

St. Bonaventure +3.5 (-120)

Oklahoma State and St. Bonaventure square off in the first game of the Legends Classic. It's a neutral-site matchup, but St. Bonaventure's home campus sits just under 350 miles from the Barclays Center, while Oklahoma State has to travel nearly 1,500 miles.

KenPom has St. Bonaventure 98th and Oklahoma State 82nd. Both squads are 1-1, and given how tight they are in the advanced rankings, I like the Bonnies to cover this 3.5-point spread.

St. Bonaventure is one of the most experienced teams in the country. Per Bart Torvik, the Bonnies returned 86% of last season's minutes. That includes all six of last year's leading scorers -- including big men Chad Venning (11 points; 5.0 rebounds), sharpshooter Assa Essamvous (9.5 points; 2.0 threes), and Daryl Banks III (15.4 points; 2.5 threes in 2023).

Yet, the Bonnies' two best players may be their pair of transfers, Charles Pride (18.5 points) and Mika Adams-Woods (10.5 points). Pride scored more than 1,500 points during his four years at Bryant University while Adams-Woods started 104 games across four seasons at Cincinnati.

St. Bonaventure hasn't gotten off to the best start with a 1-1 record. They edged out Longwood (199th on KenPom) by four before dropping a home game to Canisius (233rd) by three.

Thankfully, Oklahoma State hasn't exactly gotten off to a great start, either. The Cowboys returned just 36.8% of last year's minutes, and it's shown early on. They dropped their home opener to Abilene Christian (194th) by five before bouncing back with a 15-point win over Sam Houston State (161st).

Last year's leading scorer, Bryce Thompson, has been their primary source of offense early with 18 points per game. East Carolina transfer Javon Small gave them a big boost in his season debut against Sam Houston State, racking up 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

While Oklahoma State is a stout defensive team (67th in adjusted defensive efficiency), they're less effective on offense (114th in adjusted offensive efficiency) and rank 267th in adjusted tempo (69 possessions per 40 minutes). That should help St. Bonaventure keep things tight if we're looking at a slower, more low-scoring game.

Both teams sit outside the top 250 in rebound rate. I'd expect Oklahoma State to have the edge on the glass, but their lack of real size should really benefit an undersized Bonnies team.

I like St. Bonaventure's plethora of guards and experience to keep things close in a neutral-site matchup.

Furman at Liberty

Liberty -1.5 (-105)

The Furman Paladins and Liberty Flames square off in the first round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational. Both mid-major darlings are off to 2-0 starts this season, and I like Liberty to come out ahead and cover this 1.5-point spread.

Let's start with Furman. The Paladins sit at No. 99 on KenPom, having taken down Division-II North Greenville, 84-68, and Belmont (180th on KenPom), 99-76.

Furman sits at No. 99 in KenPom's rankings. They rank 70th in adjusted offensive efficiency but just 156th in adjusted defensive efficiency.

The Paladins are led by a trio of high-scoring guards -- JP Pegues (23 points), Marcus Foster (17), and PJay Smith Jr. (12). Pegues and Foster both started for last year's NCAA Tournament team, along with forward Garrett Hien (7.5 points; 6.0 rebounds). They're joined by 6'11" freshman Cooper Bowser (11.5 points) and 6'6" forward Tyrese Hughey (7.5 points; 9.0 rebounds).

Furman boats an efficient offense, but they shot just 34.1% from three last year and are at a putrid 30% clip this season.

On the opposite side, Liberty is ranked 62nd on KenPom. They've picked up a pair of double-digit victories against Division-II Mid-Atlantic Christian and Charlotte (146th on KenPom).

Liberty is a potent offensive team, sitting 53rd in adjusted offensive efficiency. However, they also sit in the top 100 in adjusted defensive efficiency (84th).

The Flames are led by a pair of upperclassmen -- Brody Peebles (16.5 points) and Kyle Rode (16). Shiloh Robinson (7.0 rebounds) and Joseph Vincent (8.5) have spurred them to the 10th-highest rebound rate (62.6%) in the country.

With both teams sporting efficient offenses, I don't hate taking the over 142.5 (-110). That said, Liberty's defensive prowess gives them a slight edge for me. Given how tight the line is, there's some logic in playing it safe with Liberty ML (-130), but I trust the Flames enough to lay the extra point.

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.