College Basketball Betting Picks for Wednesday 1/17/24

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

Louisville at No. 4 North Carolina

North Carolina -20.5 (-118)

One of the hottest squads in the country hosts one of the worst power conference teams in the sport when the fourth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels face the Louisville Cardinals.

I'm all over North Carolina.

The Tar Heels shot up to fourth in this week's AP Poll, but the predictive metrics back their standing. numberFire's nERD ratings have UNC at No. 5 overall while Bart Torvik and KenPom both have them in the top 10.

UNC features a stifling defense that's up to fifth in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency. They're nearly as potent on the other end, ranking 15th in adjusted offense.

North Carolina has only three losses on the year, and all three came against teams inside KenPom's top 30. They've been on a roll since losing a neutral site game to Kentucky, picking up six straight double-digit wins and starting 5-0 in ACC play.

Louisville, despite showing signs of life in their last two outings, remains one of the worst major conference teams out there. I'll give them credit for taking down Miami (59th on KenPom) on the road last week, but they otherwise haven't beaten a team inside KenPom's top 200. Their predictive metrics are downright terrible -- the Cardinals are 225th in numberFire's ratings and outside the top 150 in both adjusted offense and defense.

numberFire's model shows value in the Tar Heels, but Bart Torvik is even higher on them. Their model has North Carolina winning by 25 points.

This is the kind of game where things could get out of hand quickly. UNC's fresh off a 36-point home win against Syracuse, and they have a 45-point W in their back pocket from earlier in the year.

Given how bad Louisville has been, I'd be interested in diving into some of the first half or alternate markets, too. FanDuel has North Carolina -12.5 (-110) for the first half, and the juice on Alternate Spread 3, North Carolina -24.5 (+136) is certainly appealing.

For consistency's sake, I'll just play it safe and trust the Tar Heels to cover as 20.5-point favorites.

No. 13 Auburn at Vanderbilt

Auburn -11.5 (-110)

The 13th-ranked Auburn Tigers are double-digit favorites on the road against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

numberFire's model still sees value in the Tigers, pegging Auburn to win by 12.9 points.

Backing heavy road favorites is a dangerous game in college basketball, but Auburn's hot play shouldn't be interrupted by a Vandy squad that's started 0-3 in the SEC. The Tigers sport the nation's sixth-longest active winning streak, having won nine straight. Those wins haven't come by the skin of their teeth, either. All nine were double-digit wins, culminating in a 22.4-point average margin of victory.

Auburn's quietly been one of the best teams in college basketball all season, and the predictive metrics have consistently outweighed their AP ranking. The Tigers are seventh in numberFire's nERD ratings, fifth on KenPom, and fourth on Bart Torvik. They're top-10 in KenPom's offensive and defensive efficiency metrics.

Vanderbilt is on the opposite end of the spectrum. The Commodores are 222nd in numberFire's rankings and sit outside the top 150 in adjusted offense and defense. They've dropped 10 of their last 12 games after a 3-1 start, and four of their five wins came against teams outside KenPom's top 300. That said, they haven't been a complete pushover, losing by two against Memphis (46th on KenPom) and three against Alabama (seventh).

That 'Bama game will likely draw some comparisons tonight. Although it was also at home against a conference heavyweight, the Crimson Tide turned the ball over 16 times and shot just 67% from the line. Even so, they led by double-digits for much of the second half before collapsing down the stretch.

Auburn doesn't profile as a team that will let that kind of a lead slip. Against Division I opponents, the Tigers are 19th nationally in turnover rate and 46th in free throw percentage.

I'll back the model here and take Auburn to cover as 11.5-point favorites against one of the worst teams in the conference.

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.