It's a relatively light college basketball slate on Friday.
No matter. I'm deep in the mid-majordum weeds, and I've found three low-major games worth wagering on before a monster Saturday slate tips off, including Charleston Southern vs Davidson, Iona vs Sacred Heart, and Prairie View A&M vs UAB.
Check out my college basketball best bets and three predictions for Friday, Dec. 6.
College Basketball Best Bets for Today
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
NCAAB: Charleston Southern vs. Davidson
Charleston Southern is riding high.
Last Saturday, the Buccaneers pulled off one of their biggest wins in program history by shocking Miami (FL) in Coral Gables as 24.5-point underdogs. They followed that up by handling UT Martin at home.
CharlestonSouthern’s offense cooked in both games, tallying 1.22 and 1.26 points per possession, respectively. That efficiency was fueled by efficient scoring at the rim and lethal perimeter shooting. In the two games combined, the Bucs shot 22-for-46 (45.8%) from beyond the arc.
Now, the Buccaneers head back on the road to face Davidson.
The Wildcats have a significantly more fortified interior defense than Miami or UT Martin, largely thanks to shot-swatting menace Sean Logan. Pair that with the expected three-point shooting regression from both Charleston Southern and Davidson’s opponents (40.8% allowed from deep this year, 355th nationally), and the Bucs could struggle badly to find points.
Davidson’s offense is the biggest concern here.
Post scorer Reed Bailey could demolish Charleston Southern's big men, and the famed McKillop motion offense has multiple shooters who can get scorching hot (Connor Kochera, Bobby Durkin, Roberts Blums).
I expect Davidson to shorten the game, though, especially since it is the Wildcats’ first game back from the Battle 4 Atlantis — they could be sluggish.
Pick: Under 146 (-110, BetRivers) | Play to Under 143 (-110)
| | |
NCAAB: Iona vs. Sacred Heart
Don’t bet on MAAC basketball.
No one wins betting on MAAC basketball.
Nevertheless! I am going to bet on MAAC basketball.
The simple handicap: Iona is the better, more talented team, and that’s by a considerable margin in my assessment.
Four guys on Iona could be Sacred Heart's best player: scoring guard Dejour Reaves, hyperactive forward James Patterson, uber-talented freshman point guard Adam Njie, and defensive monster big man Yaphet Moundi.
Spot-wise, it’s a little more complicated.
Iona is returning from playing three games in the Bahamas last weekend.
It’s also Sacred Heart’s first home league game in a new conference after arriving from the NEC. The Pioneers should be locked in.
Fortunately, the matchup also favors the visiting Gaels in several key areas.
Most notably, the glass, where Iona should thrash the Pioneers. Patterson and Moundi are a wrecking crew, and Iona ranks seventh nationally in offensive rebounding rate.
The other area is Iona’s extended defense, which runs opponents off the 3-point line. Sacred Heart is a jump-shooting team and has hit 38% of its triples this season. Limiting those attempts will be vital.
The talent and matchup edges are enough to push me through concerns over the spot.
Iona has also been somewhat short-handed, but so has Sacred Heart (Tanner Thomas has missed three of the Pios’ past five games). The Gaels got Patterson back last game, and as long as he, Reaves, Njie and Moundi are out there, I’m not worried about the rest.
Pick: Iona +1 (-110, bet365) | Play to Iona -3 (-110)
| | |
NCAAB: Prairie View A&M vs. UAB
Let’s end the evening with a points bonanza.
Prairie View A&M lays claim to one of the nation's worst defenses. The Panthers have yet to give up less than 84 points in a game, including surrendering 90 to “Biblical Studies.”
Against teams of UAB’s caliber, the Panthers gave up 92 to DePaul, 110 to SMU, 114 to Northern Colorado, and 109 to Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
They are a sieve.
Prairie View A&M has no prayer of defending the paint. The Panthers rank 359th nationally in 2-point shooting allowed, and even more concerningly, they rank dead last in defensive rebounding rate. Foes have snagged 44.4% of their misses, feasting on easy putbacks and second-shot opportunities.
That is a problem against UAB’s vicious glass eaters.
Yaxel Lendeborg and Christian Coleman will gobble up second-shot opportunities, and brutish forward Greg Gordon would rank in the top 35 nationally in offensive rebounding rate if he had played more minutes. This has long been a strict tenet of Andy Kennedy’s teams, and the UAB coach is likely salivating at this matchup.
Conveniently, Prairie View A&M also loves to run. The Panthers rank eighth nationally in tempo and have played four games with 80 or more possessions in their first seven contests. The possessions will be there.
If UAB was lazily floating through this game, it could struggle to take advantage of such a horrific defense. But the Blazers lost at home to Middle Tennessee on Sunday, so they should be ready to pulverize an outclassed opponent.
This game could finish something like 110-85.
Pick: Over 170.5 (-105, FanDuel) | Play to Over 173 (-110)
| | |
