Only one ranked team is in action on Thursday in college basketball, but that doesn't mean there isn't betting value to be had.
In fact, our staff is targeting three games for their best bets.
So, without further ado, we have college basketball best bets and odds below, including three NCAAB expert picks and predictions for Thursday, February 6.
(Even though this isn't our official recommendation, you can parlay these picks below if you so choose.)
College Basketball Best Bets
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 9 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. | ||
Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Central Connecticut State
Fairleigh Dickinson is back on my card, as it's catching over 10 points against Central Connecticut State. The Knights are 12-2 against the spread on the road, as they’re one of the best road warrior teams in the entire country, covering at Creighton, Nebraska and Boston College.
Now yes, they lost by 11 at home to this same Blue Devils team, but the huge caveat there is Terrence Brown didn't play.
If you look at players in the entire country that average over 20 points and six rebounds per game, it's Dawson Garcia, Ace Bailey, Cooper Flagg, Maxime Raynaud and Brown. That’s it – end of the list.
So, in terms of a guy being irreplaceable, Brown is right up there.
Meanwhile, I'm not going to say that Central doesn’t deserve to be the class of the NEC, but it’s been crushing awful teams lately. It won and covered five in a row, and I think that's what's inflating this number.
The average ranking of the teams the Blue Devils have beaten in this five-game stretch is 329th by KenPom, and that includes the win over FDU without Brown.
The Blue Devils are also below average from the line, as they barely shoot 70%. They're flat out bad from 3-point range, but they never give away free points (first in free throw attempts and made free throws per game surrendered).
But I trust FDU playing on the road, as it’s already proven it can win away from home. And if you want to look at KePom’s non-existent home court advantages, that's Central Connecticut State, as it’s 361st out of 364 eligible teams.
Pick: Fairleigh Dickinson +9.5
St. Thomas vs. South Dakota State
The over has cashed in 70% of the Tommies’ games this season, as they’re the offensive class of the Summit, at least in my opinion, because of their elite guard play.
They have four guards who average over 11 points per game.
In the first meeting between these two teams, they were flirting with the number in the first half. There was nearly 80 points in the opening 20 minutes, but because it was a close one-point victory for the Tommies, there wasn’t foul shots and extra points in the last 90 seconds. Everything really slowed down and it ended at 145.
Now, the other element of this play is I think the strengths of both teams are going to shine through.
South Dakota State is going to burn St. Thomas on the interior. Oscar Cluff finished with 13 and 19 against the Tommies the last time they played, and St. Thomas struggles when it comes to interior defense and keeping teams off the offensive glass.
Then when you look at the 3-point rate, in the first meeting, they fired up 56 triples. I feel confident that St. Thomas is going to continue to fire away from deep. And most importantly, South Dakota State allows opponents to play that way.
Hopefully the 3-point variance goes in our favor.
I think this game is going to be played closer to the 80s than the 70s, so play it up to 155.5.
Pick: Over 153 (Play to 155.5)
Saint Mary's vs. San Francisco
By Stuckey
This is as good of a spot as you’re going to get. San Francisco has been an absolute wagon this season at home, and Saint Mary’s basically locked up the West Coast Conference with its huge win over Gonzaga this past weekend.
Now the Gaels have to hit the road to face a San Francisco team that’s looking for revenge after SMC beat it by 20 in Moraga.
I know that San Francisco’s Malik Thomas didn't play against Washington State, but in some aspects, the Dons might be better without him, especially defensively. It also forces Ryan Beasley, who I like, into more minutes.
The problem is the Dons can't defend at the rim, which is concerning against Saint Mary's, but the results at home for San Francisco are staggering.
The Dons lost by nine at Washington State. At home, they beat the Cougars by 24. Their six losses this season came vs. Clemson (Daytona Beach), Memphis (Chase Center), at Bradley, at Washington State, at Santa Clara and at Saint Mary’s. They haven’t lost a single game in their building.
I think San Francisco has a good shot at winning this game. Saint Mary's is good, but this is the peak of its market value, and I'm still not sold on the offense if it isn’t getting every offensive rebound.
I get the Gaels’ defense is good, but opponents are shooting 28% from 3 against them in conference play.
San Francisco has some shotmakers, so I think it's a great spot for 3-point variance to become a factor.
Pick: San Francisco +5.5
