The slate is rather thin on Monday in college basketball, but there's still plenty of betting value in the sport.
I'm targeting three games — including two power-conference duels — for my best bets on Monday.
So, here's NCAAB best bets and odds, including three top picks and predictions for Monday, January 13.
NCAAB 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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 6 p.m. | |
  | 6:30 p.m. | |
  | 7 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. | ||
Prairie View A&M vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Monday betting board is replete with extra board games. I’ll dip into the SWAC for my first selection, targeting two of the country’s worst 12 defenses (via KenPom ranking) for what should be a points bonanza.
Pine Bluff has been a disaster on that end of the floor all season, hemorrhaging points at the worst rate in the country. The Golden Lions have yet to allow less than 1.06 points per possession to a Division I foe; they've only allowed less than 1.13 PPP twice.
They rank last in 2-point percentage defense, with foes shooting a ghastly 66.2% inside the arc (KenPom).
Prairie View isn't much better on defense, especially in the paint. The Panthers are 362nd in 2-point percentage defense at 61.6% (also via KenPom). They're also a terrible rebounding team, so even if foes miss a layup, they're likely to get a second look at the bucket most times down the floor.
The key to this handicap is Doctor Bradley, a recent addition to the Pine Bluff roster. The 6-foot-8 forward has some off-the-court question marks, but on the court, he's an absurdly talented scorer who's erupted for 65 combined points on 23-of-35 shooting in his first two contests.
Both teams love to run, as well, landing in the top 35 in pace. Combining two transition-heavy teams with two abominably bad rim defenses should lead to fireworks.
The market has bet this down slightly, with the total falling from 166.5 to 165 at Circa. Considering how awful both defenses are and the Bradley impact, I’ll punch back the other way.
Pick: Over 164.5 (Play to 167)
UCLA vs. Rutgers
For any loyal readers of this best bets section: yes, I'm back on UCLA. The Bruins didn't deliver on Friday at Maryland, collapsing late in an 18-point loss after a competitive-but-frustrating first 30-35 minutes.
As angry as I might've been about that, it was somewhat cathartic to see Mick Cronin even angrier. The Bruins’ ill-tempered head coach got ejected from the game with five minutes left, as he was sick of watching his team’s lackluster effort.
At some point, I believe his message will get through to his team. The Bruins are talented, but their guard play has been shaky — at best — and they haven't exhibited quite the level of physicality and toughness that Cronin demands.
The upside remains, though; this team won at Oregon, beat Arizona in Phoenix and topped Gonzaga in downtown L.A.
This matchup is ideal for the Bruins’ defense. Rutgers only has two scorers of note, relying extremely heavily on freshmen Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. UCLA’s Kobe Johnson is a lockdown defender capable of blanketing either rookie, and Cronin’s defenses can feast on foes with limited weapons.
Harper has been horrible the last two games after returning from an illness, clearly still showing the effects of that absence. Without him at peak form, Bailey’s infuriatingly poor shot selection takes center stage, and UCLA will happily let him heave up awful mid-range fadeaways to his heart’s content.
Rutgers has also turned the ball over at a much higher rate in Big Ten play, a major problem against the Bruins’ No. 1 defensive turnover rate.
Rutgers’ team total under could be another angle worth exploring if you don’t want to trust UCLA entirely.
A final note: as UCLA just played at Maryland, the Bruins don’t have to endure cross-country travel here.
Pick: UCLA -3.5 (Play to -4)
Boston College vs. Notre Dame
This game may not be on the extra board, but a battle between two squads with a combined 2-8 record in the awful ACC means it’s not exactly appointment TV, either.
Neither team is going to push the pace, but both offenses can score efficiently enough to push this one over.
The key factor here is Markus Burton, Notre Dame’s small-but-mighty lead guard who appears to be at full strength again after missing a month and a half with a knee injury. He's racked up 20.3 points per game since his return from injury, and his presence opens up the court for his teammates, as well.
Of course, Burton’s size can make him a target defensively. He should be a two-way benefit to the total going over, and the results support this. Notre Dame totals are 5-3 to the over in games he's started and finished.
The Irish have the favorable combination of being the ACC’s best 3-point shooting team (42.2% in league play) and worst 2-point percentage defense (63.0% in league play, per KenPom). They can knock down shots, and they give up easy layups.
Boston College’s defense has issues of its own. The Eagles lack impact individual defenders, and as a result, they never force turnovers. They try to force mid-range jumpers and clean up the defensive glass, but their general lack of athleticism and length contributes to them ranking outside the top 200 nationally in defensive efficiency.
Lastly, Notre Dame may have some benefit from just playing against one of the nation’s best defenses in Duke. Replacing that elite unit with Boston College’s highly vulnerable one could make the Irish feel like they’re playing on easy mode.
Pick: Over 139.5 (Play to 143)
