Football spotlights Thanksgiving, but there's plenty of college basketball on the slate, including a quadruple header in the Bahamas.
But for the sake of this piece, our staff is looking beyond the Battle 4 Atlantis, and instead is eyeing three separate games with intriguing betting value.
So, here's college basketball best bets, including three picks and predictions for Thursday, November 28.
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 2:30 p.m. | |
  | 3 p.m. | |
  | 5:30 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. | ||
Florida vs. Wake Forest
By Ky McKeon
Wake Forest and Florida square off on Turkey Day in Kissimmee, FL, at the ESPN Events Invitational. Both squads entered 2024 with massive expectations, but they have trended in opposite directions through the early going.
Florida has been a buzzsaw, smashing through a decent schedule that features a road win at rival Florida State. The Gators boast the nation’s eighth-best offense, per KenPom, and have yet to lose.
Wake might be 6-1, but the Demon Deacons have been far from what many thought they could be this year. At 1-6 ATS with a -11.7 cover margin, Wake has been one of the least profitable teams to bet on in November.
The Demon Deacons have dropped 55 spots in KenPom and have struggled to convincingly beat inferior competition.
The paint battle will be something to watch on Florida’s offensive end. The Gators have had success playing through the post, getting into the lane via dribble penetration, and dominating at the rim.
Per CBB Analytics, the Gators rank in the 84th percentile in field goal attempt rate at the rim and in the 88th percentile in field goal percentage at the rim.
Florida, and its two-big lineup, has owned the offensive glass this season, as the Gators have grabbed over 40% of their misses – the 12th-best mark in the land.
Wake has the size to put up a fight on this end, and the Demon Deacons have been good at defending the paint.
Xavier struggled to score inside against them, despite winning the game, and Michigan was slowed enough for Wake to emerge victorious. Florida is a bit of different animal, though, and Wake has been vulnerable on the defensive glass this season.
Wake’s offense just hasn’t shown up yet this year. If the season ended today, Wake’s 143rd-ranked offense would be the program’s worst since Steve Forbes’ first year in 2021 and the third-worst since 2014.
While the Demon Deacons have a bevy of talented individual players, they just haven’t worked well together. The offense mostly consists of watching either Hunter Sallis or Cameron Hildreth dribble the basketball late into the clock. Half-court sets have stagnated far too often.
Florida’s defense is rock solid – it defends the 3-point line at a high level, ranking 18th nationally in 3-point attempt rate allowed, and its two-big system has enabled it to rank fifth nationally in field goal percentage allowed at the rim.
If Wake is forced to play in the half-court, it will be a major challenge to score.
Florida has the matchup edge, but this spread is also high. For a team as talented as Wake to be getting this many points is incredible. Forbes is still an excellent coach, and it could just be a matter of time before this team starts clicking.
There are too many good playmakers to feel confident in laying this many points against the Deacs. Therefore, we hold our nose and put our money on Wake.
Pick: Wake Forest +6.5
Purdue vs. NC State
By Jim Root
Purdue is the more battle-tested squad by a drastic margin. That could give the Boilermakers an extra edge here, and the Braden Smith/Fletcher Loyer backcourt is far more trustworthy at this point than Jayden Taylor/Marcus Hill/Michael O’Connell.
Unfortunately, the -6.5 line is a little out of my price range.
Instead, I like the over here. Both teams have better offenses than defenses, and with the potential shooting regression lurking in NC State’s defensive numbers – against one of the nation’s best perimeter shooting teams – I’m expecting an efficient outing for both squads.
Pace is a concern, as Purdue has not run as much this year as expected without Zach Edey, but NC State will certainly push it in transition.
The extra boost needed for me to back the over: the venue. This game will be played in tiny LionTree Arena in La Jolla, and the smaller venue should be a shooter’s paradise.
The four games at this venue last year went 2-2 on the total, so no strong indicator, but combined with the two offenses, I think this contest is primed to see 150+ points.
I would take this up to 148 points, in the event that the market bets this one up.
Pick: Over 145.5 (Play to 148)
BYU vs. Ole Miss
By Sean Paul
Ole Miss coach Chris Beard relies on a pair of point guards for scoring — Sean Pedulla and returning floor general Jaylen Murray. That pair combines for 26 points per game and are the team's top two scorers.
Something is a bit awry from a roster construction standpoint, though. It feels like Ole Miss has too many players who do the exact same thing.
Instead of adding a pure sharpshooting wing to benefit from the two point guards, Beard brought in burly-built wings Dre Davis and Davon Barnes, who play a similar style as Matthew Murrell. All three wings shoot below 32% from 3, leaving a clear void in the Rebs' lineup.
They can overwhelm poor defense teams with straight line drives, but I have zero faith in Ole Miss' shooting, unless it's Pedulla and Murray.
Thus, I will roll with the Cougars against the spread.
BYU is the better team and should light up Ole Miss' shaky perimeter defense.
Plus, the matchup makes sense, as Ole Miss struggles against teams that like to run-and-gun (which is exactly what the Cougars are down for).
Pick: BYU -3.5
