Feast Week continues Monday, and the start of the Maui Invitational is at the centerstage of the college basketball world.
There's also plenty of games on the odds board with betting value.
So, without further ado, here's my college basketball best bets and three predictions and picks for Monday, including Clemson vs. San Francisco and more on November 25.
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 6:30 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 11:30 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. | ||
Clemson vs. San Francisco
Clemson lost by 13 at Boise State. Boise State lost by 11 at San Francisco. Do I dare defy the transitive property and back Clemson here?
Gladly. The transitive property holds no sway over my handicapping, and I still believe the orange Tigers are the much better team. They are led by a deep and dominant frontcourt — plus veteran guard Chase Hunter. That group gained valuable experience in the Tigers’ run to the Elite Eight last March.
Thus far, Clemson’s only loss is that trip to Boise State to play at elevation. The Tigers’ shooting failed them there, posting a dismal 6-for-25 (24.0%) performance from beyond the arc. That is likely an outlier for a group of capable gunners.
Knocking down jumpers is especially important against a San Francisco squad that ranks 10th nationally in 2-point percentage defense.
Notably, this is USF’s first time leaving the city of San Francisco (four home games, one game at the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center), and the Dons are going all the way across the country to Daytona Beach, FL.
It’s not a true road environment, but Clemson certainly has more experience playing away from its home arena.
I suspect Clemson notches a big win for the ACC here, a league that has struggled in the non-conference to this point in the season.
Pick: Clemson -2 (Play to -3)
Cornell vs. Iona
Iona has had an up and down season already. An opening night shootout with Ivy favorite Princeton stirred optimism, but the Gaels have also lost at home to Delaware and were punked at West Virginia.
A win over Vermont in between those two losses indicated the best version of the Gaels is still in there somewhere, though.
Iona has size and physicality, finding success offensively via the glass (fourth nationally in offensive rebound rate, per KenPom). Clarence Rupert and Yaphet Moundi have gobbled up boards, and James “not the author” Patterson is no slouch himself.
Cornell currently sits 339th in defensive rebound rate, so the Gaels may grab half their misses.
Too often, though, Iona’s ball-handling has failed it. Cornell will send pressure, but the Big Red are not quite the same as last year. Former assistant Jon Jaques slid over to the big chair following Brian Earl’s departure, and elite defender Chris Manon is now a Vanderbilt Commodore.
Cornell’s lone road game was an ugly loss at La Salle. Meanwhile, Iona should bring a bounce-back performance at home following last Wednesday’s debacle at West Virginia.
Pick: Iona +1.5 (Play to -1)
Dayton vs. North Carolina
It’s going to be a late night on the island – apologies to any east coasters for including such a late tip.
Hopefully this will be a “wake and cash” situation for any that have to hit the hay.
UNC’s perimeter-driven attack is the biggest driver of this wager. The Tar Heels are currently a top-five offense, per KenPom’s numbers, with the trio of RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble all off to prolific starts.
Davis has yet to shoot the ball well – a 3-point explosion from him would be great – but that trio is a huge reason why UNC leads the country in turnover rate. Getting a shot up every possession is a terrific path to scoring efficiently.
All three guards will happily push in transition, as well, and UNC has played some track meets already. The Heels even got snail-paced by Hawaii to a 68-possession game last Friday night.
The risk here is Dayton trying to slow the game down, as the Flyers have traditionally been a more half court-oriented team. However, Dayton has shown more of a penchant for pushing pace this year – perhaps a symptom of playing three quick point guards in the rotation.
The atmosphere and the opponent should also be conducive to a higher tempo.
Ideally, scoring will get a boost from the legendary soft rims of the Lahaina Civic Center.
I expect UNC to force the tempo, Dayton to be somewhat willing to run and both teams to score at strong rates.
Pick: Over 154.5 (Play to 157)
