While all eyes are on the College Football Playoff first-round games, there is still plenty of juicy college basketball matchups to bet this Saturday, starting with the CBS Sports Classic from Madison Square Garden.
In fact, our staff has four games you should target for your betting card.
So, here is college basketball best bets, including four picks and predictions for Saturday, December 21.
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 12 p.m. | |
  | 3 p.m. | |
  | 5:30 p.m. | |
  | 6:30 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. | ||
Duke vs. Georgia Tech
Duke could be due for a letdown following five successive victories. Although, perhaps head coach Jon Scheyer and Co. are looking to avenge last year's early December road loss to the Yellow Jackets.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech could struggle to adjust to the step up in size and competition after dropping 90 on a tiny UMBC squad this past Wednesday. I also imagine the home crowd will be slim with the fan base on Christmas break.
Before betting this under, I was worried about the projected pace. The Yellow Jackets tend to play fast because they struggle to defend in transition (1.26 PPP allowed, 359th nationally).
However, under Scheyer, Duke has evolved into a slow-paced, half-court-heavy squad that ranks 248th nationally in adjusted tempo.
The Blue Devils are elite in their transition denial (.79 PPP allowed, 97th percentile), often forcing opponents into their half-court-heavy, 65-possession game script. I suspect they do the same to an inferior Georgia Tech squad.
I don’t think the market ever caught up to Duke’s change in pace under Scheyer. Since Coach K retired, Blue Devil games have stayed under 62% of the time (42-26-1). That mark increases to 73% in true road games (22-8), staying under the closing total by nearly five points per game.
Duke’s two true road games this year have stayed under, both against up-tempo squads (Arizona, Louisville). The defense and tempo control always travel, but the shooting and scoring often stay home.
The schematic matchup, situational spot and trends all point toward an ugly half-court grinder in Atlanta on Saturday. Duke and Georgia Tech are a combined 15-7 to the under this season, and I'll happily bank on more of the same.
Pick: Under 145.5 (Play to 144.5)
UCLA vs. North Carolina
By Greg Waddell
Two teams trending in opposite directions meet in their final marquee non-conference tune up of the season.
UCLA holds the nation's sixth-longest active win streak (nine games), while North Carolina has lost four of its last six.
UNC has struggled against quality opponents all season long. The Tar Heels are 0-5 vs. top 30 teams, and their only quality victory came in the Maui Invitational against Dayton.
Slow starts have been a problem, as North Carolina has trailed at the half in all six games it has played against top 100 teams. The Tar Heels normally do their damage in the second half after building a massive deficit, trying to come back and win the game.
That trend poses a big problem against UCLA, as Mick Cronin's squad has not been out-scored in the second half of any game yet this season.
UCLA has an elite defense. The Bruins rank fourth nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, and they force more turnovers than any team in college basketball. This Bruins squad is deep and full of players that are perfect for a Cronin-style defense.
UCLA has the guards to match up with North Carolina's small-ball trio. Kobe Johnson is a sensational defender, but the Bruins also use Dylan Andrews, Skyy Clark and Sebastian Mack, keeping everyone fresh at all times.
North Carolina prefers to play fast, as it's the third-fastest team in all of college hoops. UCLA makes those teams uncomfortable, slowing things down and mucking up the game in a half-court setting.
We have seen Hubert Davis' team struggle in half-court situations at the end of games all season long, and the Heels usually resort to RJ Davis pull-up 3s when possessions get dragged out.
The problem is North Carolina is shooting just 31% from 3-point range, and UCLA has a great 3-point defense.
Inside, Tyler Bilodeau has been the featured option for UCLA. He often operates as an under-sized center, but North Carolina doesn't have the frontcourt personnel to make UCLA pay.
If North Carolina starts slow — as it usually does — it will be incredibly hard to dig out of a hole against a very disciplined, slow UCLA team that has the right personnel to match up with Carolina's small-ball lineups.
Take the Bruins to earn a statement win and cover as North Carolina's streak of poor results will continue.
Pick: UCLA -1.5 (Play to -3.5)
Ohio State vs. Kentucky
By Greg Waddell
Two first-year head coaches face off when Kentucky meets Ohio State, and their fan bases are likely feeling very different about their new leaders after the first two months of play.
Mark Pope has exceeded all reasonable expectations at Kentucky, starting the season 10-1 with neutral-court wins over Duke and Gonzaga.
On the other end, Jake Diebler's Buckeyes sit at 7-4, with losses in all four of their games against top 30 opponents, per KenPom.
It has been a tumultuous start to the Diebler era, as two players from the starting lineup have missed time. Aaron Bradshaw has missed a string of games due to an investigation into a domestic incident, and Meechie Johnson Jr. has now taken a leave of absence from the team.
The chaotic nature of this Buckeyes roster has not had a positive effect on the group as a whole, as Ohio State has lost three of its last five games. The Buckeyes' last two losses have come in devastating fashion; they got waxed at Maryland in a game they trailed 50-17 at the half and lost to Auburn a week later by 38 points.
With Bradshaw and Johnson out, two individual reasons for optimism have been Devin Royal and John Mobley Jr. Mobley is shooting an incredible 54% from 3 on the year, and Royal has been the Buckeyes' best player for the last month.
Mobley and Royal's progress is a good sign, but they are still underclassmen. They are not fully ready to be the faces of a winning team, and Kentucky is as ready to win-now as any roster in college basketball.
Eight of Kentucky's top nine players are upperclassmen, and there are a handful of fifth-year seniors really making the most of their final year in college hoops.
3-point shooting could be the difference in this game, as both teams rank inside the top 25 nationally in 3-point percentage defense. Ohio State has been better at making them on the season, hitting 41% of their 3s to Kentucky's 37%.
Ohio State can be a bit too 3-point dependent, though, and that is not trending in the right direction, as it has shot less than 40% from 3 in each of its last four games.
Without Bradshaw and Johnson, a lot will fall on the shoulders of Bruce Thornton, who has been the star for the Buckeyes in their past two losing seasons.
Kentucky point guard Lamont Butler is a fantastic answer for Thornton, and he should be able to frustrate the head of the Ohio State offense.
Given the Buckeyes' recent uncertainties and their blowout losses against quality opponents, Kentucky to win big is the correct play here.
Pick: Kentucky -8 (Play to -8.5)
Temple vs. Rhode Island
This play is based on two things: 1) Rhode Island hasn’t played anybody (220th in strength of schedule), and 2) one team has Jamal Mashburn Jr. and the other doesn’t.
Yes, I know the Rams are 10-1 and their top three scorers are all seniors (Sebastian Thomas, David Green and Jaden House), but they have played only two games outside of the state of Rhode Island and their lone loss came against 174th-ranked Brown.
Also, their toughest game came at home against a Providence team that has been very disappointing this season.
While the Rams don’t have to travel far to compete in this one (it’s at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts), they have to play a similarly-experienced Temple team that has won three straight.
The Owls have no quality wins themselves and are 118th in KenPom, but they have challenged themselves by playing Florida State at a neutral site and Villanova and Boston College on the road.
Plus, they have former New Mexico star Jamal Mashburn Jr., who averages 20.8 points per game on nearly 48% shooting from downtown. Having a player like Mashburn who can create and take and make big shots will be key down the stretch.
Temple also is getting Dayton and Saint Joe’s transfer Lynn Greer III back into the mix. The 6-foot-3 senior guard has played in the last two games and provides another scoring option for the Owls after averaging double figures over the last two seasons with the Hawks.
That will be a huge boost for Temple if Zion Stanford (the team's second-leading scorer) is unable to play for the second straight game.
I will back the Owls in this one to keep it within the 3.5-point spread.
Pick: Temple +3.5 (Play to +2.5)
