Some teams may be checked out as we approach Christmas, but that only makes these Monday games more intriguing for us from a betting perspective.
Thus, I have three solid spots for you to target in college basketball today.
Read below for college basketball best bets, including three NCAAB expert picks and predictions for Monday, December 22.
College Basketball Best Bets
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 3 p.m. | |
  | 4:30 p.m. | |
  | 8 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. | ||
Seattle vs. UTSA
For the "spot" enthusiasts out there, this one is a layup.
Seattle flies into San Antonio from the West Coast after a program-defining win over Washington on Friday. This came only 48 hours removed from a hard-earned road win over UC Davis on Wednesday.
Now the Redhawks play a 2 p.m. local time game against UTSA, which is back home and hungry after a brutal West Coast swing of its own.
The courage to take the points with the home 'dog requires some game flow mining from the Runners' most recent contests. While they were largely uncompetitive in any of their West Coast tilts, they managed to play both Colorado and USC somewhat competitively in the first 20 minutes.
Thus, perhaps a first-half wager might be the wiser move in this handicap, but the Runners should finally have the edge in terms of rest and juice with an extra two days off compared to the Redhawks.
Finally, I like the subtle emergence of a few key reserve bigs, as head coach Austin Claunch knows the battle of the boards will be the key determinant against Seattle’s length.
Pick: UTSA +9.5 (Play to +7)
SIU Edwardsville vs. Western Illinois
This is a battle of 0-1 conference teams in the Ohio Valley, where parity and randomness run rampant.
However, the top teams tend to assert themselves in motivated spots, which holds true on Monday for the Cougars, a well-coached team coming off a brutal collapse at Eastern Illinois.
The absence of Myles Thompson may be catching up to SIUE, which had to retool its backcourt after losing two program cornerstones this offseason.
However, the pending matchup with Western Illinois should be a favorable one for the long and athletic Cougs.
Western Illinois’ win over North Dakota — juxtaposed to its double-digit defeat against Lindenwood over the weekend — illuminates the glaring flaw in Western’s roster: a lack of interior size.
Western Illinois is long on the perimeter, but playing a frontline that goes 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-8 looks shrimpy against SIUE’s 7-foot-1, 6-foot-10 and 6-foot-9 frontcourt, which features the ultra-long Ring Malith at the 3.
This should be an ugly game in general, but SIUE’s edge up front — specifically on the glass — will help it generate easy buckets via second-chance points.
Pick: SIU Edwardsville 1H -2.5 (Play to -3)
East Carolina vs. North Carolina
The Pirates have been a disaster for much of the season, ruined by a myriad of injuries to key parts. Mike Schwartz is still pushing different buttons to try and right the ship, and he may have stumbled on a winning lineup recipe in the last two games.
After inserting Luke Davis into the starting five, the Pirates proceeded to knock off Buffalo and Presbyterian — two respectable mid-majors — at home.
UNC presents a different challenge entirely, but this subtle lineup switch could trigger a "buy low" for the Pirates going forward.
It helps that UNC is coming off a war against Ohio State, which also marked the return of Seth Trimble to action.
With Trimble fresh off a long injury and freshman phenom Caleb Wilson battling a foot issue, this could be a prime opportunity for Hubert Davis to "load manage" his stars in a game they should be able to win by margin.
However, it'll be a challenge for this Heels unit — without much depth — to convincingly punish a talented and athletic East Carolina team in the last game before break.
Pick: East Carolina +28 (Play to +26)
