College Basketball Best Bets for Friday

From 11 a.m. ET to well past 11 p.m. ET on Friday, we have college basketball. And that means betting value can be found up and down the odds board.

So, here's college basketball best bets and Three Man Weave's three picks for Friday, December 22.

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.

By Matt Cox

Chicago’s college basketball darling — the insurgent Cougars of Chicago State — are on their last breath. It’s been an admirable run for unsung coaching hero Gerald Gillion, as Chicago State is riding a four-game winning streak into tonight’s tilt against the Badgers.

Yes, four in a row, headlined by an improbable upset over Northwestern. That context should have the Badgers on high alert tonight, with little risk of “overlooking” the conference-less Cougars.

Also, the scouting report should clearly read, “stop Wesley Cardet Jr." The fringe pro prospect torched Northwestern a couple weeks ago, so expect shrewd tactician Greg Gard to put all his defensive eggs in that basket.

Take away Cardet and the Cougars are left with little other scoring weaponry. With little depth at their disposal, the wear and tear of playing six games in 12 days — including their fourth game this week — may cripple the Cougars at the Kohl Center.

We’ve seen large favorites sleep walk in these post-finals spots so far, but this should be a comfortable drubbing handed out by the Badgers.

Pick: Wisconsin -23.5 (Play to -25)

By Matt Cox

There’s no need to "fear the Phog" this season. The Jayhawks’ 10-1 resume is stacked with bonafide wins, but few of those wins — especially over the last 30 days — were by substantial margin. Head coach Bill Self is grasping for straws with his bench, trying to find any semblance of complementary pieces to build around his “core four."

While KU did win — and cover — against UConn on December 1, the Jayhawks are 0-4 against the number in their other four games post-Thanksgiving. Notably, they're 0-3 ATS at home against EIU, UMKC and Missouri, all of whom hung around for longer than the home crowd would’ve liked.

Yale is a legitimate threat to give KU another scare tonight. The Bulldogs have struggled to pummel inferior competition, but they hung with Gonzaga for 30 minutes in early November at Spokane and led for most of the first half.

Tonight’s travel should be far less burdensome for James Jones’ bunch, especially given the long break coming out of finals.

Look for Danny Wolf, a 7-foot hyper-skilled big, to be the X-factor in this matchup, mainly due to his ability to stretch Hunter Dickinson away from the basket.

Pick: Yale +15.5 (Play to +14)

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By Matt Cox

To the island we go for the Diamond Head Classic, a tournament played on Hawaii’s home soil. The host ‘Bows are the reigning tournament champs, spearheaded by a two-pronged backcourt tandem of JoVon McClanahan and Noel Coleman.

This twofer was at the forefront of the Rainbows’ tournament ride last holiday season. This year, their supporting cast looks upgraded.

The infusion of North Carolina transfer Justin McKoy and Yale import Matthue Cotton gives Hawaii a power-conference caliber roster, all under the brilliant direction of Eran Ganot.

Against Georgia Tech, a younger and more patchwork roster, the Bows will have a subtle talent and cohesive edge. The cherry on top is its home court, where Hawaii has consistently brought its A-game over the last two years.

Georgia Tech is lucky to even be in the semifinals, thanks to a horrendous UMass free throw display yesterday. Scouting Ganot’s crisp offensive system is no picnic for Damon Stoudamire, especially with less than 24 hours to prepare.

Hawaii’s price tag may look expensive, but ignore the conference affiliation attached to both teams. Look for the 'Bows to prevail tonight on home ice.

Pick: Hawaii -2.5 (Play to -3)

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