College Basketball Best Bets for Monday
Photo by Tommy Martino/University of Montana via Getty Images. Pictured: David Riley (Eastern Washington)
While Feast Week is over, this week will consist of the ACC/SEC Challenge and Big East-Big 12 Battle. But before we get to those massive matchups, there's betting value on Monday in college basketball.
So, here's college basketball best bets and three picks for Monday, including Eastern Washington vs. Washington State and more on November 27.
Jim Root has it covered!
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | ||
| 9 p.m. | ||
| 10 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. | ||
Presbyterian vs. Elon
By Jim Root
I'm starting with an extra board total to keep everyone on their toes after Feast Week.
The biggest driver of this wager is the unsustainable overperformance of both offenses. Per Shot Quality, both teams have been well above their expected efficiency.
Presbyterian is eight points per 100 possessions above its expected output, driven heavily by shot-making from both the mid-range and beyond the 3-point arc.
Similarly, Elon is 12 points per 100 above what its shot diet suggests, as the Phoenix’s own jump shooting has been boiling lava hot to start the year.
Regression should be expected in both areas. If either team has a cold shooting night, this total should be in strong shape.
One other edge is Presbyterian’s pace. Quinton Ferrell has his Blue Hose playing at the fastest tempo of his tenure by far, but some of that is opponent-driven. The last three games have seen Presbyterian start to trend towards a more settled speed, offering value on this game’s possession count.
Pick: Under 146.5 (Play to 145)
UCSB vs. Fresno State
By Jim Root
While two of my selections here have a large “regression” angle to the handicap, this one is far more matchup-based.
To beat UCSB, you have to be able to limit star point guard Ajay Mitchell. A potential NBA player, Mitchell is a tremendous scorer and table-setter, and the Gauchos’ offense thrives with him as the engine.
Most importantly, Fresno State has multiple defenders to hurl at Mitchell. Bulldogs coach Justin Hutson can attack him with quickness via speedster Isaiah Hill, or he can go with longer options like Leo Colimerio or Isaiah Pope. Rotating fresh and different types of bodies on Mitchell should keep him off-balance.
Additionally, the Bulldogs can take away second-chance opportunities, an area where UCSB typically thrives. The Gauchos' trio of Yohan Traore, Ariel Bland and Evans Kipruto will attack the boards, but Fresno’s own enormous frontline of Enoch Boakye, Eduardo Andre and Colimerio should be plenty capable of competing.
Hutson teams are always stout on the defensive glass.
Finally, Fresno’s biggest weakness is a tendency to cough the ball up, ranking 355th in turnover rate. UCSB, though, is playing hyper-conservatively on defense, ranking last nationally in steal rate and 358th in overall forced turnover rate (per KenPom).
The Bulldogs can take away or limit UCSB’s strengths, while the Gauchos don't take advantage of Fresno’s biggest weakness. I’ll ride with the home team in this California tussle.
Pick: Fresno State -1.5 (Play to -3)
Eastern Washington vs. Washington State
By Jim Root
Eastern Washington has a case to make as one of the most undervalued teams in the country.
Thus far, the Eagles have played a gauntlet of a non-conference schedule. They opened the campaign with a national road trip, losing at four power-conference foes spread across America: Utah, Mississippi, Cincinnati and Stanford.
That brutal journey could wear down any team, with elevation and long travel sapping the zeal of a normally-competitive squad.
Mercifully, that road trip is over. Eastern Washington has been home for 10 days through Thanksgiving, including a “get right” 51-point thrashing of nearby NAIA foe Walla Walla University. Yes, this is another power-conference road game, but Pullman, WA, is a mere 75-minute drive from the Eastern Washington campus.
When you add bad luck to long, repeated travel, it gets even more understandable that Eastern Washington has come out of the gates slow. Per Shot Quality, Eastern Washington is expected to be scoring five more points per 100 possessions based on the shots taken, while the Eagles’ opponents should be nine points per 100 possessions lower than their current output.
Notably, EWU also has the size to battle with a squad like Wazzu. Besides point guard Ellis Magnuson, every rotation player is 6-foot-1 or taller, and the Eagles held up fairly well against Ole Miss and Cincinnati in the paint.
A refreshed Eagles squad — combined with potentially beneficial shooting regression, easy travel and high motivation (this is something of a mini rivalry) — makes the underdog very appealing here.
Pick: Eastern Washington +13.5 (Play to +13)
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