Monday’s College Basketball Best Bets

While the college basketball slate is thin tonight, that doesn't mean betting value can't be found.

In fact, here's our college basketball best bets, including Three Man Weave's three picks for Monday, January 22. Jim Root, take it away!

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 Jim Root

With no NFL playoffs, Big Monday returns in earnest this week, kicked off by an enormous battle in the ACC.

UNC is starting to run away with the regular season title, but a blistering Wake Forest offense gives the Demon Deacons a puncher’s chance at hanging around in Chapel Hill.

That offense has become even more potent with the return of Damari Monsanto, arguably one of the best perimeter shooters in the entire country.

He debuted on Saturday after missing the start of the year while recovering from a knee injury. He and rookie sniper Parker Friedrichsen combined to go 7-for-11 from beyond the arc against Louisville.

Coupled with the starting trio of backcourt creators in Hunter Sallis, Kevin "Boopie" Miller and Cameron Hildreth, Wake’s offense is now extremely difficult to defend. UNC’s opponents have only made 23.5% of their triples so far in ACC play, but Wake’s gunners could expedite the likely regression in that department.

Of course, UNC’s offense can light up the scoreboard too, and Wake’s defense is its glaring Achilles heel. Efton Reid III has helped the Deacs’ interior defense, but Harrison Ingram will be a matchup problem as a jumbo playmaker, and of course RJ Davis and Armando Bacot will get theirs.

Tempo is the other key ingredient to this points recipe. Neither team has been playing at a crazy pace in league play, but they're willing to run against other transition-heavy squads.

UNC has also played much faster at home this year. Per Bart Torvik, UNC’s pace is 73.5 at home (22nd in the country), but anywhere else, it falls to 70.7 (91st).

With Monsanto back on the court to join two scorching offenses, expect a shootout to start the night.

Pick: Over 155.5 (Play to 157)

In Q1 2024, North Carolina sports betting fans will be able to bet the UNC and Wake games at NC legal sportsbooks. Get the latest news.

By Jim Root

The Coastal Athletic Association is off to a surprising start, with Drexel holding a 2.5-game lead atop the standings. Both Hofstra and Stony Brook sit at 2-3 after having higher expectations just a few weeks ago.

I expect the Pride to rediscover their form on the road. They suffered two hard-luck losses at Northeastern (by three) and Campbell (by one), but this team is too talented to fade into irrelevance in the CAA.

Hofstra’s big three of Tyler Thomas, Darlinstone Dubar and Jaquan Carlos can score against anyone in the league. This matchup provides a specific edge, as Stony Brook concedes a huge volume of open triples. The Seawolves rank 333rd nationally in defensive 3-point attempt rate, per KenPom.

Hofstra, meanwhile, loves to bomb from deep, ranking 12th in attempt rate. Thomas and Dubar have already combined for over 100 made triples, while Carlos, freshman guard KiJan Robinson and super senior Bryce Washington can also knock in open jumpers.

So long as Hofstra is not ice cold, it should have a field day from beyond the arc.

The market has indicated its affinity for this side already, taking it up from -3 to -3.5. Considering KenPom has it Hofstra -1 and Bart Torvik has it Hofstra -0.6, that's a notable uptick.

Pick: Hofstra -3.5 (Play to -4)

By Jim Root

The Big 12 is a gauntlet. Poor Cincinnati failed to hold serve at home against Oklahoma this weekend, and the Bearcats’ reward is their first ever conference road trip into the Phog.

KU, meanwhile, is coming off a disappointing loss of its own. The Jayhawks fell at West Virginia as 10-point favorites, making an early dent in their Big 12 title hopes.

Kansas is 2-0 against the spread this year coming off a loss, so there’s some risk of a vintage KU performance. However, the Jayhawks have enough warts – and Cincy can do enough to take advantage of those warts – to make fading them a risk worth stomaching.

The pivotal unit here is Cincinnati’s defense. The Bearcats are stout in transition and at the rim, the two areas where Kansas scores most effectively. They'll force KU to win this game from the perimeter.

It's nearly impossible to truly shut down Hunter Dickinson given his tremendous touch around the bucket. Cincy, though, has multiple huge bodies to throw at him, led by seven-footer Aziz Bandaogo and Russian enforcer Viktor Lakhin.

It's worth noting that this game has seen a slight tug-of-war in the market, bouncing between 8.5 and 9. It might be worth waiting to see if you can find a +9 before tip-off.

Pick: Cincinnati +8.5 (Play to +7.5)

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