Thursday College Basketball Betting Odds & Picks: Auburn vs. N.C. State, William & Mary vs. St. Joe’s

Backing one of the hottest teams and fading one of the nation’s worst? It's a straight-forward approach.

But for gamblers looking to add to their bankroll before the holidays, these two opportunities may be too good to pass up.

Let's break down William & Mary at St. Joe's and N.C. State at Auburn.

Thursday College Basketball Betting

Odds as of Thursday at 12 p.m. ET and via PointsBet, where Action Network users can access an exclusive promotion to get a 200% deposit match (deposit $50, bet with $150).No strings attached. No rollover required.

William & Mary at St. Joe’s

• Spread: W&M -1
• Over/Under: 152
• Time: 7 p.m. EST
• TV: ESPN+

This line jumped off the page to me.

The Tribe carry the burden of being one of the few Division I programs to never receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament. That has overshadowed a solid job of program-building by former North Carolina guard Tony Shaver. William & Mary has posted winning seasons in five of the last six years and is off to an excellent 8-3 start in 2019.

St. Joe's usually enjoys a strong homecourt advantage, as Hagan Arena has played host to a multitude of upsets over the years, and seasoned gamblers tend to be selective in their spots when fading SJU on Hawk Hill.

Luckily, there’s a major crowd factor playing in W&M’s favor tonight.

Final exams wrapped on Tuesday for SJU students, which should leave their student section a bit bare. Billy Lange’s rebuild is essentially in Year 0 right now, with the Hawks off to a 2-9 SU, 5-6 ATS start.

As of now, they’re highly dependent upon the play of Delaware transfer Ryan Daly. The poor man’s Jimmer Fredette is averaging 18 shots per game. When Daly has failed to score 20 points or more this season, the Hawks are 0-4 SU and 0-4 ATS. He’s also coming off the worst game of his career, a 1-8 FG, two-point outing against Temple.

While SJU is boom or bust based upon Daly’s play, the William & Mary is incredibly balanced with four starters averaging 11 or more points per game.

Additionally, Tribe backers get treated to the nation’s best mid-major center, Nathan Knight. The man in the middle for the Tribe has posted a double-double in 82% of his games this season and is a big game away from upping his average to 20 and 10.

Don’t be swayed by the venue — the Tribe should control this game from opening tip to final buzzer.

Pick: W&M-1

NC State at Auburn

• Spread: Auburn -7.5
• Over/Under: 152.5
• Time: 9 p.m. EST
• TV: ESPN2

Auburn has won 21 of its last 22 games straight-up dating back to last season’s wild Final Four run. Since mid-February of last year, War Eagle is a sterling 14-6-2 ATS.

The Tigers’ formula for success is fairly similar this year. Three starters are averaging 10 or more points, nine players are logging double-digit minutes and AU is in the top 15 in offensive efficiency, a near carbon copy of last season.

On the other side, N.C. State enters as a bit of a paper tiger. The Wolfpack are 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS through the first five weeks of the season. Yet despite their relative success, N.C. State has been highly reliant upon the 3-point shot as of late, which is a departure from its usual offensive formula.

N.C. State has also struggled to keep opposing teams off the offensive glass. Opponents are collecting 9.1 offensive rebounds per game (227th) against Kevin Keatts’ squad. This plays directly into Auburn’s hands. The Tigers are No. 10 nationally in offensive boards per game (12.2).

If Auburn can limit the Wolfpack from long range (they've made 33-of-70 from deep in their last three games) they should win this game handily.

Auburn has put the clamps on shooters, with teams connecting on an unimpressive 29.5% from 3-point range.

Pick: Auburn-7.5