College Basketball Best Bets Today:

A big battle in the Big Ten and an intriguing game in the SoCon are the highlights on the 22-game college basketball slate for Monday. Today’s action features a lot of SWAC, Southland, and MEAC basketball, so it is a day where we’re looking at several one-bid leagues. All of the games are late, though, with the first tip at 6 p.m. ET, which means plenty of time to cap the card when all eyes are on Vikings vs. Rams.

We’ve got previews and best bets for that game elsewhere. This is all about trying to navigate the January 13 college hoops schedule.

 

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Tracking sheet is here. 2023-24 for reference is here.

This article will run Monday-Saturday (not next week, see exception above). Lines will be from DraftKings, as they are widely available to readers. Shop around for the best prices.

Shout-outs to Bart Torvik, Erik Haslam, and Ken Pomeroy, as those are my three primary resources for information when handicapping.

Check the latest college basketball odds for legal U.S. sportsbooks across the country and our Vegas odds if you share a state with us here at VSiN. Also, give the college basketball betting splits a look for these or any other college basketball games today have your interest.

Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publish.

Delaware State Hornets at NC Central Eagles (-6.5, 147.5)

7:30 p.m. ET

A rough college hoops card today, as we’ve seen a lot of line movement to extract potential value. It doesn’t take a whole lot to move a SWAC, Southland, or MEAC number, though, as these teams are all tricky handicaps. There are vast strength of schedule differences between the teams and a ton of inconsistency because many of them have poor shooting numbers and high turnover rates.

In this game, I’m looking at what I normally look at and that is shot selection. Both NC Central and Delaware State have shot shares on Close Twos over 40%, with NC Central at 43.4% and Delaware State at 40.9%. NC Central has converted at a much higher clip, with a difference of about 8% in FG% on those shots per Torvik.

But, where I really see a potential edge for NC Central is that they shoot a lot more 3s, while Delaware State settles for a lot of mid-range jumpers. To the Hornets’ credit, they are good at shooting them. But, when I see a team with nearly 40% of its shots coming on those low-percentage, low-reward shots, I can’t help but look to go against them. Their Rim & 3 Rate is 60.8% (Close Two shot share + 3P Rate), whereas NC Central’s is 77.8%.

To add to that, NC Central is 14th in the nation in TO% on defense. In a game likely to be played to around 69 or 70 possessions, I think the Eagles can steal some, as they are also the stronger team on the offensive glass.

Also, let’s be honest, you can’t go all season without betting on a guy named Po’Boigh King.

Pick: NC Central -6.5

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