College Basketball Picks Today:
Expert college basketball handicapper Greg Peterson shares his top college basketball picks today for Monday, November 24.
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12:00 PM Eastern
East Texas A&M Lions vs. Fairleigh Dickinson Knights
East Texas A&M has been overly aggressive on defense, ranking 343rd in fouls per possession and 269th in points per possession allowed. Fairleigh Dickinson added a lot of size in the transfer portal and have climbed to 192nd in defensive rebound percentage, while East Texas A&M sits at 292nd. East Texas A&M is also struggling from deep, ranking 345th in 3-point shooting percentage after finishing 297th last season.
Pick: Fairleigh Dickinson +3 and Under 154.5 (Greg’s Handicap Fairleigh Dickinson -4 and Total 150)
1:00 PM Eastern
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee is having turnover issues without Zakai Zeigler running the offense, ranking 279th in turnovers per possession. Their defense remains elite, sitting ninth in points per possession allowed. Rutgers is also strong defensively at 56th, and they are tough inside, ranking 55th in rebound percentage and eighth in opponent 2-point shooting percentage. Tennessee leads the nation in rebound percentage.
Pick: Rutgers +15.5 (Greg’s Handicap Rutgers +9.5)
1:30 PM Eastern
Vermont Catamounts vs. Liberty Flames
Liberty is back to its usual slow, controlled style, ranking 351st in possessions per game. Vermont has been outside the top 270 in tempo for nine straight years, with a double-overtime game against Brown inflating their current pace metrics. Neither team creates second-chance opportunities, with Vermont ranking 305th and Liberty 345th in offensive rebound percentage. Liberty should also see regression from its current 46.4% 3-point shooting, which is well above last year’s 38.7%.
Pick: Under 147 (Greg’s Handicapped Total 138)
2:00 PM Eastern
Creighton Bluejays vs. Baylor Bears
The injury to big man Juslin Bodo Bodo leaves Baylor thin inside, contributing to their 219th ranking in rebound percentage. They face a Creighton team that sits 46th in that metric. Creighton’s current 27% 3-point shooting should tick upward, especially against a Baylor defense that ranked 306th nationally in opponent 3-point shooting last season.
Pick: Creighton +5 (Greg’s Handicap Creighton -2)
2:30 PM Eastern
VMI Keydets vs. Buffalo Bulls
VMI is going extremely 3-point heavy, with 52.9% of their shots coming from beyond the arc—the sixth-highest rate in the country. They face a Buffalo defense that ranks 340th in opponent 3-point percentage this season after finishing 343rd last year.
Pick: VMI +6.5 (Greg’s Handicap VMI -1.5)
4:30 PM Eastern
Kennesaw State Owls vs. Rice Owls
Rice has improved their outside shooting, ranking 38th in 3-point percentage against Division I opponents at 39.2%. Kennesaw State’s opponent 3-point percentage of 26.3% is likely to regress negatively. Their struggles with the small things—shooting just 61% at the free-throw line and ranking 225th in defensive rebound percentage—may prove costly.
Picks: Rice +4 and Under 159.5 (Greg’s Handicap Rice -4 and Total 152)
6:00 PM Eastern
George Mason Patriots vs. Ohio Bobcats
George Mason’s defense, which ranked 10th nationally in points per possession allowed last season, looks just as strong this year—they’re currently 12th. They are once again playing at a relatively slow tempo (271st in possessions per game). Ohio has also slowed its pace, ranking 184th in possessions per game after playing faster last season.
Pick: Under 146.5 (Greg’s Handicapped Total 139)
7:00 PM Eastern
NJIT Highlanders vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati’s defense has been strong, but their faster pace (50th in possessions per game) hasn’t helped their offense, which ranks 248th in points per possession and 300th in total offensive efficiency. NJIT is top-77 nationally in opponent 2-point and 3-point shooting percentages. They also get back top returning scorer Sebastian Robinson, who has played in the past two games after an early-season injury.
Pick: NJIT +33.5 (Greg’s Handicap NJIT +24.5)
Bellarmine Knights vs. The Citadel Bulldogs
Bellarmine followed up last year’s ranking of 363rd in points per possession allowed by dropping even further to 364th this season. The Citadel isn’t much better at 352nd but should control the boards, as Bellarmine ranks 353rd in rebound percentage. The Citadel also runs clean offense, ranking 27th in turnovers per possession.
Picks: The Citadel +1.5 and Under 158.5 (Greg’s Handicap The Citadel -4.5 and Total 148.5)
Sacred Heart Pioneers vs. Central Connecticut Blue Devils
Central Connecticut already owns road wins over Boston College and Rutgers, driven by a defense that ranks 87th in points per possession allowed despite a difficult schedule. Sacred Heart sits at 324th in the same metric and is extremely 3-point dependent, with 55.2% of their shots coming from deep—the highest rate in the country. That clashes poorly with a CCSU defense that allowed just 30.6% from three last season (28th nationally) and has improved that to 27.8% this season.
Pick: Central Connecticut -3 (Greg’s Handicap Central Connecticut -7)
8:30 PM Eastern
Florida Atlantic Owls vs. Loyola Marymount Lions
Loyola Marymount has been strong defensively, ranking 58th in points per possession allowed overall and 29th in games away from home. Florida Atlantic, for the second straight year, is outside the top 300 in opponent 3-point shooting percentage, and LMU is shooting 41.8% from deep this season.
Picks: Loyola Marymount +3 and Under 156.5 (Greg’s Handicap Loyola Marymount -2.5 and Total 148.5)
Midnight Eastern
Maryland Terrapins vs. UNLV Rebels
UNLV’s injury list is long—Myles Che and 7-footer Emmanuel Stephen have yet to play this season, and starter Ladji Dembele has missed the last two games. The defensive impact is clear, as the Rebels rank 177th in points per possession allowed. They now face a physical Maryland team that is third in free-throw attempts per field-goal attempt and ranks 31st in defensive turnovers forced per possession.
Picks: Maryland -1.5 and Under 162.5 (Greg’s Handicap Maryland -5.5 and Total 151.5)
