College Basketball Picks Today:
Expert college basketball handicapper Greg Peterson shares his top college basketball picks today for Tuesday, November 4.
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7:00 PM Eastern
Nicholls Colonels vs. Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky is coming off a season in which they ranked 21st in total possessions per game and 16th in points per possession on offense. They return Otega Oweh, who led the team with 16.2 points per game, and bring in plenty of talent to elevate the forward spot through both transfers and freshmen. Nicholls, meanwhile, must replace each of last season’s top four scorers and a backcourt that was strong defending the three-point arc, ranking 13th nationally in opponents’ three-point shooting percentage.
Pick: Nicholls vs. Kentucky Over 150.5 (Greg’s Handicapped Total: 155.5)
Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia figures to play at a slow tempo this season under new head coach Ross Hodge, who arrives from North Texas and brings several players with him from a program that emphasized defensive efficiency. Mount St. Mary’s was a mid-tempo team last season, ranking 200th in possessions per game and 68th in opponents’ three-point shooting percentage.
Pick: Mount St. Mary’s vs. West Virginia Under 139 (Greg’s Handicapped Total: 133.5)
7:30 PM Eastern
UNC Asheville Bulldogs vs. Wichita State Shockers
UNC Asheville has long struggled defensively under coach Mike Morrell, ranking 315th in points per possession allowed last season and 300th in rebound percentage. Wichita State, which ranked 83rd in rebound percentage, should be much improved from their 30.2% three-point mark last season (339th nationally) thanks to Kenyon Giles joining the program from UNC Greensboro, where he averaged 15.3 points per game on 40.2% shooting from deep.
Picks: Wichita State -7.5 and Under 154.5 (Greg’s Handicap Wichita State -11.5 and Total 151.5)
8:00 PM Eastern
UNC Greensboro Spartans vs. Kansas State Wildcats
UNC Greensboro is tasked with replacing each of last season’s top ten scorers from a unit that ranked in the top 58 nationally in three-point shooting percentage in each of the past two seasons. Kansas State reloads on offense with the addition of PJ Haggerty, who posted 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game on 36.4% three-point shooting at Memphis last season. The return of guard C.J. Jones should also give the Wildcats better chemistry than a season ago.
Picks: Kansas State -15.5 and Under 143.5 (Greg’s Handicap: Kansas State -20.5 and Total 140.5)
8:30 PM Eastern
Robert Morris Colonials vs. Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa has been one of the most up-tempo, high-octane offenses in the country under coach Fran McCaffery, but the team made an offseason change by hiring former Drake coach Ben McCollum. McCollum’s Drake team played at the slowest pace in the country last season and ranked 33rd nationally in points per possession allowed. Robert Morris, which ranked 80th in points per possession allowed last season, must replace their top five scorers, which could force them to play slower than last year’s pace that ranked 107th in total possessions per game.
Picks: Robert Morris +19.5 and Under 144.5 (Greg’s Handicap: Robert Morris +15.5 and Total 137.5)
8:45 PM Eastern
Texas Longhorns vs. Duke Blue Devils
While the main attraction for Duke is the arrival of the Boozer brothers as freshmen, the Blue Devils return Isaiah Evans, who hit 41.8% of his three-point shots for a team that led the nation in points per possession last season. Texas retains much of its backcourt from last year despite a coaching change to Sean Miller but lacks Division I postseason experience — a potential issue against a Duke squad that ranked fourth in points per possession allowed and eighth in rebound percentage last season. With the game being played in North Carolina, Duke also benefits from the home crowd.
Picks: Duke -8.5 and Under 153.5 (Greg’s Handicap: Duke -9.5 and Total 149.5)
10:00 PM Eastern
Portland State Vikings vs. Stanford Cardinal
Portland State made headlines in the offseason by naming Shaquille O’Neal as general manager and hiring Mike Bibby as head coach. However, Bibby has never coached at the college level and brings in a guard-heavy roster that may struggle to get the ball to last season’s leading scorer, Jaylin Henderson. Stanford exceeded 20 wins in year one under coach Kyle Smith and returns versatile 6-foot-8 big man Chisom Okpara, who shot 46.2% from three-point range last season, along with Ryan Agarwal, a 6-foot-6 wing who averaged 7.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.
Pick: Stanford -10 (Greg’s Handicap: Stanford -17.5)
10:30 PM Eastern
Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors vs. Oregon Ducks
While Oregon’s primary guard Jackson Shelstad is expected to miss the first few weeks of the season due to a hand injury, the Ducks still have a versatile 7-footer in Nate Bittle, who led the team with 14.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. His presence helps neutralize Hawai‘i’s strength on the glass after ranking 18th nationally in rebound percentage last season. Utah transfer Hunter Erickson is expected to take over primary ball-handling duties with most of last year’s guards gone.
Picks: Oregon -12.5 and Under 147 (Greg’s Handicap: Oregon -15.5 and Total 137.5)
