College Basketball Predictions & Player Props Today: Best Bets for Wednesday (Nov. 12)

Oakland plays its second AP No. 1 team of the season in Houston tonight, and that game headlines our college basketball predictions today.

Houston took over the top spot in the AP poll on Monday after Purdue struggled with Oakland last Friday night. My college basketball predictions also include the other top-25 team in action (No. 20 Tennessee), an ACC team facing a dangerous mid-major, and a matchup of two teams from Power 4 conferences.

✅ College basketball best bets today

See all of our experts' college basketball picks based on the latest college basketball odds.

🏀 Best college basketball predictions today

🦃 Saint Joseph’s vs. Virginia Tech prediction: Virginia Tech -12.5 (-110 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Virginia Tech and Providence played one of the best games of the weekend, a 107-101 overtime thriller at Mohegan Sun. I give Hokies head coach Mike Young a lot of credit for his new-look offense and building to the strength of his new roster, and expect them to be too much at home for the Hawks.

Young has typically been one of the more structured motion offensive coaches in the country. But he adapted and nearly doubled his team’s pick-and-roll usage in the season opener against Charleston Southern, where the team scored 1.26 points per possession. 

The Hokies have a matchup nightmare in 6-foot-9 point guard Neoklis Avdalas, who has used his elite size at the point guard position to distribute to open teammates out of the pick-and-roll, while averaging 7.5 assists through two games. 

This is a four-star best college basketball prediction, as Virginia Tech has covered 58.3% of its games as a home favorite since the start of last season.

Caesars is one of the only best sports betting sites offering the 12.5-point spread at the standard -110 odds. That carries a 52.38% implied probability, and would net $9.09 in profits on a winning $10 wager.

⬇️ North Florida vs. Tennessee prediction: Under 154.5 (-108 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

Tennessee is ranked in the AP top 25 for the 82nd straight time dating back to the 2021-22 preseason poll, the second-longest active streak in the country (no school after them is even at 65).

The Volunteers have started 2-0, thanks to their usual rock-solid defense, which ranks third in adjusted defensive efficiency. And while North Florida allowed 104 points to Florida in its season opener, it still allowed 18.8% from 3-point range. I also expect it to compete better on the backboards against Tennessee’s smaller lineup, as Florida had a 63% offensive rebounding rate.

DraftKings is the only one of our best sports betting apps charging less than the standard -110 juice to back the Under. Its -108 price at 51.92% implied odds would return $9.26 in profits on a winning $10 wager.

💰 Best college basketball prop bets today

⬇️ Oakland team prop: Team total Under 53.5 points (-110 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It is hard to find a team that had a more difficult start to their season than Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies are playing their second straight game against the top team in the country, and opened with another top-10 team in Michigan. While Oakland had four days off since its game against Purdue, that heavy scheduling will likely take its toll tonight.

Houston has finished as the country’s No. 1 or No. 2 team in adjusted defensive efficiency in each of the last two seasons under Kelvin Sampson. It has also ranked in the top 10 in that metric every year since 2020.

Oakland will likely get Houston’s full attention after it was tied at halftime against Purdue in its last game. 

FanDuel’s -110 odds at a 52.38% implied probability would net $9.09 in profits on a winning $10 wager if Oakland finishes with 53 or fewer points.

⬆️ Tayton Conerway player prop: Over 12.5 points (-120 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tucker DeVries did it all for Indiana in its win over Marquette. He scored 27 points on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting, as head coach Darian DeVries took advantage of his son’s versatility.

DeVries should not need to be utilized as much against Milwaukee, given the differences in this matchup. Against Marquette, senior point guard Tayton Conerway was erased by the combination of Sean Jones and Chase Ross. Ross entered the game, not allowing a single point in ball screen defense. 

Conerway scored just four points (all on free throws) while attempting just three shots from the floor. With him able to be more involved tonight, that should ease the load DeVries will have to carry, and I am taking advantage of this under-inflated line at bet365 coming off a poor performance.

If Conerway scores at least 13 points, my $10 winning wager at bet365 would return $8.33 in profits.

💡 More college basketball expert picks

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