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College Basketball Player Props & Best Bets Today: Schedule, Picks for Sunday

Mike Spector

Last Updated: December 17, 2023 2:21 PM EST • 4 min 23 sec read.

College basketball best bets.
College basketball best bets.

There are plenty of intriguing non-conference college basketball matchups to end the week, and we have you covered with our daily college basketball player props and best bets for Sunday based on the best college basketball odds.

Will Kansas or Purdue be the new No. 1 team in the AP poll on Monday? That question is under scrutiny as No. 2 Kansas survived its first true road test of the season in a raucous Assembly Hall against Indiana on Saturday, while No. 3 Purdue beat No. 1 Arizona at the Indy Classic.

Today, a couple of preseason AP top 25 teams take the court as USC faces Auburn and Illinois hosts Colgate. 

Here are our college basketball player props and best bets for Sunday (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Sunday’s college basketball schedule and odds

(Odds via DraftKings)

Sunday’s college basketball best bets

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Sunday’s college basketball player props

Boogie Ellis (USC) Over 17.5 points vs. Auburn (-120 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

When Auburn plays at home in “The Jungle,” the pace of play tends to ratchet up, and games become more of a track meet, as evidenced by the 19-16 O/U record at Neville Arena since 2021. That should raise the scoring potential of USC guard Boogie Ellis, who has scored 18-plus points in four of the last six games since missing the UC Irvine game on Nov. 14. Ellis has made 50% of his 3-point attempts in that span, and he ranks in the top 90 of all players nationally with a 46.3% 3-point percentage and a No. 126 offensive rating, per KenPom. 

Ellis’ projected total is lower than usual, given that Auburn ranks in the top 15 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency and effective field goal percentage allowed. Still, the Tigers have allowed opponents to shoot 41.1% from beyond the arc over the last three games, which considerably raises Ellis’ offensive ceiling. 

We are making this wager at bet365, as DraftKings has much steeper -140 odds to back the Over (up from -125 on Saturday night).

Arthur Kaluma (Kansas State) Under 1.5 3-pointers vs. Nebraska (-105 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Arthur Kaluma has made six of his last seven 3-point attempts in his previous two games against LSU and Villanova. However, those two teams rank outside the top 300 in 3-point percentage allowed, while Nebraska has held opponents to less than 30% shooting (29.6%) from beyond the arc. That has not stopped teams from firing away from deep against the Cornhuskers, as they have allowed 39.5% of opponents’ shots (ranks 250th) to come from the perimeter. 

While Kaluma has attempted at least three 3-point attempts in every game he has played this season, we expect Fred Hoiberg’s defense to extend even more and run Kansas State off the 3-point line, as it does not have much of an inside presence to speak of (forward Will McNair averaged 8.6 points per game).

This is another line that has received betting attention, as the Under could have been had for +100 odds on Saturday night. However, the -105 odds at DraftKings still beat the -110 offered at bet365.

Sunday’s college basketball game picks

Syracuse +4.5 vs. Oregon (-110 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐

Syracuse is at a huge travel disadvantage with this game being played in South Dakota. Still, this shorthanded Oregon squad had trouble containing dribble penetration from Alabama in a 99-91 loss, and the Orange will look to attack the Ducks in a much similar fashion.

Alabama shot 50% from the floor in that win over Oregon while also going 26-of-28 from the free-throw line. The Orange are similarly built to seek out the mismatches in Oregon’s defense, and the trio of Judah Mintz, JJ Starling, and Chris Bell all average at least 22.7% of the team’s shots, so head coach Adrian Autry will consistently seek the best matchup of the three to exploit. 

ShotQuality predicts Oregon to narrowly win 74.6-73.1, and the point spread for this game is too inflated for travel and for the fact that Syracuse is 4-8 ATS at neutral sites since 2021.

FanDuel and bet365 are the only sportsbooks offering Syracuse at +4.5 for -110, as all other competitors are either at +4, or charge -115 odds to back the Orange.

Oral Roberts +8 vs. Oklahoma State (-105 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oral Roberts is 3-2 ATS on the road this season, but that does not do it justice to how competitive it has been, losing by eight or fewer points in road losses to Texas A&M and Texas Tech while taking Kansas State to overtime. Oklahoma State is not as talented as those teams, and with this game being so close to Christmas and with the students home on break, this will not be nearly the same atmosphere in Stillwater as it usually is.

Oral Roberts is one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the country (it allows opponents to secure 39.1% of its misses). Still, a Cowboys team that ranks outside the top 100 in offensive rebounding percentage should not exploit that weakness.

Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles rank in the top 30 in Haslametrics’ 3PAR metric (3-point field goal attempts per 100 trips upcourt vs. the average opponent), but their shooting from deep in volume is a good thing considering they rank inside the top 60 nationally with a 36.9% 3-point shooting percentage. 

Oklahoma State has not covered the spread in three games (0-2-1) following a win this season, and it is 10-13-2 ATS in non-conference games since the start of last season. Not only does DraftKings charge less than the standard -110 juice to back the underdogs, but it is the only shop offering higher than +7.5.

College basketball best bets made 12/17/2023 at 6:51 a.m. ET

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Written By:
Mike Spector
I have been in the sports writing industry for over three years, working for sites like BettingPros/FantasyPros, Oddschecker, and Sportsbook Review. In my first year writing for BettingPros, I finished with the #2 overall record in their annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an over/under and moneyline perspective. I am an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, and all college sports. In my opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and I am especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. I am a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." Follow me on Twitter for my best bets and commentary to go along with the wagers.