🏀 College Basketball Predictions Today: Will Darryn Peterson Show up in Top 10 Showdown?
The madness isn't letting up in college basketball on Monday, following a wild weekend that included five top-10 teams losing.
Monday's slate features two top-25 matchups, and my college basketball predictions today are focused on a pair of freshman stars in those showdowns, as well as two key mid-major games tonight.
Don't miss our Louisville vs. North Carolina prediction for the first matchup of ESPN's doubleheader tonight.
🏀 College basketball predictions today: Best player props & ATS picks
See all of our experts' college basketball picks based on the latest college basketball odds; picks rated on a 1-to-5 star confidence scale based on betting value.
| Matchup | Pick | Units | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholls vs. Lamar | Lamar -2.5 (-112) | 1u -> 0.89u | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Louisville vs. North Carolina | Mikel Brown Jr. 4+ made 3-pointers (+182) | 1u -> 1.82u | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| UT Rio Grande Valley vs. McNeese | UT Rio Grande Valley +10.5 (-102) | 1u -> 0.98u | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Houston vs. Kansas | Darryn Peterson Under 22.5 points + rebounds (-115) | 1u -> 0.87u | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Total wagered: 4 units | Max profit: 4.56 units
💰 Best college basketball bet today
Nicholls vs. Lamar prediction: Lamar -2.5 (-112) vs. Nicholls
With Monday's slate featuring two ranked matchups, it might seem surprising that my best bet focuses on two Southland teams with losing records. However, Lamar should be a much larger favorite after beating Nicholls on the road by 10 last month.
Nicholls has one of the worst defenses in the country, ranked No. 276 in adjusted efficiency and allowing 76.8 PPG. Lamar's defense is significantly better, ranked top 100 in the country in PPG allowed (69.4).
The Cardinals also have the best scorer taking the court, Rob Lee (16.2 PPG, 42.8% from three). Nicholls is 4-8 ATS since mid-January.
🔥 More college basketball picks & player props today
Louisville vs. North Carolina prediction: Mikel Brown Jr. 4+ made 3-pointers (+182) at North Carolina
This should be an explosive scoring matchup, with neither defense ranked in the top 25. And with North Carolina star freshman Caleb Wilson out, Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. is the most talented player taking the court - he's averaging 30.5 PPG in his last four outings.
Brown's been among the hottest players in the country the last two weeks, thanks in large part to his 3-point shooting. The projected lottery pick is 21-for-36 (58.3%) from deep over his last four games.
North Carolina's perimeter defense has been shaky in ACC play, allowing opponents to shoot 39.1% from behind the arc.
UT Rio Grande Valley vs. McNeese prediction: UT Rio Grande Valley +10.5 (-102) at McNeese
This is a heavyweight matchup in the Southland Conference, with both teams sitting top three in the conference standings. And while McNeese is the back-to-back conference tournament champ, UT Rio Grande Valley beat the Cowboys outright as a 9.5-point underdog last month.
The Vaqueros have been hot in their second season since leaving the WAC for the Southland, winning 10 of their last 11 games and covering in four of their last five games they've been an underdog.
The combo of Koree Cotton and Filip Brankovic should put pressure on a McNeese team that's 6-11 ATS since mid-December.
Houston vs. Kansas prediction: Darryn Peterson Under 22.5 points + rebounds (-115) at Houston
The saga of projected No. 1 pick Darryn Peterson is never-ending. The freshman star is an enigma, with his availability never clear ... he's also dropped off since a hot January, scoring 20-plus in just one of his last seven games.
Regardless of where you stand on his pro projection and injury/cramping issues, Peterson has looked out of sorts lately. He's averaging 16.1 PPG and 2.8 RPG in his last seven, shooting worse than 42% in five of those games.
Houston's defense is top 10 in adjusted efficiency and allows the fewest rebounds per game in Big 12 play (29.5).
💡 How I'm betting college basketball today
Follow all of our college basketball analysis and expert predictions this season.
With two huge matchups on ESPN tonight, those are a pair of games I plan on putting multiple units on because they're must-watch, especially Houston vs. Kansas. I love betting player props in can't-miss games, specifically when they're focused on two headlining players (Brown, Peterson).
I'm also all in on the Southland Conference slate tonight, mainly because Lamar's being slept on by our best March Madness betting sites, because it's struggled against higher-end teams ... but Nicholls isn't higher-end. Meanwhile, UT Rio Grande Valley has been surging, and its game against McNeese is the best mid-major matchup on the slate Monday.
🚀 Best college basketball parlay picks today
I'm betting on an undervalued team (Lamar), the best mid-major game tonight (UT Rio Grande Valley vs. McNeese), and the two biggest names hitting the court in the two biggest games on the slate (Brown vs. North Carolina, Peterson vs. Houston).
💵 Best college basketball parlay today
- Lamar -2.5 vs. Nicholls (-112)
- Mikel Brown Jr. 4+ made 3-pointers (+182)
- UT Rio Grande Valley +10.5 vs. McNeese (-120)
- Darryn Peterson Under 22.5 points + rebounds (-115)
Best odds: +1729 via FanDuel (0.2u -> 3.5u)
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