College Basketball Best Bets Today: ATS Picks & Player Props for Wednesday (Dec. 17)

My college basketball best bets today back two home underdogs that have been solid in that role recently.

Elsewhere, my college basketball expert picks expect a low-scoring output from a talented Air Force freshman. Our second player prop plays the odds on a senior who ranks highly in assists among point guards.

🏀 College basketball best bets today: Dec. 17

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

💰 College basketball expert picks today

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Richmond vs. Elon prediction: Elon +5.5 (-110 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Elon is a tough team to prepare for, as it deploys a zone defense at a high rate and has unusual length for a mid-major. While Richmond has scorched the nets in averaging 87.7 points per game over its last three wins, this is not a great matchup for the Spiders, as the Phoenix zone is built to take away its unique off-ball Princeton action.

This spread is as low as +4.5 on the opposite end of the market, so I'm going to use a bet365 bonus code before getting the best number and price.

Seattle vs. UC Davis prediction: UC Davis +3.5 (-110 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

Seattle is overly reliant on forcing turnovers, ranking 13th in the country with a 22.7% turnover-forcing rate. Case in point: the Redhawks nearly won a game in Las Vegas against UC Santa Barbara, despite being minus-15 from 3-point range and minus-8 on both the offensive glass and at the free-throw line.

If UC Davis can take care of the basketball, it should cover as a home underdog for the sixth time in the last seven such games dating back to 2023.

⛹️ College basketball player props today

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Lucas Hobin Under 12.5 points (-115 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Air Force freshman Lucas Hobin has averaged 19.7 points in the team’s three wins, but just 10.1 in the team’s eight losses. His ceiling for points is lowered in a game KenPom projects the Falcons to lose 82-58.

Air Force plays at the 342nd-slowest tempo, and has topped 70 possessions just twice. That should make it tough for Hobin to score 13-plus points, especially against an Aztecs defense that forces turnovers at a top-30 rate.

Moe Odum Over 5.5 assists (-130 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thus far, UCLA’s defense has not performed to the elite level it typically does under Mick Cronin. While the Bruins are still a respectable 37th in adjusted defensive efficiency, opponents are assisting on 58.2% of made field goals. That ranks UCLA outside the top-290 in that metric.

Arizona State point guard Moe Odum has assisted on 34.9% of his team’s field goals (top 46 among D-I players). I am paying up for bet365’s -130 odds, as Odum has six-plus assists seven times in 11 games this year.