College Basketball Best Bets Today: Expert ATS Picks & Player Props for Monday, Jan. 5

My college basketball best bets today feature two ATS picks involving teams from New Jersey.

I round out my expert picks with my top two college basketball player props, one from each of the two Big Ten games that are the only ranked matchups on today’s slate.

🏀 College basketball best bets today: Jan. 5

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

💰 College basketball expert picks today

Want more college basketball betting advice? Check out all of our college basketball analysis and expert predictions this season.

Oregon vs. Rutgers prediction: Rutgers +6.5 (-115 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rutgers led a better Ohio State team than this Oregon team at the half on Friday, and still covered the 8.5-point spread despite being outplayed in the second half.

This confident four-star wager is all about Oregon’s scheduling disadvantage as it plays its second straight game on the East Coast while Rutgers hasn’t played a game outside of New Jersey since in almost a month.

The Ducks benefitted from Maryland not having Pharrel Payne in the last game, and even still it scored fewer than one point per possession after averaging 1.3 points per possession in the four games prior.

Pennsylvania vs. Princeton prediction: Pennsylvania +2.5 (-102 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐

The Quakers have covered three straight games by an average of nine points.

The turnaround is due to their ability to defend the three-point line. Since Dec. 7, UPenn ranks third among D-I teams, allowing just 22.4% from beyond the arc, and allowing opponents to shoot threes at the 32nd-lowest rate.

Princeton is a team heavily reliant on threes, as they make up 39.5% of its offensive production (22nd-highest in the country). Look for the Quakers to defend the 3-point line well, securing their fifth cover in six games when they have four-plus days off.

⛹️ College basketball player props today

Search the best college basketball player prop odds for any team or player across every market from legal sportsbooks in your area.

Pryce Sandfort Over 2.5 made 3-pointers (-105 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐

Nebraska is coming off a win against Michigan State in which it made just five 2-point shots, the fewest in a victory over a ranked opponent in college basketball history.

Much of Ohio State’s defensive attention will be paid to Nebraska center Rienk Mast, who made 6-of-13 3-point attempts against Michigan State. But Pryce Sandfort quietly connected on three 3-pointers himself, and is now shooting a blistering 44% from deep in three Big Ten games.

These are great odds for Sandfort to go Over this projected total for the third straight game and fourth in the last five.

Coen Carr Over 1.5 assists (-105 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Michigan State’s Coen Carr has two-plus assists in three of the last four games. The only game in that span he didn’t record multiple assists was the team’s 56-point offensive clunker against Nebraska.

Carr has a high ceiling again for assists playing for a Spartans team that ranks second in D-I with a 71% assist rate on made field goals. 

With Michigan State’s implied team total at 80.5, there should be plenty of baskets for Carr to assist on, as long as teammate Jeremy Fears Jr. doesn’t take them all (his O/U for assists is 8.5).

Want more action on this ranked vs. ranked affair? Our USC vs. Michigan State predictions have you taken care of.

🚀 Best college basketball parlay picks today