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

Mike Spector

Last Updated: February 5, 2023 9:44 AM EST • 3 min 12 sec read.

College basketball best bets.
College basketball best bets.

A small but solid 16-game college basketball slate finishes out the week. Read on for our college basketball best bets for Sunday based on the top NCAAB odds.

Purdue became the sixth No. 1 ranked team to lose this season, falling 79-74 at Indiana. The record for the most top-ranked teams to lose in a single season in the AP poll era is seven.

The team that could supplant the Boilermakers if they fall from the top spot on Monday is in action Sunday as No. 3 Houston looks to avenge one of its two losses at Temple.

Here are our college basketball best bets for Sunday (odds via Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, WynnBet, and PointsBet; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Check out our top college basketball picks and our best March Madness betting sites.

Sunday’s college basketball schedule and odds

(odds via DraftKings)

  • Ohio State vs. Michigan (-4)
  • Northwestern vs. Wisconsin (-3.5)
  • Penn State (-5) vs. Nebraska
  • Houston (-10.5) vs. Clemson

Check out our best March Madness odds and Wooden Award odds.

College basketball best bets for Sunday

  • Spread: Niagara +7.5 (-110 via Caesars) vs. Siena ⭐⭐⭐
  • Moneyline: Michigan (-170 via FanDuel) vs. Ohio State ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Total: Penn State-Nebraska Under 136.5 (-110 via PointsBet) ⭐⭐⭐
  • Upset: Fordham (+160 via Wynn) vs. Richmond ⭐⭐⭐

College basketball top picks

Spread: Niagara +7.5 vs. Siena (-110) ⭐⭐⭐

Siena may be atop the MAAC standings, but Niagara is lurking just two games back and faces a Saints team struggling with health. Siena is coming off an overtime loss to Manhattan, in which shooting guard Michael Eley (8.0 points per game) sat out with COVID-19 while leading scorer and point guard Javian McCollum (15.0 points) played just 14 minutes after a two-game absence.

Thus, this is a three-star play, as two days is too quick of a turnaround to restore Siena to full strength. In addition, Niagara has been competitive early in games, winning the first half in each of its last seven day games against conference opponents. 

Caesars is one of the only sportsbooks where bettors can get Niagara at the highest number available and not pay up in juice.

Moneyline: Michigan ML vs. Ohio State (-170) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ohio State has won four of its last six games in this rivalry and each of its previous two in Ann Arbor. However, the Buckeyes are reeling with eight losses in their last nine games, with just one cover against the spread in that span. And emotions seemed to boil over in their previous loss as head coach Chris Holtmann was ejected in the first half.

Michigan is second-best in league play at defending the 3-point line (31.0% allowed), which does not bode well for Ohio State’s chances of offensive success given it ranks dead-last in the Big Ten in 2-point shooting percentage (44.5%).

In addition, the Buckeyes have not covered any of their last five road games, while the Wolverines are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five at home.

All sportsbooks are up from the opening number of -140, but FanDuel offers the best price over its competitors.

Total: Penn State vs. Nebraska Under 136.5 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐

Penn State and Nebraska rank seventh and 12th, respectively, in scoring in the Big Ten. And though the Nittany Lions rank in the top 14 in the country in effective field-goal percentage, turnover percentage, and 3-point shooting, they are also 363rd in offensive rebounding percentage.

Thus, Penn State does not help itself with easy buckets, and both of these teams rank outside the top 300 in free throws attempted per field-goal attempt. Nebraska has particularly struggled with 61.8 points per game average during a four-game losing streak.

The Under is 9-4 in Penn State’s previous 13 road games and has cashed in five of Nebraska’s last six at home.

This line has dropped as low as 135.5 at Caesars, and that is the lowest number we would feel comfortable backing the Under.

Upset: Fordham ML vs. Richmond (+160) ⭐⭐⭐

Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune certainly did not leave the cupboard bare after his one year at Fordham. In Neptune’s tenure, the Rams improved from two wins to a .500 16-16 record. Now Fordham is 18-4 and amid a five-game winning streak, and it looks to avenge a 13-point home loss to Richmond this year.

Our reason for optimism in Fordham pulling off a road upset is because the starting backcourt of Darius Quisenberry and Kyle Rose combined for 39 points last year, and Richmond no longer has Jacob Gilyard on its roster, who torched the Rams for 31 points.

Fordham has the Atlantic 10’s best effective field-goal percentage in league play, facing a Spiders offense that ranks 11th in the same metric.

This is a three-star play as the Rams should have plenty of clean possessions as the league’s best team at taking care of the basketball, while Richmond forces turnovers at the league’s 14th-highest rate.

College basketball best bets made 2/5/2023 at 7:58 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.