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

Mike Spector

Last Updated: January 9, 2023 4:25 AM EST • 2 min 51 sec read.

College basketball best bets.
College basketball best bets.

There are no top 25 teams in action on the day a new AP poll is released. Read on for our college basketball best bets for Monday.

The SWAC dominates Monday's college basketball action, as the league has six contests of the day's 13-game slate.

Elsewhere, New Mexico aims to end a two-game losing streak when hosting Oral Roberts. 

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

Check out our college basketball best bets.

Monday’s College Basketball Schedule and Odds

(odds via DraftKings)

  • Oral Roberts vs. New Mexico (Off)
  • Colgate (-7) vs. Army
  • North Carolina Central (-1.5) vs. Coppin State

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College Basketball Best Bets for Monday

  • Spread: Colgate -7 (-110 via Caesars) vs. Army
  • Moneyline: Prairie View A&M (-140 via PointsBet) vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff
  • Total: Oral Roberts-New Mexico Under (Off)
  • Upset: Howard (+140 via DraftKings) vs. Maryland Eastern Shore

College Basketball Top Picks

Spread: Colgate -7 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐

Army enters on a four-game winning streak, with three of the four coming by double digits. However, we are not getting too excited as those three wins on the road - against Central Connecticut, Lafayette, and Loyola - were against teams that are a combined 12-40.

Colgate's last four losses were against an SEC team (Auburn), two Ivy League favorites (Penn and Cornell), and the favorite in the America East (Vermont). Despite that demanding schedule, the Raiders lead the country in effective field-goal percentage and 3-point shooting (42.5%). They return 68.3% of the minutes from a team that beat Army by 29 combined points (both wins by double digits) last year and should pose similar problems again.

While FanDuel has already gone to -7.5, we are taking advantage of the extra half-point in value at Caesars before the line moves.

Moneyline: Prairie View A&M (-140) ⭐⭐⭐

Prairie View A&M is just 2-8 in its last 10 games and faces an Arkansas Pine Bluff team that is 5-0 on its home floor. However, that is misleading, as four of those wins are against non-Division I competition.

The Golden Lions rank outside the top 353 in adjusted offensive efficiency, effective field-goal percentage, and 2-point shooting percentage. In addition, their defense is not much better than last year's squad, which allowed 1.12 points per possession in league play.

PointsBet has remained at the -140 opening number, but other sportsbooks like BetRivers are as high as -150.

Total: Oral Roberts-New Mexico Under (Off) ⭐⭐⭐

This is a matchup between the Mountain West's top-scoring team (New Mexico at 82.6 points per game) and the Summit League's top-scoring team (Oral Roberts at 84.3). In addition, the Over is 5-2 in the Golden Eagles' last seven games and has cashed in each of New Mexico's last six.

However, the Lobos seem to have been figured out, as they have been held to an average of 72 points in back-to-back losses. New Mexico has turned the ball over 32 times in those two games, and we expect more sluggish offense than usual between these teams coming off quick turnarounds from Saturday's games. In Oral Roberts' four Monday games this season, either it or its opponent scored 70 or fewer points.

KenPom projects an 85-80 New Mexico win, and 165 is right around where we would be comfortable playing this number.

Upset: Howard (+140) ⭐⭐

Maryland Eastern Shore gets 36.2% of its scoring from 3-point range (55th-most in the country), which is a dangerous way to play when shooting only 33% (205th) from beyond the arc.

On the other hand, Howard shot a blistering 50% from 3-point range, made 65.5% of its 2-point shots in its first conference game, and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings with the Hawks. Until Maryland Eastern Shore proves it can win more consistently in this rivalry, it should not be favored.

There is a lot of variability in this line, as Howard is as low as +118 elsewhere. Thus, bettors should be sure to get the best number at DraftKings before the odds shorten.

College basketball best bets made 1/9/2023 at 6:23 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.