3 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Tuesday 2/11/25

The college basketball season is rolling along, giving us plentiful betting options with so many teams in action each day.

Fortunately, we have abundant tools available that can aid our chances of finding good betting value. Bart Torvik and KenPom are excellent sources that give insights into team-level efficiency, and Sports Reference provides a wide range of useful team stats, as well.

Let's check out FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds and select some of the best bets of the day by utilizing the mentioned tools.

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

Today's Best College Basketball Betting Picks

Purdue at Michigan

Braden Smith (PUR) to Record 20+ Points (+156)

Purdue takes on Michigan tonight in a matchup with massive implications for the Big Ten regular season title race. Both sides have just two losses as we enter the home stretch of conference play, and they're the two favorites in the Big Ten Regular Season Conference Championship odds market.

Considering the magnitude of tonight's matchup, I don't expect either side to stray away from what's gotten them this far. For Purdue, that means a heavy dose of point guard Braden Smith. With that, this matchup is strong enough to consider him in an alt. point market.

Though Smith is only averaging 17.5 points per game in Big Ten play, he's reached for 20 in 6 of 13 games (46%) -- well above the 39% implied probability we get from these +156 odds.

Now, he is coming off a nine-point outing, but Smith had been on a heater prior to last weekend. The junior had scored 24, 24, and 31 in the three previous games -- one of which came against the same Michigan defense he'll face tonight.

Michigan, despite ranking 22nd in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom, hasn't been that bad of a matchup for opposing offenses. Since league games began, the Wolverines are allowing 75 points per game -- right at the conference average (75.1).

They've been plenty friendly to point guards, however, surrendered the third-highest usage rate, second-highest field goal percentage, and second-most points (per 40 minutes) in Big Ten play. That includes the 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting Smith put on them in January -- an even more impressive performance considering his 0-for-4 mark from three.

That matchup bodes well for a repeat performance for Braden Smith. Considering how well he played against Michigan previously -- and how poorly they've defended Big Ten guards -- I'll jump on the plus odds for Braden Smith to record 20+ points on FanDuel Sportsbook.

George Mason at Saint Louis

George Mason Moneyline (+100)

George Mason -- the Atlantic 10's top team -- hits the road for a conference showdown with Saint Louis tonight. While the Billikens (7-4 in A-10 games) have been playing well in league play, they've lost three of their last five and haven't defended their home court especially well. As such, I think we can back the visitors at +100 moneyline odds.

In addition to their conference-leading 10-1 record, the Patriots have the A-10's top scoring defense (61.4 PPG). That holds up nationally, too, as George Mason is 13th in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency metric.

That kind of profile has typically spelled trouble for the Billikens. Saint Louis is just 4-6 against the top 100 defenses. In those games, they've averaged a mere 69.8 points. George Mason will be easily the best defense SLU has faced to this point.

Now, the Patriots' offense is mildly concerning. They're down at No. 189 in adjusted offense and rank 11th in conference scoring average (68 PPG). But SLU's isn't much better, ranking 140th in adjusted offense while averaging 69.2 points in A-10 play.

The difference is that Saint Louis' defense isn't even close to as strong as George Mason's. They're outside the top 100 in adjusted defense and let up 71 points to Dayton in their most recent home game -- the same Flyers team who George Mason held to 59 points at UD Arena.

Considering their conference records, and the fact that both KenPom and Bart Torvik have George Mason projected to win here, I'm content with getting plus odds on the better team to simply win outright, even if they are on the road.

Alabama at Texas

Arthur Kaluma (TEX) to Record 10+ Rebounds (+210)

The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide travel west to face Texas tonight. With 'Bama leading the country in KenPom's adjusted tempo, possession should be plentiful for both sides. That bodes well for the prop market, as extra possessions translate to extra counting stats.

Again, I'll turn to an alt. market in a mouth-watering matchup, targeting Texas big man Arthur Kaluma to record 10+ rebounds at +210 odds.

Kaluma is averaging 8.1 rebounds per game this season, though that creeps to 8.6 per game at home. As such, his base over/under of 7.5 rebounds is a strong play in its own right, but this matchup hints at even more upside on the glass.

He's cracked double-digit rebounds twice in four conference home games and eight times in 23 games overall. That's good for a 35% hit rate -- up from the 32% implied probability we get from his +210 odds to record 10+ rebounds tonight.

The Crimson Tide -- in large part thanks to their lightning pace -- have surrendered high rebounding totals all season. They've let up the third-most rebounds in conference play, with the bulk of those falling into the hands of opposing bigs. In SEC play, 'Bama has given up by over 14 rebounds per 40 minutes to opposing bigs, easily the highest mark in the conference.

Considering the matchup and his home rebounding prowess, these +210 odds for Arthur Kaluma to record 10+ rebounds are worth considering, though over 7.5 rebounds at -120 odds will certainly suffice.

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Which bets stand out to you across the nation tonight? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.