College Basketball Betting Picks for Friday 12/15/23

The college basketball season always provides a flurry of twists and turns that few saw coming -- especially when March Madness comes around. This can make college basketball one of the most challenging sports to bet on.

Fortunately, we have plenty of tools available that can aid our chances of taking the most favorable college basketball bets. 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.

College Basketball Best Bets

Connecticut at Gonzaga

Gonzaga +3.5 (-102)

In a rematch of last year's Elite 8 battle, the fifth-ranked Connecticut Huskies (9-1) will make the trek cross-country to take on the 10th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs (8-2).

This is one of just three nationally-ranked matchups over the next three days of college basketball, and Gonzaga will have a chance to redeem themselves after UConn crushed their championship hopes in last season's NCAA Tournament.

According to KenPom, UConn comes in as the fourth-ranked team, touting the 3rd-best adjusted offensive efficiency and 15th-best adjusted defensive efficiency. Led by Tristen Newton (17.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.1 assists), Cam Spencer (15.8 points), and Alex Karaban (15.6 points), the Huskies are scoring 87.4 points per game (14th-most).

UConn was without NBA prospect Stephon Castle for a six-game stretch, but Castle is now back and taking on a utility role that has him shining on defense. The Huskies have pulled off impressive defeats against a then-ninth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels and a 15th-ranked Texas Longhorns team, but they dropped an away game against the fifth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks.

Gonzaga, meanwhile, comes in 11th on KenPom and are made up of a 17th-ranked offense and 18th-ranked defense. The Bulldogs are led by Graham Ike (14.2 points and 7.9 rebounds), Anton Watson (13.9 points and 8.2 rebounds), and Ryan Nembhard (11.8 points and 5.7 assists).

They dropped a game against a third-ranked Purdue Boilermakers team in the Maui Invitational after shooting an abysmal 18.8% (6-32) from behind the arc and will need to knock down more of these shots to stay in the game tonight. Luckily, the Huskies allow the 37th-highest three-point percentage (3P%) in college basketball, which makes them the easiest three-point matchup that Gonzaga has faced this season.

The Bulldogs were able to keep the matchup with Purdue within 10 points despite putting up terrible shooting percentage numbers and matching up poorly against Zach Edey, arguably the best big man in college basketball. In terms of size, they will match up a lot better with UConn and could be granted some easier three-point looks, so I'll take the points here.

Although this is labeled as a neutral-site game (Climate Pledge Arena), the Bulldogs will be playing in their home state of Washington while UConn had to travel nearly 3,000 miles for tonight's contest. In nationally-ranked head-to-head matchups, the home team is on a 12-game winning streak. numberFire's model is handing Gonzaga a 53.3% win probability.

Texas A&M-CC at UT Rio Grande Valley

Texas A&M-CC Moneyline (+116)

The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (4-5) will go up against the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (3-7) for the second time in less than two weeks, and I think this time around, the Islanders will come out with a victory.

In a December 6th matchup between these squads, the Vaqueros won 76-74, outscoring the Islanders by one point in each half.

But UT Rio Grande Valley put on an abnormally good shooting display, going 50.0% from the field and shooting the three-ball at a 31.6% clip. On the year, they are shooting 42.5% from the field and struggle with a 26.9% 3P%.

Meanwhile, Texas A&M-CC shot the ball at worse-than-usual numbers in this matchup, ending the game with a 37.1% field goal percentage (FG%) and 20.0% 3P%. On the season, they are rocking with a 42.2% FG% and 28.7% 3P%.

We can't exactly chalk up these performances to defensive prowess from the Vaqueros; they rank seven spots behind the Islanders in adjusted defensive efficiency (per BartTorvik).

Up until this point, these teams have each faced the same opponent once -- the SW Adventist Knights. The Islanders won this game by a higher margin (14 points) than the Vaqueros, and I think they are the pound-for-pound better team. numberFire's projections give Texas A&M-CC a 56.7% win probability, so I think siding with the plus money odds is the place to be.

Looking for more college basketball betting opportunities? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook to check out all of the upcoming college basketball odds.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

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.