College Basketball Betting Picks for Friday 2/23/24

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

Purdue Fort Wayne at Green Bay

Green Bay -1.5 (-120)

This Friday features not a single team from the AP Top 25, but there are still 16 Division I men's basketball games to sift through. With that, I have my eye on a Horizon League clash in the shadow of Lambeau Field.

Tipping off at 7 p.m. ET, the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix will host the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. These sides most recently met last November in Ft. Wayne. On that evening, the Mastodons protected their home floor, outlasting Green Bay 75-71.

Transparently, I believe the Phoenix can flip the script on Purdue FW this Friday night. In totality, both programs here have played to a 17-10 record this season. However, in conference play, UW-Green Bay has been far superior at 12-4 (2nd), whereas the Mastodons are .500 versus fellow Horizon League foes.

The Phoenix will have home-court advantage this time around. Aside from that, Green Bay has been one of the top teams against the spread (ATS) in 2023-24. To this point, they have covered in 18 of 25 (72%) total contests. With that in mind, I don't mind laying 1.5 points on UWGB at Resch Center.

Brown at Columbia

Over 146.5 (-115)

The Ivy League is on full display, so let's head to NYC for a meeting between the Brown Bears and Columbia Lions. Nothing like Friday night hoops in the Big Apple, right?

Starring on Broadway, Columbia will look to continue their strong campaign. This contest will also tip off at 7 p.m. ET. At home, the Lions have produced an impressive 82.0 PPG scoring clip; I think that level of efficiency continues heading into the weekend.

As the pride of Rhode Island, Brown has noticeably struggled in 2023-24. They are under .500 both overall (7-17) and in conference (3-6). Still, the Bears were able to get back into the win column last time out, defeating Penn 71-64.

This year, 57.9% of Columbia's games have gone to the over. As alluded to, the Lions can put the ball in the cup with proficiency. Right now, they are scoring in the 80th percentile (78.2 PPG) of Division I basketball. Also, Columbia shoots a collective 38.5% from the three-point stripe -- that is hot stuff.

I like the over (146.5 total points) in New York City. Keep in mind: the Lions defeated Brown by a score of 83-69 earlier this month. In similar fashion, I'd gladly take a 152-point contest here.

Nevada at San Jose State

Nevada -9.5 (-115)

Notably, the Mountain West has been one of the strongest conferences on the hardwood in 2023-24. As a grouping, they showcase the third-best collective winning percentage (.614) among Division I men's conferences. With that, I am interested in the Nevada Wolf Pack traveling down to play the San Jose State Spartans.

Getting underway late (10 p.m. ET), the Pack comes to downtown San Jo having won six of their past eight contests. Despite boasting a 21-6 overall record, Nevada is slotted fifth in a deep Mountain West. For the Spartans, they are sitting in the cellar, as San Jose State has lost a dozen games over their past 14 tries.

The squad from Reno has been a quality team against the spread in 2024. To this point, the Wolf Pack is 17-9 ATS, which converts to a 65.4% cover rate. Comparatively, that leaves UNR tied with New Mexico in this category for tops in the conference.

At numberFire, the NCAAB game projections have Nevada defeating SJSU by an estimated score of 75.91-62.35. Those numbers present the Wolf Pack with a winning differential of nearly 14 points. Going against the set spread of -9.5 (-115 odds), my confidence in the road team is amplified, but especially so versus a struggling home side.

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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.