College Basketball Betting Picks for Monday 1/22/24

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

Wake Forest at No. 4 North Carolina

North Carolina -7.5 (-112)

The fourth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (15-3, 7-0 conference) are 7.5-point home favorites against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (13-5, 5-2).

Given Wake Forest's road woes, that's not enough points.

The 'Deacs have yet to lose at home this season, but they're just 1-3 in true road games. Granted, those three losses came by just three, five, and seven points, but they haven't faced a team of UNC's caliber.

Wake does have some quality wins, namely against Florida (39th on KenPom), Virginia Tech (58th), and Virginia (60th). However, all of those came at home. Their only road win came by six against Boston College (91st) -- a team North Carolina just beat by 10 on the road.

Even if this game was on a neutral floor, the Tar Heels would have an advantage given their stellar two-way play. North Carolina ranks fourth in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency and 15th in adjusted D. They've given up 70 points just once over their last seven games, notching 70 themselves five times in that span.

Wake Forest, while strong on offense, can struggle on the defensive end. They're just 57th in adjusted D and allow 72.6 points per game to top-100 KenPom teams. They've really struggled to defend on the road, giving up 81.3 points per game.

Meanwhile, UNC's offense is a well-oiled machine at home, even against fierce competition. In three home games against top-100 KenPom teams, the Tar Heels averaged 93.7 points per game.

North Carolina has proven more than capable of putting up huge numbers, even against some of the nation's top defenses. They shouldn't have any problems with the Deacon's D, so I'm interested in North Carolina Over 83.5 Total Points (-104) in addition to their spread.

If you're riding the Tar Heels and find two other prop bets you like in this game, FanDuel is offering a 30% Profit Boost for any three-leg Same Game Parlay on January 22nd (minimum +400 final odds). See the promotion page for more information.

Cincinnati at No. 3 Kansas

Cincinnati +8.5 (-112)

The Cincinnati Bearcats (13-5, 2-3) may be road underdogs, but numberFire's model is showing value in them to cover this 8.5-point spread against the third-ranked Kansas Jayhawks (15-3, 3-2).

Cincy may have three conference losses to their name, but those came by a combined eight points. This will be their third road game in the Big 12, previously taking down BYU by 11 and losing to Baylor by three.

Those road results give me a ton of confidence in the Bearcats to keep things close tonight. They've done that all season, as just one of their five losses came by more than five points.

That's largely thanks to a defense that ranks 22nd in adjusted efficiency. While they can get stagnant on offense, their 21st-ranked offensive rebound rate should play a huge factor tonight. Although Kansas projects as a strong rebounding team on paper, they managed just 22 in their most recent game and rank 60th in total rebound rate on the season.

Still, the Jayhawks boast strong metrics on both ends of the floor, ranking 26th in offensive and defensive efficiency. However, their offense has really struggled against top-end defenses. In six games against teams that rank inside the top 50 in adjusted D, Kansas averaged just 69.7 points per game.

That lines up with where numberFire's model has them tonight, projecting Kansas to win 73.5-68.3. That's well within the 8.5-point spread and makes the Bearcats an intriguing road 'dog tonight. I'll take the points, banking on Cincy's defense to keep this game tight.

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

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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.