College Basketball Betting Picks for Saturday 11/25/23

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

Alabama Crimson Tide at Oregon Ducks

Ducks +8.5 (-110)

Though these two would also be a riot to catch on a football field, they'll play for third place in the 2023 Emerald Coast Classic tonight in Eugene.

That's a bit of a shocker for the Crimson Tide, who still have visions of a top-three seed and a deeper run in the NCAA tournament than a year ago. Unfortunately, they shot just 9-for-30 (30.0%) from deep to lose to Ohio State in their last game -- which can happen taking such high volume.

Injuries are why the Ducks aren't playing for the title; N'Faly Dante was already out, and Nate Bittle suffered a wrist issue. They lost to Santa Clara, the surprise finalist in the PNW this year.

This is still a ton of points to give a team (Oregon) that ranks 50th in KenPom themselves even with a couple of big men out. Bart Torvik has this spread at 4.0 points and DRatings has it at 7.1. Both of those fall comfortably in the margin, yet 68% of bets and 81% of the money at FanDuel is on Alabama.

We'll fade the public with these models.

California Golden Bears at San Diego State Aztecs

Under 142.5 (-106)

I seemingly write up the Aztecs every year in the NCAA tournament for their defense, so this game isn't exactly a recipe for an obvious total in the 140s.

The Cal Golden Bears play at the 222nd-fastest adjusted tempo, per KenPom. San Diego State ranks 159th in that department with KP's 23rd-ranked defensive efficiency. The bottomline is that Cal should struggle to score; we just saw SDSU smother Saint Mary's and hold them to 54 points.

With Cal ranked 267th in defensive efficiency, the concern is the Aztecs -- as 13.5-point favorites -- lighting up the scoreboard, but they dramatically slowed their pace against the Gales in a blowout. They took just five shots in the final four minutes of that one.

With that, I think we can turn to this under. DRatings has it at 136.4 points, BT has it at 141.0 points, and numberFire's model has it at 136.1 points.

Bowling Green State Falcons at Lipscomb Tigers

Tigers -3.5 (-114)

Lipscomb should be a larger favorite in this one.

They've got tournament dreams ranked 142nd overall in KenPom, and the Bowling Green (248th) can't really say the same. The Tigers have won four in a row following early, forgivable losses to Drake and Wichita State.

BGSU's only two wins came over Arkansas State (201st in KP) and Chicago State (336th). They've crushed cans that were far less worthy than Lipscomb.

I can't find any marquee injury news on this game, so the line is a bit of puzzler to yours truly. DRatings has Lipscomb favored by 3.9 points, but both Bart Torvik (9.8 points) and numberFire's model (11.4 points) are far more aggressive expecting a Lipscomb victory by at least four.

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.