College Basketball Betting Picks for Saturday 12/9/23

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

No. 23 Wisconsin at No. 1 Arizona

Arizona -7.5 (-120)

For the first time in a decade, No. 1 Arizona is ranked atop the AP poll. In head coach Tommy Lloyd's third season at the helm, the Wildcats are off to an undefeated 7-0 start -- straight up and against the spread (ATS). With a scrappy Badger team coming down to Tucson this weekend, does U of A move to 8-0?

No. 23 Wisconsin will make for a formidable matchup with the Wildcats; the Badgers are one of the top defensive units in the country. At 7-2, the boys from Madison are allowing only 63.1 PPG from their opposition. In the current moment, Wisconsin is riding high after back-to-back wins against No. 8 Marquette and Michigan State.

According to the power rankings on numberFire, Arizona (20.65 nERD) is the best college basketball team in the United States. In 2023, the Wildcats are averaging a blistering 93.4 PPG, which is the third-highest clip in Division I. Currently, 'Zona has five different players notching double-digit scoring figures, led by North Carolina transfer Caleb Love and San Diego State transfer Keshad Johnson.

U of A and Wisconsin will tip-off on ESPN at 3:15 p.m. ET from McKale Center. I respect the Badgers in their current form and will definitely have my eye on them as the season progresses, but I think their six-game winning streak is ended by the 'Cats. From there, Arizona has proven dominant enough to trust them ATS. I'll lay the 7.5 in Tucson.

No. 14 BYU at Utah

Utah +4.5 (-115)

For the Holy War on the hardwood, you'll need to have the Pac-12 Network to tune in, but it will absolutely be worth watching (or heading to your nearest sportsbook). Set for a 7 p.m. ET start, No. 14 BYU will make the short trip up I-15 to Salt Lake City. There, they will run with a very good Utes team. Who has the edge?

Utah is scoring north of 80 PPG (81.6) in 2023, which is respectable. On their home floor (where they are 3-0), that production is ever better, yielding 90.3 PPG. Most recently, the Utes have done well to collect back-to-back victories against quality teams in Hawai'i and Southern Utah. In his third season since coming down from Logan, can head coach Craig Smith make the jump in SLC?

For their inaugural Big 12 campaign, the Cougars from Provo have played to a perfect 8-0 record out of the gate. Transparently, BYU has had a fairly soft schedule so far; No. 25 SDSU has been the Cougs' only ranked opponent in eight contests. In their most recent game, BYU scored 96 versus Evansville, but I don't see it going the same against Utah inside Huntsman Center.

For this in-state rivalry, I like the Utes getting 4.5 points at home. As noted, Utah's offensive proficiency increases quite a bit when playing in Salt Lake. Back at numberFire, their college basketball game projections see it the same way, yielding a 73.38-71.85 winning score for U of U. I'm not sure I like the upset outright, but I'll take the points and look for Utes seven-footer Branden Carlson to have an imposing evening.

No. 7 Gonzaga at Washington

Gonzaga -5.5 (-104)

Another in-state rivalry, No. 7 Gonzaga will make the roughly 280-mile trip west from Spokane to Seattle. There, it will be a dog fight between the 7-1 Bulldogs and the 5-3 Huskies. These territorial neighbors have competed head-to-head in 49 games throughout history with Washington winning 29 times. Still, Gonzaga has won a dozen of the 13 meetings this millennium, including the past 7 in a row.

Get ready for a late one when it comes to tomorrow's bid between the Zags and Dawgs; tipoff is scheduled for 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Considering how things have gone thus far in 2023, I like Gonzaga ATS on the road.

Bulldogs head coach Mark Few is entering a quarter-century leading the program. In 24 previous seasons, he has gotten Gonzaga into the NCAA Tournament on 23 separate occasions. Off to a hot start again this year, the Zags are scoring an electric 87.2 PPG. Will the Huskies have an answer for the solid front-court core of Anton Watson, Graham Ike and Braden Huff?

Washington embarks into the current campaign having not qualified for the big dance since 2018-19 (when they lost to UNC in the second round). Head coach Mike Hopkins is in his seventh season in Seattle as the Huskies are looking to make noise in the final year of Pac-12 play. UDub is led by a pair of talented seniors in Keoin Brooks and Sahvir Wheeler, who are combining for 36.4 PPG.

The Huskies have not been the stingiest on defense this season, allowing 72.6 PPG over eight contests. By far, Gonzaga will be their biggest challenge to this point as Washington has only played two ranked teams in 2023-24, losing both. At that, I like a well-rounded Bulldogs team to cover 5.5 on the road.

Keep in mind: in last season's clash, GU bested the Dawgs by a score of 77-60.

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.