College Basketball Betting Picks for Saturday 2/3/24

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

Northwestern at Minnesota

Minnesota +1.5 (-115)

As an interesting trend on the hardwood this season, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have been the top cover team in the country. Against the spread (ATS), Minnesota is an eye-popping 17-3, which translates to an 85% cover rate. Tipping off early Saturday, the Gophers will host the Northwestern Wildcats in the Twin Cities.

For this Big Ten clash, Minnesota approaches at 13-7 through 20 regular season games. However, in conference play, the Gophers are just 4-5. Still, they have managed to cover in seven of nine contests this year when labeled as an underdog.

Northwestern head coach Chris Collins is in his 11th campaign on the shores of Lake Michigan. His Wildcats have gotten out to a 15-6 start, which is supported by a 6-4 Big Ten record. Still, NU is not among college basketball's top 125 teams in scoring or points allowed.

When playing in Minneapolis this year, the Golden Gophers have beaten the spread in 13 of 14 games. Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson -- who is in his third season at post -- started his own playing career at NU before eventually transferring and shining for the Gophers. As a Twin Cities native, this matchup is always personal for Johnson.

At numberFire, the college basketball game projections show an estimated 71.54-69.03 score in favor of Minnesota. That presents the Gophers with a winning margin of more than 2.5 points. Since they are an underdog at home, I will take Minnesota +1.5 (-115 odds) with confidence.

No. 4 Houston at No. 8 Kansas

Houston -1.5 (-120)

Off to a sizzling start, the 2023-24 Houston Cougars will be faced with their toughest test thus far come Saturday afternoon. Heading to Lawrence, KS, Houston will run with the Kansas Jayhawks for the first of two meetings this season.

To this point, the Cougars have played to a dominant 19-2 overall record while going 6-2 in Big 12 action. Across the court, KU is 17-4 overall (5-3 Big 12), but their 11-0 record at Allen Fieldhouse is undoubtedly impressive. With that said, I believe Houston's suffocating defense will travel well in Kansas.

The Jayhawks are definitively a top "blue blood" program of college basketball, but the Cougs have stifled the competition this year with red-hot defense. In 2023-24, H-Town is allowing only 52.9 points per game (PPG) to opponents, which is the best clip in the nation. numberFire's NCAAB power rankings are in line with this, showing Houston (21.11 nERD) as the pinnacle team of Division I hoops.

Kansas head coach Bill Self still has the group from Lawrence at a high level, but the Cougars very well could be the team that wins this year's NCAA men's college basketball tournament in Glendale, AZ.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, Houston currently has +850 odds (third shortest) to win the upcoming national championship; give me Cougs on Saturday.

No. 7 Duke at No. 3 North Carolina

North Carolina -4.5 (-114)

In college basketball, there is no rivalry quite like the one connected by Tobacco Road. Tipping off Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET, the Duke Blue Devils will make the short drive to Chapel Hill where the North Carolina Tar Heels await -- prepare for the intensity to be dialed all the up.

Throughout history, the Heels lead this in-state rivalry 143-117. However, since 2021, UNC has won four of seven (including once in the Final Four) head-to-head contests with the Dukies. The Blue Devils did well to win each of last year's meetings, taking both bids by just two-scores.

For the current campaign, North Carolina (17-4) has been throttling opponents -- especially in conference where they are 9-1. Thus far, Georgia Tech is the only ACC school to take down the Tar Heels in 2024. On the other side, Duke is 16-4 on the season, including a 7-2 clip in ACC play.

With head coach Jon Scheyer leading the Blue Devils and head coach Hubert Davis at the helm for UNC, a new era of this rivalry is well underway. In this current moment, I like the experience of the Heels: a team that features eight seniors, including starters R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot.

I'll be on North Carolina ATS this weekend. Laying 4.5 points at home, the Tar Heels will be looking to make a statement after losing in Atlanta. UNC has a 7-2 ATS record versus their conference in 2024, and I believe that figure improves after this first rumble with the Dukies.

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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.