College Basketball Betting Picks for Sunday 11/26/23

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

Texas A&M Aggies at Iowa State Cyclones

Cyclones ML (-110)

This is absolutely a "cup of tea" game. Whichever profile of team is your cup of tea, that's the side you'll take.

I'll be the first to acknowledge that Texas A&M (19th) is ranked higher than Iowa State (25th) in overall KenPom efficiency, but the formulas couldn't be more different. The Aggies combined KP's 4th-ranked offense with its 95th-ranked defense. The Cyclones can struggle to put the ball in the basket (68th on offense), but their 7th-ranked defense will be a noted skill come March.

In this neutral site game for the 2023 ESPN Events Invitational, I'm leaning more on tournament principles in this tight matchup. I'd rather get a team that can get key stops late, and that ISU. Plus, they're just 237th in KenPom's luck ratings, and part of that was on display against Virginia Tech to keep them out of the finals. They shot 23.8% from three; the Hokies bagged 39.3% of their triples.

Moreover, this fades the 81% of tickets on Texas A&M at FanDuel Sportsbook. The public has squeezed out the value on the Aggies, who should be an early-upset candidate in March if their defensive woes aren't answered soon.

Florida Atlantic Owls at Virginia Tech Hokies

Under 148.5 (-105)

Now it's time for the 2023 ESPN Events Invitational finale. In a championship setting, the under is never a bad move.

These two certainly profile as somewhat contrarian squads for one. Last year's Cinderella, the Owls, are a sporty 20th overall in KenPom's offensive efficiency, but their 83rd-ranked defense isn't a critical issue for a tournament bid alone. There's also average tempo (184th) coming from the squad.

On the other side, the Hokies are also a top-25 team on offense with defensive efficiency (101st) and tempo (210th) that aren't strengths.

The so-so tempos are certainly intriguing for a total approaching 150 points, so it seems value -- as usual -- is left on this marquee under. In a vacuum, Bart Torvik is expecting 148.0 points here, DRatings expects 143.7, and numberFire's model expects 143.5. We have plenty of wiggle room with two key sources.

Minnesota Golden Gophers at San Francisco Dons

Over 137.5 (-110)

Here's a west coast affair to close out the evening.

The San Francisco Dons are becoming a tournament regular, and they should be a threat again from the WCC. They're 79th overall in KenPom efficiency, backed by a 154th-ranked offense and 38th-ranked defense. The Dons' tempo, in a vacuum, is the opposite of what we want for an over (256th), but that's where the Golden Gophers enter the fray.

Minnesota (182nd in tempo) should speed things up quite a bit. Plus, the Gophers are a top-45 school in free-throw and two-point efficiency, per Bart Torvik. They don't rely on jumpshots that the Dons defend so well.

Frankly, Minnesota's also just due some good fortune. They're 327th out of 362 Division I schools in KenPom's luck ratings, and more threes and better foul distribution could help them past the San Francisco D tonight.

Bart Torvik has this total at 139.0 points, DRatings has it at 142.3, and numberFire's model has it at 139.3. We've got agreement across the board that this total is too low.

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.