College Basketball Betting Picks for Thursday 2/1/24

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. Metrics via numberFire unless otherwise stated.

College Basketball Best Bets

Tulane at SMU

SMU -8.5 (-115)

The Tulane Green Wave (12-8, 3-5 conference) visit the SMU Mustangs (13-7, 4-3) tonight. The home Mustangs are a bit undervalued in my eyes, so I'll ride them to cover as 8.5-point favorites.

SMU returns home tonight after dropping a pair of AAC road games. They've played well at Moddy Coliseum, winning each of their first three conference home games. Overall, they're 9-2 at home, with their only two losses coming to a pair of teams inside numberFire's top 50.

The Mustangs feature one of top defenses in the AAC. In conference play, SMU has given up just 93.8 points per 100 possessions (first) and just 65.6 points per game (third). They've forced a 15.9% turnover rate (second) and a 49.8% effective field goal percentage (fourth).

Tulane, meanwhile, likes to place fast and attack the rim. The Green Wave rank 19th nationally in pace while 44% of their buckets come at the rim, the latter being the highest rate in the conference, per Bart Torvik. While they aren't a high-volume outside shooting team, Tulane's 36% three-point field goal percentage ranks third in the conference.

SMU counters that, however, leading the AAC in at-rim field goal percentage allowed (52%) and three-point defense (27%).

On top of that, the Mustangs should have a major advantage on the glass. They rank second in the AAC in both offensive rebound rate (36%) and total rebound rate (53%).

That could spell trouble for the Green Wave. Tulane has by far the lowest total rebound rate (43%) in the conference, and they've given up a league-high 11.9 offensive rebounds per game.

SMU is the better defensive team, and they should dominate the interior. The Mustangs have won all three conference home games by double-digits while the Green Wave already have a pair of double-digit road losses in AAC play. numberFire's model has SMU by 10.8 points tonight, so I'll back the model and take SMU to cover -8.5.

I'm expecting SMU to dictate the pace, so there's some value in taking the game to go Under 159.5 (-110), too. The Mustangs are 236th nationally in pace, and six of their seven conference games have gone under 160 points.

No. 6 Wisconsin at Nebraska

Over 144.5 (-106)

The sixth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers (16-4, 8-1) travel to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers (15-6, 5-5) tonight in a true pick'em. With Nebraska playing at home, I'll shy away from either side, instead banking on both offenses to stay hot and push the total over 144.5.

This will be the second meeting between these two Big Ten foes. Wisconsin defended their home court via a 16-point win in an earlier matchup that finished with a total of 160 points.

I'm expecting similar fireworks tonight.

Wisconsin has one of the Big Ten's premier offenses. They average 77.7 points per game (fifth) and boast a 58% effective field goal percentage (first). While they play at the second-slowest pace in the league, they rank second in offensive efficiency with 118.2 points per 100 possessions. Their 41% three-point field goal percentage ranks third.

Among league teams, Nebraska is seventh in offensive efficiency and eighth in pace. They are highly efficient on that end, however, ranking fourth in effective field goal percentage and second in three-point percentage (41%). They've been even better at Pinnacle Bank Arena, shooting 49% from deep through five conference home games.

That's where I see points coming from tonight. Among 14 Big Ten teams, Wisconsin and Nebraska rank 11th and 13th, respectively, in three-point defense. They combined for 25 triples in their earlier matchup.

While we can't expect them both to shoot over 45% from deep again like they did in that one, a lack of perimeter defense should push this game over 144.5 points.

California at No. 11 Arizona

Arizona -18.5 (-120)

The California Golden Bears (8-12, 4-5) hit the road against the 11th-ranked Arizona Wildcats (15-5, 6-3). Arizona is favored by 18.5 points -- a margin they should be able to cover.

Arizona hasn't been at their best the last two months. After starting the season 8-0, they've dropped five of their last 12 games. Still, the Wildcats remain undefeated at home, and they've come away with several lopsided victories at the McKale Center.

Of their 10 home Ws, eight have been by at least 19 points.

Even with their 6-3 conference record, Arizona is a considerable favorite to win the Pac-12 via the college basketball conference odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Their metrics support their first-place status. In Pac-12 play, 'Zona ranks first in offensive rating and second in defensive rating. They lead the conference in rebound rate (57%) by a wide margin and are third in effective field goal percentage (55%). Their 13.7 net rating is 10 points higher than the next-closest team's -- the same difference between No. 2 and No. 10.

Cal isn't a pushover, but the Golden Bears are far from the top of the conference. They rank eighth in offensive rating and seventh in defensive rating while their 48% effective field goal percentage is the second-lowest mark in the Pac-12.

The Golden Bears are coming off a pair of home victories, but they're just 1-7 away from their home floor. Although Cal has played several top teams close, they were exposed in an earlier matchup with Arizona. The Wildcats got out to a 28-point halftime lead in that one, eventually winning by 19 points.

I'm expecting a similar result tonight and will lay the points with 'Zona.

Considering some of the Wildcats' lopsided home margins, there could be value in the alternate markets, too. Alternate Spread 3 -- Arizona -21.5 (+118) -- has my eye.

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.