College Basketball Betting Picks for Wednesday 1/3/24

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

Saint Joseph's at Rhode Island

Saint Joseph's -5.5 (-115)

We kick things off in the Atlantic 10 where the Saint Joseph's Hawks (10-3) are 5.5-point favorites on the road against the Rhode Island Rams (6-7). The over/under is set at a modest 146.5.

This could very well be a sneak peek of the best and worst teams in the conference.

Saint Joe's is ranked 55th in the NET after a stellar nonconference performance. The Hawks have a pair of Quad 1 wins against Villanova (27th) and Princeton (30th). Two of their three losses came on the road against Kentucky (22nd) and Charleston (122nd) -- though they do own a brutal Quad 4 loss to Texas A&M Commerce (297th).

Still, Saint Joe's looks the part of an NCAA Tournament team. They rank inside the top 100 nationwide in both offensive and defensive efficiency metrics and have the conference's highest average point differential (+13.2). Five Hawks score in double figures, led by Preseason All-Conference guard Erik Reynolds II (17.1 points per game).

Rhode Island, meanwhile, would be thrilled to make the NIT. At No. 235, the Rams are the A-10's lowest-ranked team in the NET. They have just one win against a non-Quad 4 team, a 76-72 home squeaker against Yale (119th).

They're otherwise winless in six other tries against Quad 1-3 teams, having dropped games to 50th-ranked Providence (by 15), 56th-ranked Washington State (by 21), 80th-ranked Northwestern (by 11), 122nd-ranked Charleston (by 15), 141st-ranked Delaware (by 11), and 150th-ranked New Hampshire (by 10).

Simply put, Rhode Island hasn't been able to hang with top-level competition. I don't expect that to change tonight, especially given their struggles to defend the three. The Rams have allowed opponents to make 8.2 threes per game (286th in Division I) at a 35.6% clip (290th).

That's not good against anyone, but it's especially worrisome when Saint Joseph's comes to town. The Hawks average 11.4 threes per game (third) and shoot 37.1% from deep (49th).

I don't expect this one to be close, so I'll trust Saint Joseph's to cover this 5.5-point spread.

No. 16 Clemson at Miami (FL)

Clemson ML (-118)

In the most high-profile game of the night, the 16th-ranked Clemson Tigers (11-1) find themselves as 1.5-point favorites on the road against the Miami Hurricanes (10-2). The over/under is set at a crisp 155.5 -- a fitting number given both teams are in the top 30 in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency.

Clemson is the better team on paper, as they come into tonight's affair ranked 10th in the NET. The Tigers are 3-1 in Quad 1, with their lone loss coming by two on the road against Memphis (40th). They have road wins over both Alabama (fifth) and Pittsburgh (49th) and took down TCU (43rd) on a neutral floor.

That road experience could pay dividends tonight against an untested Miami team. Despite their 10-2 record, the Hurricanes are ranked just 53rd in the NET. They're 0-2 against Quad 1 opponents, having dropped games to 22nd-ranked Kentucky (by 22) and 31st-ranked Colorado (by 27).

Granted, Miami is 8-0 at home thus far, but only one of those wins came against a team inside the NET's top 175. They blasted 70th-ranked UCF by 16 on opening night.

That's what makes Miami such a difficult team to wrap my head around this early in the season. They've played just two teams of Clemson's caliber and both games resulted in 20-point losses. Sure, they average 84.7 points per game (17th), shoot 41.2% from three (fifth), and rank 18th in average scoring margin (+14.9). But their strength of schedule is 296th, per KenPom. How much stock can we put in those gaudy offensive numbers when they managed just 73 points against Kentucky and 63 against Colorado?

Clemson, meanwhile, has proven capable of sustaining their offense against top-tier competition. They average 82.3 points per game (32nd), shoot 39.2% from three (11th), and have the 35th-ranked average scoring margin (+13.1). However, they've done so while playing KenPom's 48th-ranked strength of schedule.

Given both sides' high-powered offenses, I'm certainly interested in taking Over 155.5 (-110). That's been an advantageous position thus far -- Clemson is 8-4 to the over while Miami is 7-5.

But if I have to play a side, give me the Tigers. I'd rather not lay points in this one, as there's more than enough value in Clemson's moneyline at -118.

St. Bonaventure at VCU

St. Bonaventure +4.5 (-105)

I'll close things out where we started, the Atlantic 10. The conference's nightcap features the defending champion VCU Rams (8-5) playing host to the St. Bonaventure Bonnies (9-3). VCU is a 4.5-point favorite while the over/under is set at 138.5.

Despite a down year from St. Bonaventure last season, they still managed to take down VCU on the road, 61 to 58. With a much-improved roster this year, I like them to again keep things close and cover as 4.5-point 'dogs.

The Bonnies didn't play a particularly difficult nonconference schedule, but they took care of business. They head into conference play ranked 65th in the NET, third among A-10 teams. Though they're 0-2 in Quad 1, St. Bonaventure is fresh off a Quad 2 win over Akron (92nd). They've backed that up with Quad 3 wins over Longwood (105th) and Oklahoma State (135th).

St. Bonaventure gets it done on both ends of the floor, but their defense is what should keep tonight's contest close. They've given up just 64.3 points per game thus far (first in the A-10) and are 71st nationwide in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency. The Bonnies force turnovers at a top-50 rate, yet rarely give the ball away themselves. Their 11.2 turnovers per game is a top 100 mark in the country.

VCU, meanwhile, struggles to take care of the rock. They rank 294th in turnover rate and have averaged 14.6 turnovers per game in their five losses.

Of those five losses, four have come against teams inside the first two quadrants. While that's nothing to be ashamed of, they don't have any Quad 1 or Quad 2 wins. They've managed to beat the teams they're supposed to (except for 182nd-ranked Norfolk State) but haven't proven capable of beating good teams. The Bonnies are a good team.

These are two of the top programs in the conference, and I don't expect this one to be decided by more than a basket. That leads me to backing St. Bonaventure to cover as 4.5-point dogs, but I'll have my eye on St. Bonaventure ML (+168), as well.

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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.