Daily Dunk: Best College Basketball Bets Today (Michigan State will roll vs. Oakland)
We went 3-0 with my college basketball picks yesterday, a Christmas miracle! Today, I'll attempt to get the holiday momentum going in what is another short slate of college basketball games.
There are no ranked teams in action today, but Michigan State, which has been one of the most disappointing teams in the country this season, will try to continue their climb back into the top 25 teams in the country after taking down No. 6 Baylor on Saturday.
If you want to join me in betting on tonight's slate, you should place your bets at DraftKings Sportsbook. For a limited time, if you click the link below to sign up for an account, you'll instantly receive $150 in bonus bets when you place your first $5 wager!
Best CBB Bets Today
- Michigan State -16.5 vs. Oakland
- UC San Diego -102 vs. Sacramento State
- Portland State +4.5 vs. Fresno State
Oakland vs. Michigan State prediction
Michigan State has had a rough start to the season, but I think the Spartans are going to start looking like the team we expected them to tonight, especially after dismantling Baylor on the weekend.
The biggest reason why I'm laying the points with Michigan State in this one is the Spartans should have a stylistic advantage. They keep the majority of their offense down low, with 69.7% of their shots coming from two-point range. Luckily for them, that's the weakness of this Oakland squad, ranking 279th in opponent two-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 53.8% from down low.
Let's go Spartans.
UC San Diego vs. Sacramento State prediction
I'm surprised we're able to back UC San Diego at virtually a pick'em in this one against Sacramento State. Sure, the shooting numbers between these two teams a relatively similar, with a slight edge to UCSD (223rd vs. 246th in eFG%), but it's defense turnovers where the Tritons have a massive edge.
UCSD ranks 87th in the country in opponent effective field goal percentage and Sacramento State enters the game ranking 314th in that category. The Hornets are also 359th in turnovers per possession, coughing it up on 23.9% of possessions, which is 8.6% more often than UCSD.
I'll back the Tritans to win this one.
Portland State vs. Fresno State prediction
Speaking of turnovers, they might just be the story of this game as well. Fresno State enters the game ranking 334th in turnovers per possession, coughing up the ball on 20.9% of their possessions. Now, they have to face a Portland State team that's 111th in opponent turnovers per possession, forcing a turnover on 18.6% of their opponents possessions.
I'll take the 4.5 points with Portland State tonight.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
You can check out all of Iain's bets here!