College Basketball Best Bets for Today (Back Saint Louis, Total in Kansas-Oklahoma State)

Football season is officially finished, which means it's now "college basketball season."

Well, we've been breaking down the betting market daily in the CBB space and will look to continue on our recent stretch which has pushed the record well over .500.

There's not a ton of action on Monday's slate, so only two bets will make the column, but if I add anything else it will be added to my betstamp account which you can track here.

Onto the plays:

Odds courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook

Column Record: 60-52-3 for +5.1 units.

Saint Louis (+2) vs. St. Bonaventure

I'm going to go back to the well of fading St. Bonaventure once again. The Bilks committed 18 turnovers in Friday's night loss and struggled to defend the interior. Those seem more like outlier than trends against Mark Schmidt's club, who is middle of the pack in generating turnovers in A-10 play and the St. Louis defense has the second lowest two-point field goal percentage allowed in the conference. However, SBU got whatever it wanted inside, scoring on nearly 58% of shots inside the arc.

I expect a bounce back performance from Yuri Collins (eight turnovers) and Gibson Jimerson (two-of-nine from three). SLU is 3-2 this season against the spread (ATS) as underdogs and the Bonnies continue to fall short of expectations, evident in their 6-11 ATS mark as favorites.

Further, the Bilks can be better suited to handle the Bonnies zone defense after seeing it on Friday. Overall, I see SLU grabbing a split with St. Bonaventure and remaining in the hunt for an A-10 title.

PICK: Saint Louis +2

Kansas vs. Oklahoma State OVER 143

I mentioned part of my handicap on Monday's Bet & Breakfast (which you can find above) but I'm expecting a high scoring affair in Lawrence, Kansas for this matchup.

These two played last month in Stillwater and the game closed at 144.5. While the game finished with 137 points, Kansas didn't score for the final 8+ minutes of the first half, leading to a suppressed score line.

The Jayhawks offense and Poke defense are the two best units on the floor and should make for an intriguing matchup, but both teams want to run. Both are inside KenPom's top 100 in adjusted tempo and Oklahoma State should be able to score around the rim against an overrated Kansas defense, the Jayhawks have the worst defense at the rim in Big 12 play, per Haslemetrics.

I think Kansas ends up pulling away late, but the Cowboys should be able to get their fair share of points here with extra possessions for both sides. I envision the final looking like 80-65 with the Jayhawks securing a late cover in front of the home crowd.

PICK: OVER 143

You can find all of Reed's bets HERE!