Top College Basketball Picks Today (Keep Fading TCU as Horned Frogs, Jamie Dixon Remain a Mess)
Thursday's slate of college basketball action tipped off in the late morning from Charleston, South Carolina, and continues throughout the day until 11 p.m. ET when Washington hosts California Baptist on the Pac 12 Network.
Six Top 25 teams are in action, starting with Murray State and No. 24 Texas A&M at 4 p.m. ET from the Myrtle Beach Invitational, and BetSided's Ben Heisler has a play on that game below as part of our BetSided "Best Bets" for Thursday.
Yesterday, we split across the board, going 1-1-1 in our top three picks. Let's look to bounce back with top picks from Heisler, Peter Dewey, and Josh Yourish below.
For every game's best odds available, check out our "Best Odds Today" feature HERE.
College Basketball Best Bets Record
- 6-8-1 (-2.48 units | +0.2% CLV)
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College Basketball Best Bets Today (Thursday, November 17)
- Murray State-Texas A&M 1H UNDER 65 (-115)
- UL Monroe +17.5 (-110) @ TCU
- Utah State - San Diego OVER 145.5 (-110)
Murray State vs. Texas A&M Odds, Prediction and Pick
I'm buying on Murray State long term, but I'm not there yet as new coach Steve Prohm begins his reign as the head man for the Racers.
There's a ton of talent, including several key transfers on board this year, but right now, they're still trying to learn the system and the lack of consistency on offense is apparent. Murray State right now ranks 300th in effective field goal percentage at just 42.7%, which could be a major concern against a very good Texas A&M defense.
Buzz Williams' Aggies rank No. 16 in adjusted efficiency defense over at KenPom, holding their two previous opponents to an average of 56 points in their two wins; one of which came against a projected 20-win team in Abilene Christian.
The Aggies still have some concerns offensively in that they turn over the ball way too much (286th in the country), and are also due for some shooting regression in their first game away from home. As both teams try to feel each other out in the first half, I'll go under before the line moves any further . - Ben Heisler
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
UL Monroe vs. TCU Odds, Prediction and Pick
This has been a rough start for TCU after starting the season ranked in the top 15. So far, they are just 2-1 with a loss to Northwestern State at home.
UL Monroe isn't particularly impressive, but their offense has held down the fort in the early going in their first two matchups vs. Central Baptist and Dallas Christian College. Their defense leaves much to be desired, but the Horned Frogs are a mess offensively, shooting less than 19% from three-point range so far this year.
Until TCU starts blowing out inferior opponents, I'll take the points with the Hawks to hang tough and put more pressure on Jamie Dixon's squad. - Josh Yourish
Check out Josh's complete betting preview for UL Monroe vs. TCU HERE!
Utah State vs. San Diego Odds, Prediction and Pick
Credit to San Diego head coach Steve Lavin's squad. They've come into the season with two solid wins vs. Florida Gulf Coast and NJIT, and now take on an Aggies squad with tournament expectations.
The Toreros are elite in two categories so far this seaosn: shooting from downtown, and limiting turnovers. San Diego ranks 12th in turnover percentage, and are shooting 42.1% from beyond the three-point line. They also have four different players averaging more than 15 points per game.
Meanwhile, the Aggies are terrific from three as well with the 33rd-best ranking in college hoops this season. Where they have the advantage over San Diego is on defense; coming in as a top-50 adjusted defensive team at KenPom, compared to USD who ranks 173rd.
Even with Utah State's solid defense, I could see this turning into a bit of a track meet, with both teams catching fire and going way past the projected total. I got this earlier today at 145.5, and could see it continuing to climb as the day goes on. - Peter Dewey
Check out Peter's complete betting preview for Utah State vs. San Diego HERE!
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.