Top College Basketball Odds & Betting Lines

Another week is here, and with it comes another weak Thursday night college basketball slate. Have no fear, however, here are a couple of games that could be worthy of your wager.

College Basketball Betting Opportunities for Decembre 22

Illinois Fighting Illini (-5) at Missouri Tigers 9:00 PM EST

This matchup is a somewhat under-the-radar but very important game for both clubs. Missouri started the season like a ball of fire at 9-0 but against zero teams that had any business being on the same floor as the Tigers outside of Wichita State. Of course, when you don’t have any experience against high-end opposition, the last thing you want to do is take on Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse, which will typically result in a 28-point loss, which is exactly what happened.

Missouri recovered nicely however, taking down a solid Central Florida team by two in Sunrise, Florida. Dennis Gates boasts a deep and versatile team with seven players averaging at least 7.9 points per game. The Tigers are currently fourth in the Southeastern Conference at 6-5 against the spread but are underperforming the number by -2.5 points per game despite a margin of victory number of 13.4.

Illinois is one of the most interesting teams in the nation and hardest to get a read on. The Illini defeat UCLA and then lose to Virginia. They completely destroy Syracuse but then lose a Maryland team that is currently fading. They then defeat a top-10 Texas team and follow that with a loss to Penn State.

Brad Underwood’s club is just 5-5-1 ATS this season and outperforms the spread by just 0.6 points despite a margin of victory number of 16 points per contest, which leads the Big Ten.

Louisville Cardinals at North Carolina State (-18) 7:00 PM EST

There is really a very simple explanation behind picking this game. When in doubt, fade Louisville. The Cardinals are a dismal 1-11 against the spread this season after falling, at home against Lipscomb. To make matters even worse, they weren’t even favored on their home court against an Atlantic Sun team going into the game.

To make matters even worse, the Cardinals are not even sniffing the anticipated margin as they are underperforming the number by -8.7 points per game. Their current margin of victory number is -12.5 points, which ranks below Alcorn State in the nation. They currently rank 254th in Kenpom and are 313th in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency and 330th in offensive effective field goal percentage.

The Wolfpack are currently third in the ACC ATS at 6-5-2 and are outperforming the number by +4.1 points per game overall. Their margin of victory number in eight home games this season is 19.1 points.

NC State’s star guard Terquavion Smith is averaging 23 points per game over his last four contests, including a 33-point explosion against Coppin State. This should be a fairly easy conference victory for Kevin Keatts at home in a game they should also cover.