Happy MLK Day! We’ve got plenty of college basketball action on tonight’s slate. With help from the AI Model, we’ve added a few bets to consider in college basketball.
Picks Summary
- Iowa-Minnesota Over 146 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
- Notre Dame-Boston College Over 135.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
- Columbia-Yale Over 145.5 (-110) at Bet365
Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Monday, January 15, 2024 – 06:00 PM EDT at Williams Arena
Our AI Model believes Minnesota will edge out a two-point win against Iowa at home. With the Golden Gophers at -130 betting odds, the best bet on the board for this game is Minnesota on the moneyline.
Iowa and Minnesota have each won four of their last five games. Both offenses are coming into this game with a top 100 offensive adjusted efficiency per KenPom. Iowa has nailed 35.4% from deep and 53.6% from inside the arc. But more importantly, have turned the ball over just 13.3% of the time. The fewer turnovers, the more possessions, and the more possessions, the more points scored.
Meanwhile, Minnesota has drained a 55.1% effective field goal percentage, which is better than Iowa’s 53.4%. They’ve hit 35% from inside the arc but 56.8% from inside. Minnesota is second in college basketball in assists to field goals made and has more success on the offensive glass.
After Iowa scored 94 against Nebraska, the Hawkeyes should be prepared. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s 62-point performance on the road at Indiana will remain an outlier. Grab the Over.
NCAAB Pick: Over 146 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Boston College Eagles
Monday, January 15, 2024 – 07:00 PM EDT at Silvio O. Conte Forum
The AI model has Notre Dame and Boston College earning 136 points in tonight’s matchup. With Caesars holding a total of 135.5, the Over has the best probability of hitting per the model.
Notre Dame and Boston College have both lost three of their last four games. However, Boston College has a much more consistent offense.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have only shot 29.2% from three and 48.7% from inside the arc. They’re also not getting to the foul line often and have shot an effective field goal percentage of 46.6%. On top of that, Notre Dame has also turned the ball over 20.4% of the time, which is one of the worst rates in college basketball.
Boston College hasn’t defended the three well and has seen their opponents drain over 77% from the foul line this season. However, the Eagles should at least defend well inside the paint. Still, Notre Dame should have good looks from three. The Fighting Irish shoot a lot from downtown, despite only hitting 29.2%. They’re confident in that shot and believe they can make it more consistently. With Boston College allowing teams to shoot 35.8% from three, Notre Dame could be sneaky from downtown and make this ball game a fun one.
On the other hand, the Eagles have drained 36.3% from deep and 52.8% from inside the arc. They’re also 75% from the free throw line and have turned the ball over just 14.5% of the time.
Notre Dame is much better defensively, holding teams to 31.8% from three and 45.1% from inside the arc. However, the Eagles are home and should be comfortable from the field too. Let’s grab the Over 135.5.
NCAAB Pick: Over 135.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
Columbia Lions vs. Yale Bulldogs
Monday, January 15, 2024 – 07:00 PM EDT at John J. Lee Amphitheater
The AI Model likes Columbia and Yale to produce 147 points. However, the total for this game on Caesars is just 145.5. The Over is the play.
The Columbia Lions are a sneaky offense. Columbia has shot a 51.9% effective field goal percentage and has drained 38.9% from downtown. While the Lions don’t attempt a crazy amount of threes, they still take a solid amount from downtown. Meanwhile, Yale has allowed teams to shoot nearly 36% from downtown. Therefore, Columbia can really have success from three against Yale in this game.
The Lions aren’t efficient from inside the arc and don’t get to the foul line often. But when the Lions do get to the line, they drain 77.5% from the charity stripe. That’s good for 19th in all of college basketball. Columbia also doesn’t have to worry about forced errors. Yale has added only 16.2% of turnovers per game this season. The Lions won’t dominate the offensive glass, but they’ll get good looks to stick around in this game on the road.
Meanwhile, Yale has kept its turnover percentage down too. They’ve also hit 33.4% from three and 49.6% from inside the arc this season. Those aren’t insane numbers. However, Columbia has allowed teams to shoot 53.1% from inside the arc. Columbia will be weaker on the defensive glass and will likely struggle against Yale inside the arc.
Yale won’t see the foul line much either, but they’ll earn more second chances and score points that way.
Let’s grab the Over 145.5. The AI Model knows. We’re going with three Overs tonight!
NCAAB Pick: Over 145.5 (-110) at Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
