It feels like Christmas morning because college hoops is finally back!
We don’t have the benefit of opening the new campaign with the Champions Classic like last year, but Monday’s slate still features plenty of betting value.
So, with that in mind, our staff has six opening-night best bets for you, including games featuring Auburn, Indiana, Syracuse and many more.
Monday’s Opening-Night College Basketball Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball staff is targeting from today’s slate of games. Click the team logos for one the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
Winthrop vs. Penn State
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Monday, Nov. 7 7 p.m. ET Big Ten Plus |
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Under 139 |
By D.J. James
Penn State has seen a lot of roster turnover since 2021-2022, but under Micah Shrewsberry, this team should continue to play slowly.
Last season, the Nittany Lions ranked 354th in Adjusted Tempo, per KenPom. They also ranked in the top 50 in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency.
They lose John Harrar in the post — which is an enormous loss — but they add Kebba Njie, a four-star center, who should log plenty of minutes alongside transfer Michael Henn (Denver).
Seth Lundy, Myles Dread and Jalen Pickett all return, and each averaged at least one steal per game. This should provide enough of a defensive boost to shut down Winthrop and throw mismatches at it consistently.
Winthrop owned a far better offense than defense last season, as it was led by D.J. Burns Jr. Losing both Burns and Patrick Good will force this team to take a step back.
Given that it’s the first game of the season, look for Cory Hightower to take the offensive lead. Even still, this may not be enough.
The Eagles do bring back Kelton Talford, Micheal Anumba and Chase Claxton — in addition to Hightower — to give them a boost on the glass against this new Nittany Lions frontcourt.
This should help — especially on the defense. Given the lack of experience from Njie, it could be a rude awakening for the young freshman.
The Eagles need to find an offensive boost to replace Burns, and it should take more than a game to do so. With Penn State's pace and strong defense, look for this game to go under 139. Play it to 136.5.
Idaho vs. Denver
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Monday, Nov. 7 7 p.m. ET Pioneer All-Access |
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Idaho +11.5 |
By Doug Ziefel
This game is going to be a 3-point contest, as both teams shot exceptionally well from behind the arc last season. Denver finished 26th in 3-point percentage and Idaho finished 36th.