At long last, another season of college basketball is here. With 362 Division I teams starting their season in the coming days, the long journey to the Final Four will begin in a season where there is no clear favorite at the top of the odds board. Last season, we saw a #1 seed lose to a #16 seed for just the second time ever and the Final Four had no #1, #2 or #3 seeds for the first time ever, a signal of the parity in the sport at the momen t. Last season, I touted UConn at +2500 to win the National Championship and I hope you were able to cash with me! We’ll have plenty of time to add to our National Title portfolio before next year’s NCAA Tournament, but for now let’s get into my first best bets column of the season for opening night of the 2023-24 campaign.
While Monday’s lines having just been released over the weekend, there are still some good value bets of which to take advantage. Let's take a look at my best bets for Monday, but make sure you also check out our college basketball picks for the biggest games on opening night.
Kansas State Wildcats +3 (-110) vs USC Trojans
Last season, the Kansas State Wildcats outperformed all expectations en route to an appearance in the Elite Eight and barely missing out on a Final Four berth. Jerome Tang’s team is supposed to take a step back this season with the loss of Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson, but Tang hit the portal hard (as he did in 2022) and was able to land some key names, most notably Tylor Perry (North Texas) and Arthur Kaluma (Creighton). Additionally, the return of David N’Guessan and Cam Carter makes this team one of the most experienced units in the Big 12. So while Kansas State won’t have the same rotation as last season, the Wildcats are still a formidable opponent this year, particularly for a shorthanded team like USC.