College Basketball Best Bets for Monday

While Feast Week is over, this week will consist of the ACC/SEC Challenge and Big East-Big 12 Battle. But before we get to those massive matchups, there’s betting value on Monday in college basketball.

So, here’s college basketball best bets and three picks for Monday, including Eastern Washington vs. Washington State and more on November 27.

Jim Root has it covered!

College Basketball Best Bets

The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball betting staff is targeting from today’s slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.

By Jim Root

I’m starting with an extra board total to keep everyone on their toes after Feast Week.

The biggest driver of this wager is the unsustainable overperformance of both offenses. Per Shot Quality, both teams have been well above their expected efficiency.

Presbyterian is eight points per 100 possessions above its expected output, driven heavily by shot-making from both the mid-range and beyond the 3-point arc.

Similarly, Elon is 12 points per 100 above what its shot diet suggests, as the Phoenix’s own jump shooting has been boiling lava hot to start the year.

Regression should be expected in both areas. If either team has a cold shooting night, this total should be in strong shape.

One other edge is Presbyterian’s pace. Quinton Ferrell has his Blue Hose playing at the fastest tempo of his tenure by far, but some of that is opponent-driven. The last three games have seen Presbyterian start to trend towards a more settled speed, offering value on this game’s possession count.

Pick: Under 146.5 (Play to 145)

The must-have app for college basketball bettors

The best NCAAB betting scoreboard

Free picks from proven pros

Live win probabilities for your bets

By Jim Root

While two of my selections here have a large “regression” angle to the handicap, this one is far more matchup-based.

To beat UCSB, you have to be able to limit star point guard Ajay Mitchell. A potential NBA player, Mitchell is a tremendous scorer and table-setter, and the Gauchos’ offense thrives with him as the engine.

Most importantly, Fresno State has multiple defenders to hurl at Mitchell. Bulldogs coach Justin Hutson can attack him with quickness via speedster Isaiah Hill, or he can go with longer options like Leo Colimerio or Isaiah Pope. Rotating fresh and different types of bodies on Mitchell should keep him off-balance.

Additionally, the Bulldogs can take away second-chance opportunities, an area where UCSB typically thrives. The Gauchos’ trio of Yohan Traore, Ariel Bland and Evans Kipruto will attack the boards, but Fresno’s own enormous frontline of Enoch Boakye, Eduardo Andre and Colimerio should be plenty capable of competing.

Hutson teams are always stout on the defensive glass.

Finally, Fresno’s biggest weakness is a tendency to cough the ball up, ranking 355th in turnover rate. UCSB, though, is playing…