We have a limited slate for college basketball on Thursday, with just 70 games, and only six of them were Power 5 matchups. Although it’s limited, we do have two big Big Ten matchups available, sixth-ranked Purdue visits Iowa and Ohio State , ranked 16th, visits Minnesota. Basketball Insiders dives in and takes a look at the best picks and combinations in college basketball today. College basketball betting odds can be found at Bovada Sportsbook.
Today’s best college basketball picks and bets, 1/27
North Dakota vs. South Dakota State: North Dakota +21.5 (-110)
South Dakota State comes into this game against North Dakota at home with a record of 9-0 at home and 5-4 ats (against the spread) also at home. They are also on an 8 game winning streak, with their last loss coming against Missouri State. They haven’t covered a 21.5 spread like this since Dec. 3 against Minnesota-Morris, winning 112-47. Also, out of 21 games played, they only covered a 21.5 margin, 3 of 21 attempts. Yes, South Dakota State should win easily, but I wouldn’t expect them to cover this huge gap, given that they haven’t this season.
On the other hand, North Dakota comes into this game with a record of 0-10 away from home and 3-8 at. They are coming off an 8 match losing streak, with their last win coming against North Central (MN) on December 14th. They haven’t won a Summit league conference game all season (0-7), which is what this game is. On the positive note, they are 6-for-11 ats and haven’t lost by 22 points since Dec. 3 at San Jose State, and it’s only happened 2 of 20 times (10%). They took a Cinderella story to Oral Roberts’ team to the end and almost won that game. All of their games have been tweaked, and I hope this is no different. Travel with the underdogs in North Dakota like dogs 21.5 and I’ll meet you at the cash counter.
College Basketball Picks: North Dakota 73, State of South Dakota 86.
St Mary’s vs San Francisco: St Mary’s +3 (-105)
There’s nothing like two fringe bubble teams vying for a shot at the college basketball tournament. St Mary’s will try to hold on to third place in the West Coast Conference as they travel to San Francisco to take on the Dons. The Gaels are led by Alex Ducas, a junior shooting guard, who is averaging 10.6 points per game, 3.7 rebounds per game and 0.7 assists per game. They have a deep bench that will help them down the stretch, including Dan Fotu and Jabe Mullins. Now for the Dons, they’re led by Redshirt Senior Guard Jamaree Bouyea, who’s averaging 17.9/5.2/3.7 as a cutoff. This will be one of the best games on Thursday aside from Purdue and Iowa.
St Mary’s enter this game with a record of 15-4 overall, 3-2 on the road and 3-1 in the WCC, which is what it will be, an away conference matchup. They are 11-7 ats and 4-3 ats in away games. The Gaels are ranked 110th in offensive efficiency and 16th in defensive efficiency. That means they are pretty average and balanced at best. They should come out of this with a hard-fought victory, but San Francisco will have something to say about that.
The Dons come in with an overall record of 16-4, 11-1 at home and 3-2 in the conference. They have won 3 of 5 since Jan. 8, with losses to Gonzaga and BYU, two top dogs in the WCC. San Francisco is 6-12-1 at and 5-8 at home games. Efficiency-wise, their offense ranks 76th in the country and their defense ranks 30th in defensive efficiency. The Dons are looking to come out with an offensive mindset, but they should try to keep the Gaels defense uncomfortable. This game will tell you a lot about the NCAA tournament and which team deserves to participate the most.
At the end of the day I think defending St Mary will be too much for the Dons. For that reason, take the more established team and a team that will be shutting down near the end of games, and take St Mary’s +3 at the Memorial Gymnasium.
College Basketball Picks: St Mary’s 72, San Francisco 70.
Top College Basketball Picks and Parlays
College Basketball Picks vs. the Spread Parlay
- North Dakota +21.5
- Holy Mary +3
Combined Odds: +264
Bet $10 to win $26.45 at Bovada
