College basketball best bets today
Two more days are left in the month of January and we have 74 college basketball games left to be played. Thirty of those are tonight, as some more notable names and conferences will be in action. Yesterday felt like a struggle to find a play and it certainly did play out that way with the Jackson State loss in a game where Jordan O’Neal did in fact miss the game. But, it’s a new day and there are more college basketball best bets today.
Before I launch into today’s breakdowns, I will say that the scarcity of college basketball injury information gets very tough at this time of the year. The betting markets have gotten sharper with more data points, including the conference play ones, and knowing who’s in and who’s out would really help. I may have to assume guys are out until proven otherwise.
Check the latest college basketball odds for legal U.S. sportsbooks across the country and our Vegas odds if you share a state with us here at VSiN. Also, give the college basketball betting splits a look for these or any other college basketball games today have your interest. Check out the Tracking Sheet for this season’s results and our college basketball home page for more CBB content.
Here are two college basketball best bets for today.
Miami (OH) RedHawks at Kent State Golden Flashes (-8, 144.5)
7 p.m. ET
Let’s start with a little Tuesday night MACtion between Miami and Kent State. Over the last 10 games, the RedHawks are 55th in 2P%, 89th in 3P%, and 46th in eFG%. Against a Kent State defense that ranks 316th in eFG% for the season, 290th in 2P%, and 302nd in 3P% defense, I like Miami’s chances to hang around in this game in an underdog capacity.
The big trigger point for Miami was the return of Anderson Mirambeaux, who is averaging 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while playing an average of just 21.8 minutes per game. He played a season-high 28 minutes in the upset over Akron on Saturday and had 19 points.
Travis Steele’s RedHawks lead the conference in eFG% and 2P% offense over eight conference games. They’ve also done a good job defending the 3-point line, holding opponents to 30.1%. With that level of offensive efficiency and a defense that is third in eFG%, it is hard for me to see how Kent State wins by margin here.
Rob Senderoff’s crew is 10th in 3P% and eighth in 2P% defense. They’re also living on the 3 at 38%, but are 10th at 50.5% in 2P% and have the highest Block% against in the conference, so they’re having major issues getting to the rim and converting. That doesn’t look like the right recipe to cover this type of number.
Pick: Miami (OH) +8
Loyola Marymount Lions at Gonzaga Bulldogs (-15.5, 152.5)
11 p.m. ET
Loyola Marymount treks up to “The Kennel” in Spokane to take on Gonzaga, as the Bulldogs have a huge clash looming with Saint Mary’s on Saturday. Even though the Lions are only 3-4 thus far in West Coast Conference play, I’ve been really impressed with what they’ve been able to do, especially in their two games against the Gaels.
Loyola Marymount hung in there at home and on the road, losing 68-64 in the first meeting and 70-65 in the second meeting. They have 1.053 and 1.089 points per possession, so this is a legitimately solid offensive ballclub. Saint Mary’s has allowed over a point per possession just three times since December 1 and Loyola Marymount has two of those data points. (Missouri State on 12/23 is the other)
The Lions are a very good 3-point shooting team, cashing in at 36.2% with a 41.3% 3P Rate. I do wish they got to the rim more, but they are on the smaller side offensively, so getting to the interior just isn’t always an option. They did recently get back point guard Justice Hill, who missed eight games before coming back against Portland. He averages over four assists per contest.
The other thing I like about LMU is that they have really slowed down games in conference play. Every one of their games has stayed under 70 possessions. Given their offensive efficiency, I think it will be tough for Gonzaga to run away and cover a big number here in a game that will probably be a little bit slower than they are accustomed to.
Also, to some degree, this is a step up for Gonzaga. They’ve beaten up on Pepperdine (who I’ve faded multiple times) twice, San Diego twice, and then beat Pacific by nine. They lost at Santa Clara and won by five over San Francisco. LMU ranks 148th for both Torvik and KenPom, so this is a decent opponent.
Pick: Loyola Marymount +15.5
