Tonight’s college basketball action is highlighted by a Big East matchup between Butler and Connecticut. However, this slate also contains marquee matchups between Boise State and San Jose State as well as between Illinois and Purdue. Without further ado, let’s get right into today’s best college basketball picks and player props, for today, January 5. Make sure to check out our other college basketball articles and our college basketball betting tools!
Best College Basketball Picks & Player Props Today
Best College Basketball Side & Total Picks Today
Boise State-San Jose State Odds
Odds via bet365
Boise State: -240 | San Jose State: +195
Boise State -5.5: -110 | San Jose State +5.5: -110
Over 138.5: -110 | Under 138.5: -110
When: Friday, January 5 at 10:30 p.m. ET
Boise State-San Jose State Pick
Despite playing in just their second true road game of the year, Boise State enters their matchup against San Jose State as a 5.5-point favorite. Despite their lack of travel, Boise State has an impressive resume that includes four top 100 wins behind their 41st strength of schedule. Conversely, San Jose State boasts the 265th strength of schedule with just one top-100 win.
As for stylistics, Boise State presents a tricky matchup for most teams. San Jose State comes in as the taller team with Adrame Diongue and Tibet Gorener on the interior. However, Boise State still holds a rebounding edge at 106 to 279.
While Boise State lacks the outright size of the 7-foot Diongue, they have a relatively large roster. Roddie Anderson III comes in as the shortest starter at 6-foot-3. The other four starters stand between 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-8, giving Boise State elite switchability.
With San Jose State already struggling against a few questionable teams (Abilene Christian, Cal Poly, North Dakota State), backing the experienced Boise State roster makes more sense.
Best College Basketball Pick: Boise State -5.5 -110 at bet365
Canisius-Mount St. Mary’s Odds
Odds via bet365
Canisius: +125 | Mount St. Mary’s: -150
Canisius +2.5: -110 | Mount St. Mary’s -2.5: -110
Over 145: | Under 145: -110
When: Friday, January 5 at 7 p.m. ET
Canisius-Mount St. Mary’s Pick
An underrated banger in the MAAC, Mount St. Mary’s takes on Canisius as a 2.5-point favorite. Both teams sit at 1-1 in this conference, but Canisius has played the 112th most difficult schedule to this point. Mount St. Mary’s has played just the 348th-ranked strength of schedule.
Canisius has a major advantage in their guard play. This team ranks 18th in 3-point percentage and shoots the 130th most 3-pointers in the country. This elite guard play appeared in their top 100 win over St. Bonaventure. This team also hung with Syracuse and Pittsburgh, keeping both within single digits.
As for Mount St. Mary’s, this team plays well on the interior. They rank 81st in 2-point percentage and 84th in rebounding. However, this could be a result of a weak strength of schedule. Canisius ranks 188th in effective height, while Mount St. Mary’s checks in at 259th.
Best College Basketball Pick: Canisius +2.5 -110 bet365
Looking for more college basketball action? OddsShopper Premium has identified this Canisius-Mount Saint Mary’s bet as the highest-value one on today’s slate due to the market disparity between FanDuel, where you’ll find this wager priced at +138, and the rest of the market. Our true odds say this should be priced at +135 or worse, so take advantage of the misprice while you can!
Best College Basketball Player Prop Bets Today
Connecticut-Butler Odds
Odds via bet365
Connecticut: -205 | Butler: +170
Connecticut -4.5: -110 | Butler +4.5: -110
Over 143: -110 | Under 143: -110
When: Friday, January 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET
Connecticut-Butler Player Prop
UConn’s Cam Spencer enters this game averaging 15.2 points per game on 31.8 minutes of floor time. He boasts a 17% shot rate on the season, but that number has dropped slightly to 16% over the last three games.
More concerningly, Butler appears vastly improved this season. Butler ranks 104th in total defense and 86th in 3-point defense, where Spencer scores a majority of his points. The under has also taken considerable money throughout the day, plummeting to 143 from 144.5. Our projections slot Spencer in at 13.76 points.
Best College Basketball Player Prop: Cam Spencer Under 15.5 Points -125 at DraftKings
Boise State-San Jose State Odds
Odds via bet365
Boise State: -240 | San Jose State: +195
Boise State -5.5: -110 | San Jose State +5.5: -110
Over 138.5: -110 | Under 138.5: -110
When: Friday, January 5 at 10:30 p.m. ET
Boise State-San Jose State Player Prop
As mentioned above, San Jose State could have their work cut out for them against a Boise State team that possesses good size throughout their starting lineup. Already averaging 34.4 minutes per game, 6-foot-9 Tibet Gorener should be used as much as possible.
As far as the matchup goes, Gorener will have a slight size advantage over anyone in Boise State’s starting five. Gorener also has a 15.2% rebounding rate this season, which tops San Jose State’s roster. The total in this game only sits at 138.5 points, but there should still be ample rebounding opportunities for the San Jose State big man here.
Best College Basketball Player Prop: Tibet Gorener Over 4.5 Rebounds -125 at DraftKings
OddsShopper’s College Basketball Betting Tools & Tips
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