The college basketball season continues to roll closer to March Madness with a slew of games on deck. Let’s dive into the odds to identify the best college basketball betting picks for Thursday, Feb. 2, including tonight’s Charleston-Drexel matchup.
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College Basketball Betting Picks & Odds | Feb. 2
College Basketball Odds: Hawaii (-2.5) vs. UC Davis
After OddsShopper’s Insider Access Discord identified Hawaii as a pick-’em value, the number promptly jumped to -2.5. Take this number as soon as possible, as further movement looms.
Hawaii and UC Davis look similar on offense. UC Davis is 170th, while Hawaii checks in at 193rd. However, the Rainbow Warriors are much better on defense, ranking 26th overall. Meanwhile, UC Davis checks in at 127th on defense. Furthermore, Hawaii is 35th in effective height, compared to 348th for UC Davis, giving Hawaii even more advantages.
UC Davis only has two wins inside the KenPom top 200 (Cal State Fullerton and Sacramento State). Meanwhile, it has lost every other game of significance. Conversely, Hawaii has eight top 200 wins, including a victory over No. 58 Washington State. With the body of work speaking for itself, Hawaii deserves to be the favorite in this matchup.
College Basketball Expert Betting Pick: Hawaii -2.5 (-105) at BetMGM
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College Basketball Odds: Texas State vs. Louisiana (u134.5)
Another value identified by OddsShopper’s Insider Access Discord at under 137, the line has since moved to under 134.5. On Jan. 21, Louisiana defeated Texas State by a score of 60-51, going way below the listed total. The NCAA average for possessions per game hovers around 70.0. While Louisiana averages 71.0 possessions per game, Texas State comes in at 65.8. This ranks as one of the slowest paces in the entire country.
Texas State plays far better defense than offense. It is 142nd in defensive efficiency, which was enough to slow Louisiana’s 35th-ranked offense in the first meeting. Further pointing towards the under, Texas State cannot score behind the No. 279 offense in the country. Its defense has limited nine of its last 10 opponents to 67 points of less, a list that includes top-150 teams like Southern Miss, James Madison, Troy and Louisiana.
College Basketball Expert Betting Pick: Texas State vs. Louisiana Under 134.5 (-110) at BetMGM
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College Basketball Odds: Charleston (-7.5) vs. Drexel
One of the better regular season games in the Colonial Athletic Conference, Charleston faces Drexel as a 7.5-point favorite on the road. Charleston will look to rebound after suffering its second loss of the year in overtime at the hands of Hofstra. This comes on top of a North Carolina loss earlier this year. However, don’t discount Hofstra. This team still ranks inside the top 100, per KenPom. On the other side, Drexel has lost every important game on its schedule despite a 12-10 record. The Dragons only have one top-200 win all season, which came against Old Dominion in the opener.
From a stylistic perspective, Charleston has a few advantages. The Cougars are fifth in the country in rebounding, while Drexel ranks 175th. Charleston is 87th in turnovers forced, and Drexel comes in 333rd in turnovers committed. The Cougars are also better at shooting; Charleston is first in the country in 3-point attempts despite ranking 246th in 3-point percentage. While this likely will give Charleston some problems in future matchups, Drexel is 234th in 3-point defense.
College Basketball Expert Betting Pick: Charleston -7.5 (-110) at BetMGM
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