Top College Basketball Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday, December 13th (2022)

Dec 13, 2022 - 11:20 AM

Life is good for fans of the Purdue Boilermakers, who currently have the No. 1 team in the country (second straight year they were ranked No. 1) and the Player of the Year frontrunner in Zach Edey. They may not remain atop the rankings when they come out next week if No. 2 Virginia beats No. 5 Houston this weekend, but nonetheless the Boilermakers have established themselves as legitimate national title contenders.

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Here are our best bets for Tuesday’s college basketball action. (Odds courtesy of DraftKings)

Furman vs. N.C. State O/U

N.C. State plays at a frenetic pace (46th-fastest in the country), which is a big reason the Over has cashed in seven of its last ten home games. While Furman does not typically turn games into track meets, they make up for it in efficiency, having averaged 83.8 points over the last five games. Their ability to create driving lanes, thanks to defenses needing to honor their 3-point shooting ability, is a big reason they rank seventh in the country in 2-point shooting percentage (60.7%). N.C. State will have difficulty defending Furman in the lane, as the Paladins’ 23rd-ranked near-proximity ranking offensively trumps the Wolfpack’s 100th-ranking defensively in the same metric. Conversely, N.C. State should get whatever it wants offensively against a Furman defense that ranks 157th in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Bet: Furman-N.C. State Over 153.5 (-110 at DraftKings) 

UMass Lowell vs. Rhode Island ML

UMass Lowell from the America East Conference is arguably the best team in the country this year that the average basketball fan has never heard of. Outside of a loss at Rutgers, UMass Lowell has 11 wins, ten of which by at least nine points. The River Hawks are bullies on the offensive glass, ranking 27th in the country with a 35.6% offensive rebounding percentage. They are also a physical defensive team, ranking in the top 15 in effective field goal percentage and 2-point percentage allowed (42%). Comparatively, Rhode Island’s young roster (227th in D-1 experience) has had difficulty getting anything going offensively. The Rams have been held to fewer than 60 points in three of their seven losses and rank 324th in turnover and effective field goal percentages. 

UMass Lowell is 6-2-1 ATS in its last nine games while Rhode Island has covered in three of its last nine. However, with such a low point-spread, we are opting for a play on the moneyline instead.

Bet: UMass Lowell ML (-140 at DraftKings)

Memphis vs. Alabama Spread

The Crimson Tide catapulted to No. 4 in the AP poll after beating then-No. 1 Houston, their second top-five ranking in the last three seasons. So far, Alabama has not shown it has had too much difficulty replacing three of its top four scorers from last season. But we also like the contrarian nature of backing Memphis in the wake of Alabama’s huge victory.

The Crimson Tide make a dangerous living of the volume of their field goal attempts that come from 3-point range (46.7% is the 21st-highest), as they are a true “live and die by the 3” team. Alabama certainly will not get anything at the rim against an elite rim-protecting Memphis team, which ranks 43rd in NPAR (near-proximity field goal attempts, per Haslametrics), and 26th in 2-point percentage allowed (43.2%). Considering the Tigers also allow a tick over 30% from the 3-point line, they have the defensive make-up to frustrate Alabama.

Memphis has covered the spread in 18 of its previous 25 games, and we expect another spirited effort from Penny Hardaway’s squad here.

Bet: Memphis +6.5 (-110 at DraftKings)  

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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.

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