College Basketball’s Best Bets December 11th

An amazing Saturday slate for college basketball. With no more college football Saturdays ahead, college basketball will have to carry the entertainment we are used to on Saturday. 

Tons of ranked matchups ahead for today after no ranked games yesterday. Great matchups all around and great NCAAB odds. Today we have 13 top 25 games scheduled. It was a hard choice to pick which games to focus on, but we have three games that stand out where we think our picks should be sure to cover. Our first matchup we will focus on is #18 Auburn taking on Nebraska. Than we are looking at a great Big Ten matchup with #19 Michigan State versus Penn State. Finally to cap off a great Saturday we like #11 Arizona taking on Illinois. 

Let’s take a look for what’s ahead. 

Nebraska vs. #18 Auburn 

The Bet: Auburn -13.5 

A solid matchup to start the day with #18 Auburn taking on Nebraska. Two teams with two very different starts to the season. Auburn has looked great in every game and starts the season at 7-1. Nebraska has struggled and looked inconsistent currently at 5-5 this season. 

Auburn is one of the best teams in the country. Their only loss this season was to a good Uconn team in double overtime. Since their lone loss of the season they have been blowing out every team they have played. The Tigers have a great offense averaging 82.4 points per game. They have shown no problem scoring whenever they want. They are led by freshman forward Jabari Smith. Smith is currently averaging 17 points with seven rebounds. He is also shooting at a high percentage behind the arc at 48.5%. Smith has shown he is one of the best freshmen in the nation and the perfect fit to lead this Auburn team. Smith’s offense paired with sophomore center Walker Kessler is an amazing duo down low. Kessler, a transfer from UNC has been a great fit for Auburn. Kessler averages over three blocks per game. With Smith’s offense and Kesslers defense, Nebraska will struggle against Auburn but even more with these two players alone. 

Nebraska is coming off a major blowout from Michigan, where they lost 102-67. The Cornhuskers have dropped three straight and now take on arguably their best opponent yet in Auburn. Nebraska has played good competition before this matchup though and may have had better competition than Auburn has played this season. Nebraska is a decent offensive team, but they really struggle on the defensive end. They allow 75 points per game to opponents and will have to somehow figure out how to slow down this great Auburn team.

With a very well sounded Auburn team taking on a struggling Nebraska team, we like Auburn to cover the 13.5 point spread. 

Penn State vs. #19 Michigan State 

The Bet: Michigan State -10.5 

A good Big Ten matchup between #19 Michigan State and Penn State. This should be a good competitive game. Michigan State should have no problem winning this game, but Penn State will for sure make it a game. 

Michigan State has gotten off to an amazing start the season at 8-2. They have been exceeding expectations and are playing as one of the better teams in the country. They have also played great competition. Their two losses have come to two top ten teams in Kansas and Baylor. They have shown they can compete with the best, but are not one of the elite teams just yet. A very well overall team. They do not excel in anything particular, but are one of the most well rounded teams. Michigan State is a grizzled team that has experience playing together, which is a huge advantage compared to most teams. They have shown they are comfortable playing together and can play at a high level almost every night. 

Penn State is off to a 5-4 start to the season. This is a Penn State team that is still learning on how to compete with the best. They have looked great in games they were expected to win, but when faced with good opponents they have struggled. Defensively they are not terrible, allowing 64.3 points per game. They do not force teams to turn the ball over though however. Penn State relies on their defense because they have not found an offensive rhythm all season. They average 67.7 points per game on offense, which is decent. They just have looked very inconsistent on the offensive end from game to game. 

With Penn State’s early season struggles there should be no worries for the Spartans to win this game, which is why we like Michigan State to cover the 10.5 point spread. 

#11 Arizona vs. Illinois 

The Bet: Over 153 

A great matchup between two great teams. 8-0 Arizona takes on 7-2 Illinois. Both teams have their eyes set on March and are hoping to make a run late in the tournament. This should be a high scoring game that comes down to the final minutes. 

Arizona is number eleven in the country for a reason. They have dominated almost every game they have played in so far this season. Arizona has played extremely well on both offense and defense. They average 91.6 points scored per game, while allowing 59.5 points per game to opponents. That is a 32.1 point per game win margin for the Wildcats. They are easily playing at

an extremely high level, specifically on the offense. While scoring at a high rate they shoot at a high percentage as well at almost 50%. Their great shooting comes from great opportunities. They are a great team that plays well together and averages over 20 assists a game. They are one of the most well rounded offensive teams in the country. 

Illinois is off to a great start to the season as well. With a 7-2 record and a 5-0 record at home they are in good shape to possibly give the Wildcats their first loss of the season. Illinois is a very good offensive team as well. They may not be as good offensively on offense as Arizona, but they can score at a high rate. They average 80 points per game, while shooting at 45% from the field. They may not be as good of an offensive team as Arizona, but they have shown they can score and keep up with anyone. Coming off an 87-83 win over Iowa the fighting Illini are confident they can win this game. Iowa is one of the best offensive teams in the country and Illinnois was able to hold off the Hawkeyes and have no problem scoring all game. 

This should be a very competitive and close game. Even too close to pick a winner, but we like both offenses to have no problem scoring all game. This is why we like the over 153 points to hit.