College Basketball Betting Picks: December 15-16 Best Bets

After a weekend packed with college basketball, there are a measly seven games on Monday’s docket that pit two Division I teams against one another. 

This is the heart of finals week, after all.

So today’s best bets contain two for Monday, Dec. 15, and one that looks ahead to one of the better games on the slate Tuesday, Dec. 16, when No. 11 Louisville visits No. 20 Tennessee. Let’s get on with the picks:

TCU vs. Incarnate Word

What a funny year TCU has had. A season-opening loss to the University of New Orleans didn’t inspire confidence among the fan base. Its four-point loss to Michigan looks extremely respectable given what the Wolverines have done since.

The Horned Frogs went on to beat Florida and Wisconsin, two teams better than them on paper, at the Rady Children’s Invitational only to lose at home to Notre Dame and be limited to 65 points in a win over North Texas.

Is any of that enough reason to take Incarnate Word of the Southland Conference to cover? Actually, it may be. The Cardinals play up to their competition and covered the spread in an eight-point loss at Indiana, a loss at High Point and an upset win over McNeese. This spread is too fat not to take a chance.

Our pick: Incarnate Word +18.5 at -112 (DraftKings)

Wyoming vs. South Dakota State

Wyoming is a top-100 KenPom team that gave a ranked Texas Tech squad a run for its money the other week in a 76-72 defeat on the road.

The Cowboys outscore their opponents by more than 16 on average. The 35th-ranked scoring offense (88 points per game) plus a good 3-point defense that keeps teams from catching up (28% allowed, 28th nationally) make for a lethal combination.

South Dakota State is a fine opponent, and it will have something of a home-court advantage as this game is being played at the Sanford Pentagon in South Dakota, but the Jackrabbits are the kind of team Wyoming has defeated handily this year.

Our pick: Wyoming -4.5 at -110 (FanDuel)

No. 11 Louisville vs. No. 20 Tennessee, Tuesday

Tennessee has taken a tumble, falling to Syracuse and Illinois after dropping the Players Era third-place game against Kansas by a competitive five-point margin. That makes it a three-game losing streak for the Volunteers, but they have been off since Dec. 6 and should be rested and healed up for this one.

The Cardinals bring the No. 2 offense in KenPom’s efficiency ratings into Knoxville to face the Vols’ No. 13 defense. They’re top-four in the country in both taking 3-pointers and making them, led by Ryan Conwell (42%) and Isaac McKneely (41%).

And while Tennessee’s 3-point defense looks strong at first glance, it still gives up a lot of attempts and Pat Kelsey’s team will have no qualms about continuing to bomb away. Besides, we think the 10-day layoff will provide more rust than rest, so instead of betting the 1.5-point spread in either direction, take advantage of the team over/under totals offered by DraftKings.

Our pick: Louisville Over 79.5 points at -110 (DraftKings)