Top College Basketball Picks Today (Back Undervalued Creighton vs. Arizona State in Vegas)

Monday’s slate of action is on the slightly lighter side to kick off the work week, but still several notable teams and matchups are available on the board to consider for college basketball picks to wager on.

Two top 25 teams are in action tonight, starting with the No. 7 Texas Longhorns hosting Rice tonight at the Moody Center, along with No. 18 Gonzaga at home vs. Northern Illinois.

Meanwhile, the game of the night tips off from Las Vegas when the Creighton Bluejays and Arizona State Sun Devils tip off at 9 p.m. ET this evening. The ‘Jays (6-4) were once a top 10 team in the country, knocking off No. 21 Texas Tech and No. 9 Arkansas. Since then, they’ve lost four straight games to No. 14 Arizona, No. 2 Texas, Nebraska and BYU. Now, they’ll look to regain some confidence vs. a 9-1 Sun Devils squad before returning to conference play later in the week at Marquette.

For the best available odds on the board for every game today, check out our odds page HERE!

Here are our team’s best bets for Monday night:

Best College Basketball Picks Today

• Yale vs. Fairfield UNDER 126.5 (-110)
• Oral Roberts -2.5 (-110) vs. Liberty
• Creighton -3.5 (-115) @ Arizona State

Yale vs. Fairfield Odds, Prediction and Pick

These two teams operate at a snail’s pace, with both teams averaging 18.4 and 18.8 seconds per possession this year; ranking 280th (Yale) and 314th (Fairfield) in the country.

While Yale’s offense is significantly more efficient, the same can’t be said about their Connecticut state counterparts. Fairfield’s offense ranks 289th in adjusted offensive efficiency over at KenPom, and rank in the bottom 45 of college basketball in effective field goal percentage at 45.3%. It’s painful to watch the Stags try to score efficient shots, and that should continue vs. Yale’s defense that rank in the top 65 in defensive adjusted efficiency.

So why not just take a Yale team that’s likely to make a run at the Ivy League title as a 5.5-point road favorite? The honest answer is the line smells funny. The Bulldogs match up better in almost every universal metric and should probably be favored by much more.

Rather than concern myself with a cover, I’ll choose to go under, given that Yale now continues on a road trip that had them lose tough games to both Kentucky and Butler. The Stags also are 2-0 in their two home games this season after spending the first month away from home. – Ben Heisler

Find Ben’s full betting preview for Yale vs. Fairfield HERE!

Liberty vs. Oral Roberts Odds, Prediction and Pick

Pace of play is the key differentiator between these two schools. The Golden Eagles play fast and move the ball quickly, ranked 23rd in possessions and 40th in adjusted tempo via KenPom. For the Flames, it’s the complete opposite. They’re one of the slowest teams in college basketball, averaging nearly 19.5 seconds per possession length, coming in 345th in the nation.

If star guard Max Abmas can keep pushing the tempo for Oral Roberts, and force the Flames to go back-and-forth, they could be in trouble. Darius McGhee has had a terrific season, averaging over 21 points-per-game while shooting 46% from the field and 43% from long range, but they run several designed plays to get him all those quality looks.

I like Oral Roberts at home to cover a short-spread, especially with these two teams so closely ranked together. – Josh Yourish

Find Josh’s full betting preview for Liberty vs. Oral Roberts HERE!

Creighton vs. Arizona State Odds, Prediction and Pick

Remember last year’s game between these two teams in Omaha? It was gross, as ASU took down Creighton 58-57, with the Sun Devils forcing 14 turnovers.

This year, Arizona State’s defense looks superb on paper, ranking fourth-best in the nation in opponent effective field goal percentage this year. However, if you go through a few more metrics, ShotQuality actually ranks the Devils’ defense at 145th in the country, profiling them to be 6-4, rather than 9-1.

Even without star Ryan Kalkbrenner, the Bluejays are the superior team without the superior record. They’re in the midst of a four game losing streak, in large part because shots have not seemed to fall for them. I expect that to change tonight. – Reed Wallach

Find Reed’s full betting preview for Creighton vs. Arizona State HERE!

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.