3 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Thursday 1/30/25

The college basketball season is rolling along, giving us plentiful betting options with so many teams in action each day.

Fortunately, we have abundant tools available that can aid our chances of finding good betting value. Bart Torvik and KenPom are excellent sources that give insights into team-level efficiency, and Sports Reference provides a wide range of useful team stats, as well.

Let's check out FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds and select some of the best bets of the day by utilizing the mentioned tools.

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

Today's Best College Basketball Betting Picks

Illinois at Nebraska

Kasparas Jakucionis Over 27.5 Pts + Reb + Ast (-122)

Illinois hits the road for a date with Nebraska tonight, meaning we're treated to another showing from freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis. The Lithuanian sensation has burst onto the scene this season, pacing the Illini in points (15.9) and assists (5.4) per game. He's averaged 5.4 rebounds per game, too, offering multiple ways to fill up the box score.

Against a lackluster Nebraska defense, Jakucionis's well-rounded game sets him up nicely to go over his 27.5 points + rebounds + assists (PRA) prop.

For the season, Kasparas Jakucionis is averaging 26.8 PRA. But he's been even better when afforded more playing time. Across 11 games where he's played at least 30 minutes, Jakucionis's PRA average creeps up to 29.3. He's cleared 20 points in over half of those games, offering PRA insurance even when the rebound and assist totals aren't all the way there.

Illinois hasn't been able to keep him off the floor in recent games, either. In two games since following out after just 9 minutes on January 19th, Jakucionis has played 36 and 35 minutes. He notched at least 28 PRA in both games.

Still, the matchup is what really seals the deal here. Nebraska has the second-worst scoring defense in the Big Ten, and they've let up the highest three-point attempt rate in the conference. Jakucionis has hoisted nearly 6 threes per game when afforded at least 30 minutes.

That high rate of threes allowed is a microcosm of Nebraska's ongoing struggle to defend perimeter players. Against Power Conference opponents, Nebraska has allowed the most PRA (per 40 minutes) to guards among Big Ten teams. They've surrendered the most points, fifth-most rebounds, and third-most assists.

With his playing time and production soaring -- and Nebraska's defense lacking -- Kasparas Jakucionis over 27.5 PRA is well worth considering tonight.

Memphis at Tulane

Memphis -6.5 (-115)

Two of the American's top teams square off tonight as Memphis visits Tulane. Memphis (6-1) is second in the conference while Tulane (5-2) is in fourth.

But you wouldn't know that from the point spread. The Tigers are favored by 6.5 on the road tonight -- a venue where Tulane has yet to lose in league play.

Even so, we shouldn't let these early conference results fool us; Memphis is the far superior team here, and there's value in taking them to cover the spread.

The Tigers are the American's top-ranked team on KenPom, sitting at 40th overall. They sport the country's 33rd-ranked adjusted defense and are a respectable 63rd in adjusted offense. Tulane, meanwhile, is 147th overall -- 156th on offense and 155th on defense.

Tulane has played well against a soft early American Conference schedule, but they've yet to prove capable of hanging with the country's top teams. Their two games against top-100 KenPom teams resulted in 13 and 12-point margins of defeat. In fact, if we just look at Tulane's results against teams not in the bottom 100, Tulane is just 6-8. Five of those eight losses came by at least seven points.

Memphis, on the other hand, has mopped the floor with lesser competition. They're 9-1 with a +10.7 average margin of victory against teams outside KenPom's top 100, including 4-1 with a +7.6 differential on the road in that sample.

As such, the Tigers stand a good chance of covering the spread tonight. I'm happy to get this line at -6.5 and would consider an alt line approaching double-digits.

Memphis -9.5 is available at +144 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook at the time of publication.

Oregon at UCLA

Over 141.5 (-110)

Oregon and UCLA may both be outside the top 100 in adjusted tempo and sport adjusted defenses in the top 50, but they're no stranger to high-scoring games. Each side's conference games have averaged north of 144 total points, showing value in over 141.5 total points.

Despite their strong season defensive numbers on the season, neither UCLA nor Oregon have been especially fearsome in conference play. They rank 10th and 11th, respectively, in Big Ten defensive rating, and each team's weakness on that end line up with their counterpart's strength.

In Big Ten games, the Bruins have surrendered the third-highest three-point attempt rate and fourth-highest mark from beyond the arc (37.1%). Oregon, meanwhile, has jacked threes at the fifth-highest rate offensively.

On the flip side, the Ducks have let up the second-lowest three-point attempt rate, but UCLA doesn't rely on the trey-ball. They're in the top half of the league in two-point attempt rate, so we could see them attack the rim with regularity as Oregon runs them off the arc.

That's not to say the Bruins are very efficient inside the arc. In general, UCLA hasn't been very potent on the offensive end -- that is, unless they're at home. The Bruins have averaged 80.8 points across four conference home games, nearly 16 more than they've put up on the road.

But their defense has been worse at home, too, and that's resulted in UCLA home conference games averaging 157 total points. Oregon boasts a 3-1 road record on the road, so a back-and-forth game could be in the cards. That would further bolster this game's chances of going over 141.5.

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Which bets stand out to you across the nation tonight? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.