3 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Thursday 1/9/25

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

No. 15 Oregon Ducks at Ohio State Buckeyes

Under 149.5 Points (-110)

We saw what happened on New Year's Day between Oregon and Ohio State on the football field, but what about on the basketball court? We will find out on Thursday night with the Buckeyes playing host to the Ducks.

Following an embarrassing 32-point loss as 4.5-point favorites at home against Illinois, Oregon is still looking to recover. The Ducks have failed to cover back-to-back contests and is now tasked with visiting an unranked team in conference play -- something that's felt like a curse for ranked squads in college basketball. Just within the last few days, we've seen plenty of ranked teams go down on the road against unranked conference foes, from No. 6 Kentucky falling against Georgia on Tuesday to No. 9 UConn losing to Villanova on Wednesday.

FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds are actually expecting the Buckeyes to pull this off as 2.5-point favorites. While OSU is logging 81.8 points per game (top 9%), I'm not a fan of its shooting splits by sitting in the bottom 37% for shot distribution on close twos and three-pointers. Oregon hasn't been a whole lot better, though, in the bottom 49% of each category.

Frankly, this game is like splitting hairs. Everything across the board is almost even, from rebounds to the turnover battle. Both teams even lean on guards to do the majority of scoring. With that said, I'm focusing on the poor shooting splits in this matchup. Neither defense is that bad, sitting in the top 20% of effective field goal percentage (eFG%) allowed. In line with numberFire's college basketball projections' 145.4 combined points for this game, give me the under.

James Madison Dukes at Marshall Thundering Herd

James Madison Moneyline (+100)

While I had a hard time backing Oregon as a road underdog, that's not the case for James Madison against Marshall. The Dukes rank 130th in Bart Torvik compared to Marshall at 188th. JMU has a couple of lanes to victory; let's dive into the numbers.

The Thundering Herd's offense is clearly the weak link of this matchup. It's the only unit between the two squads outside the top 200 of adjusted efficiency. Marshall is in the bottom 28% of eFG% and bottom 4% of three-point percentage (27.4%), yet the Herd still attempt 24.3 three-point shots per game (top 32%).

This sums up Marshall's offense, deciding to launch threes in the top 35% of three-point shot distribution despite shooting well under 30.0% from deep. The Thundering Herd have opted to lean on shooting threes, but the Dukes are in the top 17% of three-point shot distribution allowed.

James Madison is also the better rebounding team in the top 100 of offensive and defensive rebounding percentages. Meanwhile, Marshall is outside the top 100 in each category. If the Dukes are taking away the Herd's three-point shooting while controlling the glass, a win should be imminent.

numberFire has JMU by about three points, giving a 62.2% likelihood to win straight up compared to the current +100 moneyline carrying a 50.0% implied probability.

Oakland Golden Grizzlies at Wright State Raiders

Wright State -3.5 (-102)

I'm finally backing a home team for Oakland-Wright State. A quick look at the records says enough, for the Golden Grizzlies are 5-11 compared to the 8-8 Raiders. Bart Torvik has Wright State ranked 160th compared to Oakland at 200th.

Everything is on the Raiders to cover this game. We have numberFire taking Wright State by about seven points, Bart Torvik's game projections has the Raiders by five, and MasseyRatings is leaning with a cover with WSU by four.

The Raiders ranking 121st in adjusted offensive efficiency while the Golden Grizzlies sit 229th in adjusted defense is alarming. Wright State features one of the nation's most efficient offenses by sporting a 56.2 eFG% (top 7%) while in the top 55% for shot distribution for close twos.

Opponents have a 52.5 eFG% against Oakland (bottom 33% for defense) while making 8.1 three-point shots per contest (bottom 33%). WSU shoots a blistering 38.3% from three-point land (top 7%) paired with 8.3 makes per contest (top 30%).

Along with staying efficient on offense, the Raiders are in the top 19% of defensive rebounding percentage compared to the Grizzlies in the bottom 10% of the category. If this Wright State offense keeps buzzing while winning the battle of the glass, this one could get lopsided fast.

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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.