Monday College Basketball Best Bets: Top CBB Picks Before Christmas Break

The closer we get to Christmas, the more college basketball teams are fitting in their “getaway games” just before their brief holiday breaks.

They’ve flooded the zone with games since Saturday, and Monday represents the last jam-packed day of college hoops to watch and wager on before things die down. 

Let’s not waste time and jump into our three best bets of the day.

Davidson vs. No. 17 Kansas

There’s reason to hesitate over the Jayhawks. They have some nice wins on their resume over Tennessee and Missouri, for sure, but they never seem to put a game out of reach in the first half this year. Even in their most recent win over Towson, it was a nine-point game with less than 19 minutes to go before Kansas really stepped on the gas.

It would be a surprise if the oft-injured freshman star Darryn Peterson plays in this one instead of Kansas getting him ready for Big 12 play. And Davidson is no ordinary mid-major opponent, but an 8-3 member of the Atlantic-10 that’s knocked off Washington State and Boston College.

The spread is perfectly set at a number that will make you stop and think it over. Still, we’re going to pick the blue blood to take care of business in that regard. Davidson isn’t much of a rebounding team and we expect Flory Bidunga to control the game on the boards, giving Kansas more additional opportunities.

Our pick: Kansas -17.5 at -110 (FanDuel)

Missouri vs. No. 18 Illinois

Illinois has won three of the past four Braggin’ Rights games, now played annually in St. Louis. In classic college sports fashion, you’ve got a bunch of natives of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma suiting up for the Tigers and a bunch of players from Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro donning Illini orange tonight.

To that point, Illinois has several grown men with professional experience on its side. Does that always result in wins? No – Nebraska just stunned them with a 3-pointer at the buzzer on Dec. 13. Missouri is 10-2, and it’s not the worst idea to take a flyer on the Tigers’ moneyline at +315 on Fanduel.

However, the biggest mismatch here is Illinois’ offense – rated No. 4 in Division I by KenPom.com – against Missouri’s defense, outside the top 100 in KenPom ratings. Mizzou gave up 77 points to the likes of Alabama State this month. That alone makes me turn to the team props for an easy pick.

Our pick: Illinois to score Over 82.5 points at -104 (FanDuel)

Northern Iowa vs. Saint Mary’s

Let’s not forget about Saint Mary’s, that tiny college in NorCal that is Gonzaga’s greatest rival in the West Coast Conference and usually ranked in the AP Top 25 by now. If it weren’t for a one-point loss to Boise State a week ago, the Gaels would be 11-1 with its only blemish against an undefeated Vanderbilt.

Saint Mary’s hosts Northern Iowa, a legitimate contender in the Missouri Valley, for what could be the mid-major game of the day. The Gaels are between 11.5- and 12.5-point favorites, but the focus ought to be on the over/under.

Northern Iowa’s strength is its stifling defense, an outfit that ranks second in D1 at 57.6 points per game allowed and 11th at 37.3% field goal shooting allowed. Saint Mary’s isn’t far behind, ranking top 30 in both those categories. And KenPom data shows both teams like to play a slower tempo, decreasing the total number of possessions in this matchup.

Our pick: Under 131.5 Total Points Scored at -108 (DraftKings)