College Basketball Betting Guide: Lines, Trends & Picks For Thursday, Dec. 1

College Basketball Betting Lines, Odds & Picks

College basketball rolls on with a very large Thursday slate that includes a number of exciting conference matchups.

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Pacific at UC Davis Preview

The Pacific Tigers and UC Davis Aggies meet on Thursday night in what I think will be a lopsided affair. Pacific comes into the game off four-straight losses. Their offense isn’t terrible, but their defense has really struggled lately, giving up 78 points per game this season. They’re going to need to change that tonight if they want a chance to hang with the Aggies because UC Davis has played really well at home recently, shooting 49% from the field and 50% from deep. The Aggies also like to get out in transition. They rank 29th in fast break points and are averaging 14 forced turnovers per game, so I expect them to have a ton of extra possessions tonight. Not to mention they’re a strong rebounding team which will lead to second-chance points.  

My pick: UC Davis -6

Valparaiso vs Belmont Preview

The Valparaiso Beacons and Belmont Bruins meet for their first Missouri Valley Conference matchup of the season. 

Valparasio comes into this game off of an exciting overtime win over James Madison, despite being 15.5-point underdogs. While that’s a great win for the Beacons, I worry it might lead to a bit of a let-down stop today against Belmont. Prior to that win, Valparaiso had lost two-straight games in which their offense really struggled. Outside of Ben Kirkke and Kobe King, scoring has been hard to come by for the Beacons. Not to mention they're ranked 309th in the NCAA in 3-point shooting percentage at 33%. If they can’t knock down outside shots, it’s going to be tough for them to keep up with a Belmont team that’s averaging 78.5 points per game.

Ben Sheppard leads the Bruins in scoring and ranks third in the MVC, while Drew Friberg ranks first in the conference in threes made. Both of those players are primed for big games tonight, especially with Sheppard shooting over 50% from the field at home. Lay the points with the Bruins. 

My pick: Belmont -9.5

Washington at Oregon State Preview

Washington and Oregon State open Pac-12 play on Wednesday in Corvallis and I expect this to be a high-scoring game. The Huskies are averaging just over 70 points per game and are coming off a win against Seattle in which they shot 50% from the field and hit 10 threes. It’s likely Washington’s offense finds similar success tonight against the Beavers who have given up more than 80 points in each of their last two games. And even though Oregon State’s offense hasn’t been great this season, they’re still averaging 67 points per game.

I also like the fact that they’re back at home after the Phill Knight Legacy tournament because when offenses are struggling, playing on your home floor is often a way to get things back on track. Expect a high-scoring affair in this one.  

My pick: Washington-Oregon State Over 132.5

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