NCAAB Best Bets & Player Prop Picks for Friday, December 20

An amazing sports weekend is upon us, and it’s important not to overlook the contributions college basketball is making. It begins Friday with two noteworthy games. First, St. John’s visits Providence in a Big East battle, followed by Cincinnati facing Dayton in a top-25 showdown. For both games, we have a betting pick and a player prop to consider.

St. John’s (9-2) at Providence (7-5)

Both teams won their conference opener, although both teams also beat perennial doormat DePaul. Nevertheless, St. John’s is off to an impressive 9-2 start, including an 8-3 record against the spread. The team’s two losses have come by a total of four points, so the Red Storm could easily be 11-0 and a top-25 team right now. Rick Pitino has six players who average at least nine points per game, so there is no shortage of options. Also, St. John’s isn’t overly reliant on perimeter shooting, so they can manufacture points without knocking down a lot of three-pointers. As for the Friars, they’ve struggled to notch a signature win, losing to the likes of Oklahoma, Davidson, Indiana, and Rhode Island. While Providence is 3-1 against the spread as an underdog, the Friars have some troubling losses. There is also concern over Bryce Hopkins, who played well in three games after returning from injury but missed the team’s most recent game due to knee pain. There are simply too many questions about the Friars right now to think that they can hang with a deep and talented St. John’s team.

Pick: St. John’s -6.5

Zuby Ejiofor (St. John’s) Over 19.5 Points + Rebounds

Even in what could be considered an off night, Ejiofor compiled 19 points and rebounds in just 24 minutes of action in a blowout win over DePaul last time out. Prior to that, Ejiofor posted back-to-back double-doubles while also scoring 20-plus points. In fact, he’s scored over 20 points in four of his last seven games, so he might get over 19.5 points and rebounds without needing any rebounds. Of course, Ejiofor has pulled down at least seven rebounds in eight straight games, so even if he falls a little short of 20 points against Providence, his work on the boards should more than make up for it.

#22 Dayton (10-2) at #19 Cincinnati (8-1)

A road loss to Villanova is Cincinnati’s only blemish this season, so the Bearcats should feel confident about a “neutral court” game being played in downtown Cincinnati rather than on campus. Perhaps the biggest question is if the Bearcats have a letdown after an emotional win over intra-city rival Xavier right before facing another in-state foe. Nevertheless, Cincy has been impressive this season, especially the backcourt tandem of Simas Lukosius and Jizzle James, despite losing against the spread in four straight games. Of course, Dayton is riding a five-game winning streak that began with an upset win over UConn. The Flyers are just 1-2 straight-up but 3-0 against the spread as an underdog this season. They also took down a top-10 Marquette team last weekend. With four double-digit scorers, a low turnover rate, and excellent balance, we’ll lean toward Dayton and the points as a slight underdog in this heavyweight matchup.

Pick: Dayton +3.5

Dillon Mitchell (Cincinnati) Under 6.5 Rebounds

Through the early part of the season, Mitchell has averaged 7.4 rebounds per game, matching his production last season at Texas. But that number is a little inflated by some early-season games against cupcakes in which he grabbed at least eight boards in four of the first five games of the season. His production has been a little more erratic recently. After 10 rebounds against Xavier, Mitchell is likely to come back down to earth, especially since Dayton will match his size and physicality. That will lead Mitchell to have a down game on the boards and finish with six rebounds or less.

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