The Thursday college basketball slate is a bit thin, but that doesn't mean there isn't betting value to be had before a big Friday.
Our staff is diving into two games to get your betting card set for Thursday.
So, here's college basketball best bets and odds, including picks and predictions for Thursday's games on November 14.
College Basketball Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 6:30 p.m. | |
  | 9 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Eastern Michigan vs. IU Indianpolis
Eastern Michigan simply shouldn’t be catching points against IU Indy. I’m unsure if the Jaguars should be laying points against anyone, much less three against a middle-of-the-pack MAC team. KenPom, Bart Torvik, EvanMiya and Haslametrics all project the Eagles as one-to-three possession road favorites.
The market has slammed the Jaguars, likely because they look good in the early going. New head coach Paul Corsaro and a group of D-II transfers blew the doors off of two non-DI schools (IU Columbus and Goshen) while scoring a more-than-respectable 80 points in a 14-point road loss to Xavier.
To be fair, it’s hard to accurately project D-II players jumping up a rank, so the Jaguars could be much better than initially anticipated.
But I’m guessing this line is an overreaction to some crazy 3-point variance.
The Jags needed a 14-for-28 (50%) 3-point shooting performance to keep up with Xavier. But they also shot 14-for-32 (44%) from inside the arc and were out-rebounded 33-to-26.
Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan lost by 20 to Texas State on opening night because the Eagles shot 5-for-24 (21%) from deep while the Bobs canned seven of their 15 attempts.
Underneath that, the Eagles held Texas State to 13-for-33 (39%) shooting from inside the arc and snagged 14 offensive boards.
These were one-off, flukey performances, but it’s created an excellent buy-low, sell-high opportunity.
I’m a tad worried about Eastern Michigan’s guards handling IU Indy’s press-happy defense, but the Eagles should have a substantial front-line advantage behind Da’Sean Nelson and Jalin Billingsley.
But of greater importance to this handicap, experience plays a significant role in the early season — teams with more outperform teams with less in November. The Jaguars are the fifth-least experienced team in college hoops, while the Eagles have three seniors (including two Power Five transfers) in their starting five.
The Eagles have some better across-the-board offensive talent than last year with the portal additions of Nelson (DePaul), Jalen Terry (DePaul) and Julian Lewis (Miami OH).
Head coach Stan Heath also reformed the defense down the stretch last year by mixing in more zone looks, which could thwart an inexperienced IU Indy team due for negative shooting regression.
Pick: Eastern Michigan +3 (Play to PK)
Grand Canyon vs. Arizona State
By John Feltman
This number has continued to increase despite the majority of the bets coming in on Arizona State. Something seems fishy here, but the spread is moving correctly.
KenPom projects this spread as Arizona State -1, but that does not include the impact of the return of Tyon Grant-Foster. Grant-Foster was ineligible for the first two games of the regular season due to NBA draft rules, but he returns to the Lopes' lineup as an integral part of their core.
The Lopes were America's darling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season, but they got even better in the offseason. They added TCU transfer JaKobe Coles, who has already established himself as a consistent scoring option.
The Lopes are an excellent offensive team with one of the most experienced rosters in the country. They play tonight at the Footprint Center — which is typically the home of the Phoenix Suns — so they have the surplus of it being a neutral site game.
Meanwhile, I am down on this Arizona State team. They are heavily reliant on the triple, but I do not like the roster's makeup enough to give me the confidence that they will be able to hit from deep consistently.
If the triple is not falling, the Sun Devils are going to be in big trouble. The Lopes can not only hit shots from deep, but are not ultra-reliant on them.
It is a terrific buy-low opportunity after the Lopes narrowly escaped their last game, and with the addition of Grant-Foster to the lineup, I love their upside for the remainder of the season.
This group from the WAC will show the county that it can defeat power-conference opponents tonight.
Pick: Grand Canyon -4.5 (Play to -6)
