Best College Basketball Bets Today: NCAAB Picks for November 6

Is it really the third consecutive day of backing only favorites in our best college basketball picks today article?

Yes, it is. However, we are 3-1 and the analysis and matchups warranted it. Can we get to 5-1 after Wednesday’s games?

Find our two best bets below for the November 6th slate, including the SIU Edwardsville Cougars versus the Indiana Hoosiers and the Sacred Heart Pioneers versus the UConn Huskies!

SIU Edwardsville @ Indiana 

• Date: Wednesday, November 6

• Time: 8:00 pm EST

• Moneyline: SIU Edwardsville +4000 | Indiana -30030

• Spread: SIU Edwardsville +27.5 (-102) | Indiana -27.5 (-120)

• Total: Over 148.5 (-110) | Under 148.5 (-110)

All odds are available via FanDuel Sportsbook but are subject to change. Place your bets at FanDuel and claim $150 in bonus bets + 3 months of NBA League Pass.

PICK: Indiana -27.5 (-120) at FanDuel

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You can never put too much equity into a scrimmage or exhibition game, but going down to Knoxville for a battle with the 12th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, one of the most physical, defensive-centric teams in college basketball, and winning, matters.

That’s exactly what Indiana was able to do in its exhibition game last Sunday.

And, simply put, this team is undervalued, despite their likely 3-point-shooting shortcomings. 

The Hoosiers’ combination of returners and incoming transfer talent is exceptional. They finished with the second-best transfer class, with Arkansas and recently-signed John Calipari barely edging them out.

Indiana added Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle, Oumar Ballo, Luke Goode, and Langdon Hatton to a team that already brought back co-freshman of the year and 6-foot-9 small forward, Mackenzie Mgbako, as well as second-leading scorer Malik Reneau (15.4 PPG), and do-it-all super senior guard Trey Galloway.

In the limited preseason action we have seen from Rice, he looks to be the missing ingredient to this Hoosiers offense that consistently struggled scoring in the half-court last season. 

Rice is one of the shiftiest and quickest point guards in the country and had no issue in getting to his spots against Zakai Zeigler, an elite on-ball defender, in their exhibition game.

Ballo and Reneau have way too much size inside for SIU Edwardsville to contend with, allowing the Hoosiers to pound the ball inside at will, where they dominated last season.

Sacred Heart @ No. 3 UConn

• Date: Wednesday, November 6

• Time: 7:00 pm EST

• Moneyline: Sacred Heart +4000 | UConn -100000

• Spread: Sacred Heart +34.5 (-110) | UConn -34.5 (-110)

• Total: Over 149.5 (-110) | Under 149.5 (-110)

All odds are available via FanDuel Sportsbook but are subject to change.

PICK: UConn -34.5 (-110) at FanDuel

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Remember the scene in Jurassic Park when they lower the goat into the T-Rex’s containment area?

That’s how this game feels between the Sacred Heart Pioneers and UConn Huskies: inevitable and impending danger.

The Pioneers enter this 2024-25 regular season as the 337th team in the nation, per KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin metric.

On the other hand, UConn ranks sixth, which could even be too low since the Huskies have logged back-to-back National Championships, courtesy of 12 consecutive double-digit victories in the NCAA Tournament, and brought back Alex Karaban, Solo Ball, Samson Johnson, and Hassan Diarra.

Add in 5-star freshman forward Liam McNeeley, former Saint Mary’s point guard Aidan Mahaney, and former Michigan center Tarris Reed Jr, and the Huskies are back in title contention.

Unsurprisingly, UConn finished last season first in adjusted offensive efficiency (KenPom). Head coach Dan Hurley is an offensive mastermind, particularly in the half-court, meaning that they should eviscerate this Pioneers defense that is projected to finish as the 26th-worst defense (adjD) nationally.

Then, there’s the matter of Hurley’s recent spread record, which is borderline unfathomable.

In the past two seasons, Hurley has helped UConn amass a 55-23-1 ATS record, which is by far the best in the nation during that span.

This spread should be much closer to 40 than 30, and even if the Huskies “call off the dogs” in the middle of the second half, they have depth and are efficient enough to continue running up the score.