NCAAB Picks Against the Spread: CBB Teams to Target This Week

Because most betting lines for college basketball games don’t drop until the night before, determining which teams have positive trends, impressive statistics, and ideal upcoming matchups can often be challenging for the non-professional bettor due to time restraints.

Our NCAAB Picks page hopes to bridge the gap between the frustrating wait on betting lines that we all experience for college basketball games and the time required to delve into a matchup to adequately evaluate it by highlighting the hottest teams in the country and in which particular spots they might be good to back.

While it can be challenging to predict exactly where a line might open, this page will be a helpful resource and hub for the most important statistics and trends, allowing you to make more informed betting decisions.

College Basketball Picks: Teams to Target ATS This Week

UConn Huskies

2024-25 Record: 8-3 (0-0 in Big East Conference)

Trends: 6-4-1 ATS, 5-5-1 Over Record

Stats:

• 12th in adjusted efficiency margin (KenPom)

• 4th in adjusted offensive efficiency (KenPom)

• 13th in effective field goal percentage

UConn hasn’t blown any of its past three opponents out of the water, but it has secured wins over Baylor, Texas, and Gonzaga, three tough NCAA Tournament-caliber teams.

The Huskies were finally able to let the three-game slide in Maui roll off their backs.

Now, UConn has climbed back into the AP Poll and sits at 12th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin. 

Head coach Dan Hurley has gotten this team back on the right track, with some help from players like standout freshman forward Liam McNeeley, who just posted a career-high 26 points against Gonzaga, and sharpshooting forward Alex Karaban.

This week, the Huskies will begin Big East Conference play with a home game against Xavier.

Since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, UConn has a 24-13-2 record against the spread on its home floor, and the Huskies are firing on all cylinders now entering conference play.

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Michigan State Spartans

2024-25 Record: 8-2 (2-0 in Big Ten Conference)

Trends: 6-4 ATS, 4-6 Over Record

Stats:

• 17th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin

• 5th in points per game in their last three games

• 13th in average scoring margin in their last three games

Michigan State is one of the hottest teams in the country in its past three games, ranking fifth in points per game, 13th in average scoring margin, and 24th in effective field goal percentage.

The major difference between the Spartans’ recent play and the previous games has been the improvement in their 3-point shooting; they have knocked down 3-pointers at a near-40% clip during this three-game stretch.

However, even with those strong outings, Michigan State still ranks 341st in 3P%, which evidences not only how cold it can be at times but also its dominance in virtually every other aspect of the game to still be among the best teams in the country.

After all, in today’s college game, 3-point shooting is king, and any team that can’t shoot from deep suffers.

But now that Michigan State has paired its exceptional 17th-ranked defense with an efficient offensive attack, it will be incredibly tough to beat.

This will especially be the case on its home floor, where it has historically been allowed to be more physical with opponents.

Even if the Spartans can’t keep up their red-hot 3-point shooting, we just watched them crush Nebraska by nearly 40 points on their home floor. 

They are going to crush an Oakland team that has been horrible offensively and a Dusty May-less Florida Atlantic squad this week.

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