Top College Basketball Picks for Thursday, November 25 (2021)
It was another positive day yesterday with our best bets. Let’s hope Thanksgiving treats us the same. I know most of you are going to end up watching football instead, and I certainly don’t blame you. However, I’ve got a couple of plays in mind that could help the bankroll a bit. Here are my top three plays for college basketball for Thursday, November 25, on Thanksgiving.
All odds via BettingPros consensus
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Connecticut vs Michigan State: Connecticut +1.5 (-110)
(12:00 PM ET tip)
I was able to find Connecticut plus the money against Michigan State. It’s tough, coming off a double-overtime win, but Connecticut’s coach Dan Hurley has all of the caffeine ready to cheerlead his team to victory.
The Huskies are shooting an effective field goal percentage of 57.1 percent and have earned 42.6 percent offensive rebounds through their first five games this season. That offensive rebounding number will likely drop against Michigan State, but with so much defense being played, there’s a good chance for many more rebounds to be had.
UConn does two things extremely well. The Huskies rebound and shoot threes at a premier rate. Those two areas alone could win them the game.
For Michigan State, the Spartans are turning the ball over 21.7 percent of the time and are shooting just 30.9 percent from long range. Not only will Connecticut win the rebounding battle, but they’ll likely also shoot a higher percentage from the field and force more turnovers. I like UConn here.
Presbyterian vs New Orleans: New Orleans -125 Moneyline
(4:00 PM ET tip)
New Orleans is a small favorite, at home, against Presbyterian. Yesterday, New Orleans took it to Central Arkansas, 90-63, and now the Privateers have some momentum and confidence coming into this game against Presbyterian. Of course, Presbyterian is also coming off a win against VMI, but struggled offensively, winning that game just 59-54.
That’s going to be a theme this year for Presbyterian. They’re shooting a 38.4 percent effective field goal percentage and have knocked down just 20.3 percent of threes while hitting only 43.4 percent from inside. The offense also struggles to force its way to the line. The only good thing Presbyterian does is rebound.
However, New Orleans is shooting a 50.8 percent effective field goal percentage and mainly takes their shots inside the arc. When you take higher quality shots and more layups, usually you don’t have to worry about rebounding as much. In the event that New Orleans tries a three or two, they’ll hit over 35 percent of them. Therefore, give me New Orleans, at home, against Presbyterian as a short favorite.
North Texas vs Kansas: Kansas -14.5 (-110)
(2:30 PM ET tip)
I don’t love playing heavy favorites against the spread, but I’d be shocked if Kansas didn’t win this game by 20 or more points. Remy Martin, the former Arizona State guard, is questionable, however, Kansas has all the potential to be one of the best teams in the nation.
The Jayhawks are shooting a 58.6 percent effective field goal percentage while turning the ball over just 13.7 percent of the time. They’re also hitting 38.5 percent from long range and 59.1 percent from inside the arc through their first three games.
Meanwhile, North Texas is shooting just a 43.2 percent effective field goal percentage and has had trouble scoring inside the arc, shooting 39.3 percent. That’s not going to cut it against North Texas. The only way North Texas has a shot at covering is by forcing a lot of turnovers and scoring in transition. If Kansas stays limiting turnovers, North Texas will be doomed.
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Jason Radowitz is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @Jason_Radowitz.