Welcome to another week of college basketball. We start things out with a lighter card, as teams continue to play in MTEs and get ready for the conference slate, which for some begins this weekend. Classes resume for the students so homecourt atmospheres return to normal for a few weeks before the holidays. Let’s see if we can find a winner or two Monday evening.
All odds are per DraftKings Sportsbook.
Eastern Washington at Washington State
10 p.m. ET
Washington State -12.5
Eastern Washington is awful defensively. They are 313th in 2pt% defense and 348th in 3pt% defense. The Eagles have given up 95 at Stanford, 85 at Cincy and 101 at Utah. Washington State has been very efficient offensively and is coming off a 93-53 win over Utah Tech at home. Last year they beat EWU 82-56 on a neutral court. I can see them putting up that many points once again in 2023.
The Pick
Washington State over 80.5 points (-125)
UCSB at Fresno State
10 p.m. ET
Pick’em
The Gauchos are off to a great start offensively, shooting 61.7% from two and 40.7% from three. Granted, the level of competition hasn’t been great, and neither is the record, but that’s something you can bank on. They have scored 76 in their only road game of the season. UCSB does have a bit of a turnover issue, but Fresno State is 300th in defensive turnover percentage so it’s not like they are forcing many. The Bulldogs have already given up 79 to Kent State, 76 to New Mexico State and 95 to JMU. It is a concern that this could be a slower paced game, but I think the Gauchos will be efficient with their possessions.
The Pick
UCSB over 70.5 points (-120)