Best College Basketball Bets For Week of November 6

On Monday, November 6, the men’s NCAA college basketball season tips off with a huge card. There are over 100 college basketball matchups to open the season, with more throughout the week. We are evaluating the NCAAB odds and locking in our college basketball best bets to make at sports betting sites for the week of November 6.

There are several top-ranked teams on the floor to open the season. Kansas, Duke, Michigan State, and Purdue are scheduled to play on Monday. When there are so many games, we suggest shortlisting your best college basketball bets. Utilizing proper bankroll management is imperative to having success at college basketball betting sites.

We are revealing our best college basketball bets every week from November to the Men’s National Championship in April. Head below to find our best NCAAB picks for the first week of the college basketball season.

College Basketball Best Bets of the Week

The following college basketball odds are courtesy of BetUS:

USC Trojans (-3) vs. Kansas State Wildcats

On Monday, the USC Trojans and Kansas State Wildcats headline the 2023 Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas, Nevada, at T-Mobile Arena.

USC enters the season ranked 21st in the AP Top 25¹. They might have been ranked slightly more favorably if Bronny James was cleared to play.

In July, LeBron’s son suffered a cardiac arrest resulting from a likely congenital heart defect². Fortunately, James is expected to make a full recovery and play for the Trojans this season.

It is going to be difficult to overshadow James, but freshman Isaiah Collier is expected to be the star of the Trojans. In 2023, the five-star point guard was the No. 2 ranked high school player³.

Collier possesses elite court vision and will instantly provide the Trojans with a jolt in the backcourt. The 6-foot-3 guard will pair well with Boogie Ellis. Ellis decided to return for his fifth season following a standout campaign in 2022-23.

Ellis averaged 17.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Guards Drew Peterson and Reese Dixon-Waters, but Collier’s arrival makes the Trojans better in the backcourt. Trojans’ Captain Kobe Johnson is back in Pasadena, after scoring 9.2 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game⁴.

Kansas State brings depth to this matchup on Monday evening. However, the heart and soul of the Wildcats, Markquis Nowell, is with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. Nowell led the Wildcats to an Elite 8 run as a No. 3 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

In addition to losing Nowell, forward Keyontae Johnson is currently with the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Nowell and Johnson absent, the Wildcats lose their two most potent scorers from last season. Nowell was responsible for 17.6 points, while Johnson scored 17.4 points per game⁵.

Kansas State will play a factor in the Big 12. They will figure it out and lean on their depth to wear teams down. However, limiting USC’s backcourt on opening night should prove to be difficult.

Expect the Trojans to hold on for a 6 to 7-point victory over the Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena.

Saint Francis Red Flash at UCLA Bruins (-28.5)

Despite not being ranked in the AP Top 25, the UCLA Bruins should be a top contender to win the Pac-12. UCLA and the rival Trojans are likely to be two of the last teams standing in the Pac-12.

UCLA wasn’t completely ignored by voters, though. The Bruins received 47 votes for the AP Top 25. Beating the Saint Francis Red Flash isn’t going to impress the voters who didn’t give UCLA a Top 25 nod.

However, UCLA can make a statement right out of the gate in their season opener. In 2022-23, the Bruins finished with a record of 31-6 and 18-2 in the Pac-12. Despite the strong regular season, UCLA fell to Gonzaga in a thriller in the NCAA Tournament by a score of 79-76.

The Bruins will be without Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyger Campbell, and David Singleton from last year’s team. That is some top talent, but UCLA is reloading with international talent.

Utah transfer Lazar Stefanovic is expected to play a significant role and should give Saint Francis plenty of issues. However, the real star of the Bruins against the Red Flash should be big man Adem Bona.

The No. 45 prospect of the 2023 NBA Draft originally planned on turning pro⁶. The 6-foot-10 native of Nigeria will be too much for Saint Francis to handle on both ends of the floor. If UCLA keeps it simple and feeds Bona, Saint Francis does not have an answer.

In 2022-23, Bona scored 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. Playing at the rim, Bona hit at a high clip, with 67.5 percent of shots falling⁷. The Red Flash does not have the size to offer any resistance against Bona.

Getting into the paint and scoring against Bona will not be simple, either. The Red Flash must hope their threes are falling, or this game will get out of hand within the first ten minutes.

Last season, Saint Francis finished fourth in the Northeast Conference at 9-7. Overall, they posted a record of 13-18. Saint Francis was awful on the road, with a record of 3-13 outside of Loretto, Pennsylvania. 

After a 97-56 exhibition win over Cal State Dominguez Hills, the Bruins should follow up with a dominant win to cover -28.5 points in the season opener.

Auburn Tigers (+1.5) vs. Baylor Bears

The Auburn Tigers and Baylor Bears headline the Tuesday college basketball card on ESPN. Currently, Auburn and Baylor have similar odds of winning the 2024 NCAA Tournament at March Madness betting sites.

Auburn is +4500 and Baylor +4000 to win the Men’s National Championship. In 2021, Baylor won their first national title. Since then, Baylor has been competitive, but not the same squad that was rolling over teams two years ago.

In 2022-23, Baylor went 11-7 in the Big 12 and 23-11 overall. Looking at that team and comparing it to this season is not possible. There has been so much turnover on this roster that it isn’t wise to bet Baylor games based on their results from 2022-23.

Baylor’s top three scorers from last season will not be on the floor against Auburn. Adam Flagler, Keyonte George, and LJ Cryer are not in Waco, Texas, which leaves forward Jalen Bridges as their most consistent scorer from a season ago.

Bridges notched 10.3 points per game, while Flagler, George, and Cryer scored 15 or more points per game⁸. It’s a lot of talent to lose, but Baylor brings in a talented freshmen class. Multiple guards can end up contributing for the Bears.

However, it’s going to be difficult for this young team to gel against the experienced Tigers. Head coach Bruce Pearl is optimistic that preseason All-SEC first-team center Johni Broome will be healthy enough to play Tuesday.

Broome banged up his shoulder in Auburn’s final exhibition game. He returned to the bench with ice on his shoulder. Last season, the standout center notched 14.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game⁹.

Five-star freshman Aden Holloway is expected to be active against Baylor. The highly regarded guard tweaked his ankle in the preseason, but Pearl said he expects the dynamic freshman to play.

Holloway will contribute, though the experience of the Tigers should prove to be the difference over a talented, yet raw Baylor squad on a neutral court in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Mississippi State Bulldogs (-4.5) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils

For our final college basketball best bet of the week, we are heading to Chicago, Illinois, for the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Arizona State Sun Devils at Wintrust Arena. If you are looking for the SEC or Pac-12 winner in this matchup, it’s not going to happen.

Nevertheless, Mississippi State and Arizona State should square up for an entertaining matchup in their season opener. This was expected to be a very competitive season for the Bulldogs. However, forward Tolu Smith is expected to miss a big stretch to open the regular season.

A healthy Smith would have given Mississippi State a chance to compete with the top teams in the conference. Instead, this is a rather pedestrian roster that will likely finish in the middle of the SEC.

Expect Mississippi State to finish ahead of Georgia, Ole Miss, and LSU, but in the same conversation as Tennessee and Arkansas will be difficult. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing for Mississippi State against Arizona State, though.

The Sun Devils are better than the Oregon State Beavers, but it isn’t saying much. Every team in the Pac-12 is more talented than Oregon State in 2023-24. Arizona State enters this matchup without their top four scorers, two guards and two forwards.

Desmond Cambridge Jr., Marcus Bagley, DJ Horne, and Devan Cambridge all left Tempe for other opportunities. Arizona State thought they’d get Cambridge back, but he transferred to Texas Tech.

This is on a Sun Devils team that went 23-13 and finished fifth in the Pac-12 a season ago. A lot of what made them a good team will not be available against the Bulldogs in the opener. If the Bulldogs can get into point guard Frankie Collins’ passing lanes, they’ll be in a good position to win.

Collins will have to contend with one of the best defensive guards in the SEC. Shakeel Moore returns to Mississippi State for his fourth season. Last season, the 6-foot-1 guard was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist¹⁰.

In addition to his defensive prowess, Moore was second behind Smith in scoring, with 9.8 points and three rebounds per game. The Bulldogs have both of their top guards returning, including Moore and Dashawn Davis.

Smith is out, but D.J. Jeffries affords the Bulldogs an experienced big man in the paint. In 2022-23, the 6-foot-7 Jeffries averaged 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game¹¹.

There are too many new moving parts for Arizona State. After some success last season, the Sun Devils have it tough against Mississippi State to open the 2023-24 campaign. Lay the points on the Bulldogs to cover and beat the Sun Devils.

Where To Place The Best College Basketball Bets Today?

There are many options for sports bettors when it comes to online betting sites. However, it can be difficult to find the right sportsbook to implement your college basketball betting strategy.

College basketball betting odds can vary significantly from site to site. Additionally, being able to lock in your wagers on the early odds is imperative. Some online sportsbooks do not publish their college basketball lines until close to tip-off.

It’s also important to only place bets at safe betting sites. Ensure that you are wagering at well-reviewed online sportsbooks, where you can easily deposit and withdraw your money in a safe environment. College basketball bettors can have this and much more at BetUS.

Also, bettors can take advantage of one of the best free bonuses online. Currently, BetUS is offering a lucrative promotion for new sports bettors.

For a limited time, get a 100% sign-up bonus of up to $2,500, plus 30 risk-free bets. Included in your sign-up bonus is a 25% casino bonus of up to $625 at BetUS.

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