Best College Basketball Bets Today: Look for St. John's to Roll and for NC State to Put Up a Fight

• St. John’s was an 8.5-point favorite when they played at Xavier on January 24; St. John’s won,  88-83.

• St. John’s has gone 3-0 since that game; Xavier has gone 1-2.

• NC State has struggled on the road against Louisville. They lost at Louisville last season, 91-66, to fall to 3-5 all-time on the road vs. the Cardinals.

Happy Monday, Sports Fans. Now that football is in the rearview mirror, it is time to focus on what matters most at this time of year - college basketball. Monday’s slate has some intriguing matchups, and we’ve combed through them to find the best college basketball bets of the day.

Why do we do it? We do it so that you don’t have to spend hours studying Monday’s busy college basketball schedule.

Xavier Musketeers vs. No. 22 St. John’s Red Storm Odds & Pick

• Moneyline: Xavier Musketeers +810 | No. 22 St. John’s Red Storm -1450

• Spread: Xavier Musketeers +14.5 (-110) | No. 22 St. John’s Red Storm -14.5 (-110)

• Total: Over 162.5 (-110) | Under 162.5 (-110)

Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook. Join FanDuel and claim your welcome offer: Bet $5, Get $100 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins. Get more info on the FanDuel Promo Code in our detailed overview.

St. John’s (18-5, 11-1 Big East ) has been rolling, winners of nine in a row, including an 88-83 victory over Xavier a couple of weeks ago. With an 81-72 win over No. 3 UConn in their last game (Friday, Feb. 6), they’ll take all the confidence in the world into this contest.

Xavier (12-11, 4-8 Big East), however, will be on the other end of the confidence spectrum. The Musketeers are coming off a 92-60 beatdown courtesy of No. 3 UConn (Tuesday, Feb. 3). It was their fourth loss in their last five games and seventh of their last ten.

St. John's has won the last three vs. Xavier, but the Musketeers gave them a pretty good fight in their most recent matchup and even led by 12 points at the half. But the adjustments the Red Storm made at the break worked wonders as they dominated the second half 51-34 to win by five.

• My Pick: St. John’s -14.5 at -110 (FanDuel)

Part of me really wants to go with Xavier and the points since the Musketeers put up such a good fight against St. John’s a couple of weeks ago. But Xavier has struggled on the road this season (1-6) and is 1-3 ATS when double-digit underdogs (0-2 on the road).

With how the Red Storm took care of business against UConn, they should be able to cover against Xavier at home.

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NC State vs. No. 24 Louisville Odds & Pick

• Moneyline: NC State +270 | No. 24 Louisville -345

• Spread: NC State +7.5 (-110) | No. 24 Louisville -7.5 (-110)

• Total: Over 161.5 (-110) | Under 161.5 (-110)

Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Louisville (17-6, 7-4 ACC) has played well enough to be ranked in the top 25 at this stage of the season, but it has not been an easy road in conference play (7-4). To be fair, three of those losses are to ranked opponents ( two vs. Duke).

They’ve won three in a row since their last loss to Duke (Jan. 26, 83-52)

NC State has fared better in conference play (9-2), but has only faced two ranked teams in, losing to No. 21 Virginia (76-61) and defeating No. 18 Clemson (80-76 OT). They are 1-3 vs. ranked teams, with losses to No. 19 Kansas and No. 20 Auburn in nonconference play.

•  My Pick: NC State +7.5 at -110 (FanDuel)

This game is going to be won or lost behind the three-point line. Both teams are top ten in three-pointers made, with Louisville averaging 11.5 per game and NC State 11. NC State’s defense has allowed opponents to hit 34% of their attempts; Louisville’s has allowed 33.7%.

However, the difference between them and potentially the deciding factor in this game is this: NC State hits 40.2% of their attempts (No. 7) while the Cardinals shot 34.5% (No. 153). It is not a massive difference, but it could be enough for NC State to keep it close, if not win outright.

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