Best College Basketball Bets Today: NCAAB Picks for December 20

Friday’s college basketball slate isn’t quite as action-packed as the Saturday’s games, but there is still plenty of action to bet on, including a ranked matchup between the No. 22 Dayton Flyers and the No. 19 Cincinnati Bearcats.

Further, the 12th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies look to build on an already-eye-popping season with another non-conference home win against Houston Christian.

Keep reading below for our best college basketball picks for the December 20th slate of games!

Odds for today's college basketball are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Place your bets at FanDuel and claim $150 in bonus bets with a $5 winning wager.

No. 22 Dayton @ No. 19 Cincinnati

• Date: Friday, December 20

• Time: 8:30 pm EST

• Moneyline: Dayton +136 | Cincinnati -164

• Spread: Dayton +3.5 (-110) | Cincinnati -3.5 (-110)

• Total: Over 139.5 (-110) | Under 139.5 (-110)

All odds are available via FanDuel Sportsbook but are subject to change.

PICK: Dayton +3.5 (-110) at FanDuel

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This in-state rivalry matchup brings us a clash of styles: the Bearcats, a defensive-centric team (tenth in adjusted defensive efficiency), will try to slow down Dayton’s uber-efficient half-court offense (14th in adjusted offensive efficiency).

Will great offense beat great defense, or is the old basketball adage irrelevant in this matchup?

Frankly, I like Dayton to stay close in this one.

The Flyers have been fantastic, securing wins over UNLV, Marquette, and UConn.

Their only two losses came in Maui against an elite Iowa State team and in a crushing game against UNC, who they led by 18 points at halftime.

Save two bad second half performances against the Tar Heels and Cyclones, and this Flyers team has been nothing short of elite.

While the location favors Cincinnati since the game is in the city, this is technically a neutral court.

And Dayton has played incredibly well in three neutral site games, shooting close to 50% from the field and 43.3% from 3-point land, the fourth-highest mark nationally in road/neutral games.

Further, the Bearcats have allowed their past three opponents to shoot just shy of 36% from deep, so they have been a bit more susceptible to giving up 3s recently than earlier in the season.

The only area of concern for Dayton is on the defensive glass, where it will have to make a concerted effort to keep Cincy (20th in OREB%) off the offensive boards.

Either way, I’ll take the balanced scoring attack of Dayton in this one. The Flyers can keep this within one possession by the final horn.

Houston Christian @ No. 12 Texas A&M

• Date: Friday, December 20

• Time: 2:00 pm EST

• Moneyline: Houston Christian N/A | Texas A&M N/A

• Spread: Houston Christian +31.5 (-110) | Texas A&M -31.5 (-110)

• Total: Over 139.5 (-120) | Under 139.5 (-102)

All odds are available via FanDuel Sportsbook but are subject to change.

PICK: Texas A&M -31.5 (-110) at FanDuel

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If a Creighton team, which barely ranks in the top 50 in adjusted defensive efficiency, can hold the Houston Christian Huskies to a sub-50-point performance, then best believe that the Aggies, who held Wake Forest to 44 points at home two weeks ago, can do the same tonight.

Even Ohio State barely eclipsed the 60-point mark against the Aggies!

Texas A&M ranks sixth in adjusted defensive efficiency (KenPom) and holds opponents to just over 57 points per game on its home floor. 

A&M has taken on a similar approach to the game as Houston has in the past: emphasize defense and offensive rebounding.

The Aggies are relentless on the offensive glass, pulling down 46.5% of their missed shots at home, the best mark in the country for a major program.

Frankly, this spells trouble for a Houston Christian team that has the 14th-worst defense (adjusted defensive efficiency) nationally. 

Additionally, the Huskies rank 231st in defensive rebounding percentage.

While it is difficult to lay 31.5 points with a team who has won only one game by 32 or more points, the Aggies should feast offensively and grab nearly all of their misses on the O-glass.

The Huskies also hold little chance of reaching 50 points against one of the best defenses in college basketball.

Back the Aggies at home here.