We made it! The new year is here, exams are done, and conference play is in full swing. We managed to navigate the first two months of the season in relatively unscathed fashion, fattening our wallets with a 28-20/+8 unit start. That is exactly the kind of start we needed to dive into conference play full of cash and confidence. Today's schedule, like most Monday's features a lot of small conference play with a sprinkle of Power 5 contests mixed in, creating a delicious mix of opportunity. Let's get after it!
Top College Basketball Best Bets for Today
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Nebraska Cornhuskers at Ohio State Buckeyes 
The undefeated Huskers carry the country's longest winning streak into Columbus to face a promising but somewhat unproved Bucks squad. Nebraska is no joke as their mix of returning veterans and key transfers has combined to create some fantastic complimentary basketball. The Huskers do have only one true road win under their belt, but that was in the form of a three-point victory at KenPom No. 8 Illinois. My questions lie with OSU as they have yet to record a Top 50 victory, they have an eight-point home loss to that same Illinois squad, and their three Top 100 victories were by 1, 4, and 1. This game has down-to-the-wire written all over it and I will gladly take the better team getting points.
College Basketball Best Bet: Nebraska +3 (Ceasars)
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Southern Jaguars vs Prairie View Panthers 
In previous write-ups, I've let my positive feelings on Southern be known. While the Jags have only two lined wins this season, like most SWAC teams, their early season schedule is filled with Power 5 buy games. On the positive side, Southern is undefeated at home and started SWAC play with an 11-point victory over No. 333 Texas Southern on Saturday. At No. 295, PV represents a somewhat stiffer challenge, but the Panthers have yet to record a road win. Southern has won six straight in this series by an average of just under 10 points. I don't love the value here, but with all signs pointing to a likely straight-up victory by the Jaguars, I'm willing to take a chance on the cover as well.
College Basketball Best Bet: Southern -7.5 (DraftKings)
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Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at McNeese Cowboys 
This one has the makings of a great Southland Conference game. After a weird three-year stint in the WAC, No. 117 SFA returned to the Southland last year and enters this contest 5-0 in conference play with three road victories already. No. 66 McNeese is the reigning big dog in the league and is looking to even things up atop the conference standings with a victory tonight. The Cowboys are 2-1 against teams in the KenPom 100s with games decided by 10, 4, and 2 while SFA's two losses were by 2 and 5. The high-flying Cowboys took advantage of a down Lumberjacks squad last year, and I see this one being an intense, hard-fought, single-digit contest as SFA tries to make an early statement.
College Basketball Best Bet: Stephen F. Austin +10.5 (BetRivers)
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Monday College Basketball Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best college basketball bets for Monday, January 5:
- Nebraska +3 (Ceasars)
- Southern -7.5 (DraftKings)
- Stephen F. Austin +10.5 (BetRivers)
For up-to-date information on the latest college basketball betting odds and props from multiple sources, check out the college basketball odds page on RotoWire.
