Top College Basketball Best Bets for Today
We're back for another Sunday of fun. The college hoops powers that be are crushing it with the early season scheduling, as there are phenomenal games day after day, after day. For example, today we are treated to Houston v Auburn, UNLV v Memphis, Florida v Miami, and my personal favorite, USF v Kennesaw State, where both teams will honor the late, great Amir Abdur-Rahim. While none of those games will graze my selections for today, it is still awesome to know they are out there for our entertainment.
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Hampton Pirates vs Holy Cross Crusaders 
Hampton took a big leap in coach Ivan Thomas' first year and are off to a solid start this season with a solid road win at KenPom No. 285 Brown and hard-fought four-point loss at No. 193 Milwaukee. At No. 343, Holy Cross is the worst of the teams on their schedule so far, and while the Crusaders seem to be building in a positive direction, they are a team that is likely a year away from making noise (assuming the portal doesn't rip their core apart). At this point in their respective programs, Hampton is further ahead, and I see a comfortable neutral-court win for the Pirates today.
College Basketball Best Bet: Hampton -4.5 (universal)
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Colorado State Rams at Loyola Chicago Ramblers 
Public sentiment says this is going to be a magical year for the Ramblers as they honor the passing of Sister Jean. While that is a touching thought, sometimes sports do not cooperate. Loyola has taken a dip in Drew Valentine's tenure, and this year's team might be his least talented on paper. Loyola has a horrible, 18-point home loss to No. 321 Mercyhurst and have looked overmatched against superior teams of North Texas and Wichita State. At No. 67, Colorado State is coming into town as their best opponent to date, and the Rams are rolling with the handoff to Ali Farokhmanesh. This is the Rams' first road game, and Loyola is the highest rated opponent to date, and those factors did give me a brief pause. However, I believe CSU is the far superior team and will handle this small line.
College Basketball Best Bet: Colorado St. -4.5 (universal)
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Troy Trojans at CSUN Matadors 
My last selection for the day takes us out west for a fun match up between the Sun Belt and Big West. The Trojans have already proven to be road warriors with impressive wins at No. 132 Kent State and No. 188 Furman. Their lone loss was at undefeated No. 107 Loyola Marymount, who looks very impressive so far. CSUN likes to play very fast (No. 6 in the nation in adj. tempo, per KenPom), but that philosophy can have disastrous results against superior teams, as highlighted by a 29-point loss at No. 98 Northern Iowa and a 22-point loss at No. 192 North Dakota State. At No. 123, Troy is a much better squad, and while this one is at home for the Matadors, I still see this being a double-digit loss.
College Basketball Best Bet: Troy -5.5 (universal)
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Sunday College Basketball Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best college basketball bets for Sunday, November 16:
- Hampton -4.5 (universal)
- Colorado St. -4.5 (universal)
- Troy -5.5 (universal)
For up-to-date information on the latest college basketball betting odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the college basketball odds page on RotoWire.
