This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series.
With events like the Charleston Classic and Legends Classic tipping off, Thursday's college hoops slate brings us an abundance of neutral site action. Steve Peralta, now on a six-day streak with profitable picks, breaks down a pair of matchups and shares his best bets for the day.
St. Bonaventure vs. 
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State has posted middling results in recent years, finishing with a winning record during Big 12 play in just one season since head coach Mike Boynton was hired in 2018. The wins haven't come as often as the Cowboys would like, but one thing is clear, Oklahoma State has evolved into a defensive-oriented team under coach Boynton, finishing in the top 20 of adjusted defensive efficiency in each of the past three seasons. The offense for 2023-24 is once again a huge question mark, currently ranked 114th on KenPom's efficiency chart, so the defense will need to maintain its high level of play in order for the Cowboys to find success.
This partially explains how Oklahoma State lost to Abilene Christian in the season opener, 64-59, as 10-point home favorites. The Cowboys fell behind by as many as 18 points in the second half, making it hard to spin the performance in any positive way for Oklahoma State. To be fair, the Cowboys did have a solid bounce-back performance against Sam Houston State in the following game, making 17 shots from behind the arc en route to an 85-70 victory. We don't want to minimize this last performance, but it also hasn't happened very often. Oklahoma State has had inconsistent offensive production for the last couple of years, finishing with the worst or second-worst offensive efficiency rating among all Big 12 teams in each of the past two seasons, both overall and within conference play.
St. Bonaventure has similarly had mixed results thus far in the new college hoops season. The Bonnies slipped by Longwood, 73-69, in the season opener at home, but then lost by three points to Canisius, 70-67, in their second game, also at home. St. Bonaventure returns all five starters and 90 percent of the scoring from its 2022-23 squad, which combined adds up to 725 career games and 562 starts at the D1 level. Given these numbers, it's no surprise that the Bonnies in fact rank first in experience among all D1 teams. St. Bonaventure wasn't great on offense last year, but senior point guard Mika Adams-Woods joined the team this season and was inserted into the starting lineup, and now the Bonnies' scoring efficiency numbers are much higher up to this point in the season. Maintaining a high level of offensive play is key because St. Bonaventure is already sturdy on defense. Last year, St. Bonaventure held opponents under 30 percent from behind the arc and held Longwood to 3-for-17 in the season-opener, so all signs indicate its stingy defense is back at full force this season.
Overall, based on the strengths of each team, it's hard to expect a lot of scoring in this matchup. The number isn't very high, understandably so, but I'm taking my chance with the under in this one. Additionally, I'm also going with the underdog. In the last two seasons, the Bonnies are 6-3 vs. power conference foes, including a victory vs. Notre Dame last season, and victories over Clemson, Marquette, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Virginia two seasons ago. This program isn't phased by playing power conference teams. I'll take the points in this game while we're at it.
College Basketball Best Bet: Under 135.5 and St. Bonaventure +3.5
Utah vs. 
Wake Forest
Utah had a somewhat disappointing campaign a season ago, finishing the year at 17-15, but its outlook is significantly more optimistic for 2023-24. Among all D1 teams this season, Utah ranks 97th in experience, 91st in roster continuity, and second in average height. These are great numbers from a team composition standpoint, and the on-court performance backs it up. Utah enters Thursday sitting at No. 35 on KenPom's overall efficiency chart, ranking 40th in offense and 35th in defense. Needless to say, Utah has the potential to have a great season.
Wake Forest, on the other hand, can't boast the same balanced playing style. The Demon Deacons rank 39th in offense, and 125th in defense, yielding an overall efficiency ranking of 72. The Demon Deacons rank 71st in average height and they rank close to the D1 average in experience and returning minutes, so Utah has an advantage in nearly every key category, except for offense, which is mostly on the same level as Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons flashed their offensive ceiling in the season opener against Elon, winning 101-78, but then they couldn't score enough points in the following game when they lost at Georgia, 80-77. Utah's defense rates higher in efficiency than Georgia's, so it's not very likely that Wake Forest will fare any better on offense.
All things considered, Utah is clearly a better team compared to Wake Forest through the first week of the new college hoops season. Wake Forest is great at scoring, so it's certainly capable of pulling an upset, but at this point in the season, I'm confidently laying the points with Utah.
College Basketball Best Bet: Utah -4.5
Thursday College Basketball Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best college basketball bets for Thursday:
- St. Bonaventure vs. Oklahoma St. - Under 135.5
- St. Bonaventure +3.5
- Utah -4.5
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.
ESPN BET is officially live as of November 2023. Sign up with the ESPN BET promo code ROTO for $250 in bonus bets!
