Best College Basketball Picks & Player Props Today (Dec. 29)

College basketball today has a sneaky-good Monday slate, and it’s the kind of night where a few heavy favorites can still be worth riding if you’re pairing them with the right player props and a clean three-leg parlay.

The board is built around elite home teams closing nonconference play, and that usually means pace, depth and late separation when the legs start to go. If you’re browsing sports betting apps for college basketball betting odds, this is a slate that sets up well for simple spread plays, a handful of points props and an assist-based parlay.

Game Lines

Houston Cougars -27.5 (-115) vs Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

🏀 Odds via bet365📈

Houston is built to bury teams at home because the Cougars defend at an NBA-level intensity for 40 minutes, then keep coming in waves offensively when opponents start to fade. Middle Tennessee is well-coached, but this is a brutal style matchup, especially in a true road environment where Houston tends to separate once the game hits the final 12 minutes.

Alabama Crimson Tide -16.5 (-110) vs Yale Bulldogs

🏀 Odds via BetMGM📈

Yale is good enough to make this interesting early, but Alabama’s edge is that it can score in bunches without needing perfect half-court execution because the Tide’s tempo creates extra possessions and easy points. Over the full game, the gap in athleticism, rim pressure and shot creation usually shows up, and it’s easy to see Alabama turning a tight first half into a comfortable win late.

Arizona Wildcats -32.5 (-110) vs San Diego State Aztecs

🏀 Odds via Caesars Sportsbook📈

This is less about undervaluing San Diego State and more about Arizona’s ability to blitz teams with depth and constant scoring options, especially when the Wildcats can turn missed shots into transition. San Diego State can be physical and organized, but if the Aztecs can’t generate consistent offense, Arizona can stretch this game quickly and keep stretching it with second-unit energy.

Player Props

Yaxel Lendeborg over 15.5 points (+102)

🏀 Odds via bet365📈

This number basically asks Lendeborg to be himself as a featured scoring option. Michigan should control the game environment at home, and Lendeborg’s mix of touch around the rim and strength through contact gives him a steady path to 16-plus without needing an outlier shooting night.

Braden Smith over 13.5 points (-120)

🏀 Odds via BetMGM📈

Kent State is tough and organized, but Purdue’s offense runs through Smith’s decision-making, and his scoring usually climbs when games open up into a guard-driven pace. If Kent State sells out to limit Purdue’s interior looks, that can naturally push more shot volume toward Smith as a shooter, driver and late-clock problem solver.

Milos Uzan over 11.5 points (-114)

🏀 Odds via Caesars Sportsbook📈

Uzan’s best scoring spots come when Houston is forcing turnovers, speeding teams up and getting into early offense before the defense is set. Even if Middle Tennessee tries to slow things down, Houston’s pressure tends to create extra possessions, and Uzan is in a prime role to turn those into points with drives, pull-ups and trips to the free throw line.

Koa Peat over 14.5 points (-118)

🏀 Odds via bet365📈

Peat has been a reliable finisher because Arizona puts him in advantageous spots, then lets his strength and touch do the rest. Against a San Diego State defense that can be stressed by pace and size, this is a clean number if Arizona plays to its identity and Peat gets his usual diet of paint touches plus a few easy ones in transition.

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Today’s Best Parlay

🏀 Combined Paylay Odds: +363 (via BetMGM)📈

• Leg 1: Fletcher Loyer over 1.5 assists

• Leg 2: Labaron Philon Jr. over 5.5 assists 

• Leg 3: Trey Kaufman-Renn over 1.5 assists

This parlay works because none of the legs require a player to be the primary scorer or rely on their own shots falling. Loyer and Kaufman-Renn can get there just by Purdue playing normal, connected offense, while Philon’s line is more of a role bet than a matchup bet since Alabama’s pace and spacing naturally create assist chances for its primary creator.

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If you’re hunting for the best college basketball bets today, this slate is a strong reminder that you don’t always need exotic angles to find value. A few trusted home favorites, a couple of points props tied to stable roles and a simple assist parlay can be a clean way to attack college basketball odds without overthinking it.

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All Odds as of 6:00 a.m. ET on Dec. 29