Best College Basketball Picks & Player Props Today (Dec. 30)

Written By Blaise Bourgeois | Published at December 30, 2025

Dec 30, 2023:NCAA Mens' Basketball, UNCW 90:106 Ark- Razorbacks G Keyon Menifield Jr. (1) laysup during the game at Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville, AR.

All ten ranked teams won on Monday, and with five more in action today, college basketball is truly in full swing. Tonight, we have #7 Gonzaga, #12 UNC, #13 Nebraska, #16 Louisville, and #19 Tennessee in action.

Except for Louisville, who face unranked 12-1 California in their first game of ACC play, all ranked teams are favored by double digits, with three teams having absolutely massive lines in their favor. Will tonight be the night one of the superpowers gets crushed by an underdog, or will it be business as usual?

Today, we bring you our college basketball best bets for December 30. Before you put any money on the action, check out our favorite sports betting apps to ensure that you're getting the best price for your bets.

College Basketball Game Lines

Florida State @ #12 UNC Over 163.5 (-110)

🏀 Odds via DraftKings 📈

In the last 24 hours, sharps have been smashing the over. The line has shifted four points, up from 159.5 to 163.5, and will probably continue to rise as it gets closer to game time.

Last season, these two teams played to a 96-85 barnburner, and Florida State are playing with one of the fastest tempos in all of college basketball this time around. Smash the over while the number is still low.

#16 Louisville -8.5 @ California (-115)

🏀 Odds via FanDuel 📈

Sure, California is 12-1 to start the season as they enter ACC play. But take a closer look. Who have they beaten?

Outside of a decent win against UCLA, the answer is essentially: nobody. Listing their wins off is a bit like rambling off the answers to trivia questions: CSUB, Wright State, CSUF, Presbyterian, Sacramento State, UCLA, Utah, Pacific, Dominican, Northwestern State, Morgan State, and Columbia. Who the heck is Dominican? (A Division II team in California).

Louisville, meanwhile, are one of the highest-scoring teams in the country, putting in over 90 points per game so far.

The line has already shifted significantly in Louisville's favor and will probably be around double digits at tipoff.

South Carolina State +44.5 @ #19 Tennessee (-105)

🏀 Odds via FanDuel 📈

Okay, so South Carolina State are, by far, one of the worst Division I schools in the country. The Bulldogs are 1-13 and their only win came against Brewton-Parker College, an NAIA school with roughly 1,200 students. They only won by 14 points.

While they're clearly bad, SC State has not been blown out by big numbers many times this season. Sure, they got killed by Louisville, but the Cardinals are one of the highest-scoring teams in the country, and it was their first game of the season. Even against South Carolina last week, they managed to keep the deficit to a respectable 25 points.

We don't think Tennessee is going to lay all the lumber on a cupcake tonight, especially with a road trip to #18 Arkansas to start their SEC season coming up this Saturday. We think it'll be a very easy victory, but 45 points? No way.

College Basketball Player Props

Ryan Conwell 20+ Points (-110)

🏀 Odds via DraftKings 📈

Conwell and Louisville will be keen to send a message to the rest of the ACC to begin conference play. Against a severely overrated school like California, Conwell and the Cardinals could have a field day.

He's hoisted over 15 shots in each of his last two games and we expect him to be the main man again tonight.

Mikel Brown Jr. Under 15.5 Points (-105)

🏀 Odds via FanDuel 📈

Who do you think Conwell has been "stealing" his shot attempts from? Brown is 5-for-17 shooting from the floor in his last two games and has seen his minutes go down. We think he'll probably get close to 15 points, but we're leaning under.