Best Monday College Basketball Bets: CBB Top Picks Ahead of Christmas Break

The closer we get to Christmas, the more college basketball teams are fitting in their “getaway games” right before their brief vacation.

They’ve flooded the area with games since Saturday, and Monday represents the last jam-packed day of college hoops watching and betting before things die down.

Let’s not waste any time and jump into our three best bets of the day.

Davidson vs. No. 17 Kansas

There are reasons to be hesitant about the Jayhawks. They certainly have some nice wins under their belt against Tennessee and Missouri, but they never seem to put a game out of reach in the first half this year. Even in their most recent win against Towson, it was a nine-point game with less than 19 minutes left before Kansas really stepped on the gas.

It would be a surprise if oft-injured freshman star Darryn Peterson played in this one instead of Kansas preparing him for Big 12 play. And Davidson is no ordinary mid-range opponent, but an 8-3 member of the Atlantic-10 that knocked out Washington State and Boston College.

The spread is perfectly set at a number that will make you stop and think about it. Nonetheless, we’re going to choose the blue blood to take care of business in this regard. Davidson isn’t much of a rebounding team and we expect Flory Bidunga to control the game on the boards, giving Kansas more extra opportunities.

Our pick: Kansas -17.5 to -110 (FanDuel)

Missouri vs. Illinois #18

Illinois has won three of the last four Braggin’ Rights games, now played annually in St. Louis. In classic college sports fashion, you have a group of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma natives suiting up for the Tigers and a group of players from Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro wearing Illini orange tonight.

At this point, Illinois has several grown men with professional experience on its side. Does this always result in victories? No – Nebraska just stunned them with a 3-pointer at the buzzer on December 13. Missouri is 10-2, and it’s not the worst idea to take a flyer on the Tigers moneyline at +315 over Fanduel.

However, the biggest mismatch here is Illinois’ offense — ranked No. 4 in Division I by KenPom.com — versus Missouri’s defense, outside the top 100 in KenPom rankings. Mizzou has given up 77 points to the likes of Alabama State this month. That alone makes me turn to Team Accessories for an easy choice.

Our Pick: Illinois will score over 82.5 points at -104 (FanDuel)

Northern Iowa vs. Saint Mary’s

Let’s not forget Saint Mary’s, that small college in NorCal that is Gonzaga’s biggest rival in the West Coast Conference and is now generally ranked in the AP Top 25. Had it not been for a one-point loss to Boise State a week ago, the Gaels would be 11-1 with their only blemish coming against undefeated Vanderbilt.

Saint Mary’s hosts Northern Iowa, a legitimate contender in the Missouri Valley, for what could be the middle game of the day. The Gaels are favorites between 11.5 and 12.5 points, but the emphasis should be on over/under.

Northern Iowa’s strength lies in its stifling defense, a team that ranks second in D1 with 57.6 points per game allowed and 11th with 37.3 percent field goal shooting allowed. Saint Mary’s isn’t far behind, ranking in the top 30 in both categories. And KenPom data shows that both teams like to play at a slower pace, reducing the total number of possessions in this game.

Our pick: Under 131.5 Total points scored at -108 (DraftKings)