Daily Dunk: Best College Basketball Bets Today (Predictions for Washington-Illinois, Colorado-Iowa State, and More)

Bring out the brooms! We pulled off a 3-0 sweep in yesterday's edition of Daily Dunk, making it three-straight winning editions of the article. Last night, we cashed in on Texas, Fordham, and UCLA all to cover.

Let's see if we can have another profitable night tonight. I have my three bets locked in for Thursday's slate, so let's dive into them.

Best College Basketball Bets Today

Odds via BetMGM Sportsbook

Colorado +17.5 (-110) vs. Iowa State
Illinois -12.5 (-110) vs. Washington
Hawai'i/UC Irvine UNDER 140.5 (-105)

Colorado vs. Iowa State Prediction

Iowa State's biggest strength is forcing turnovers and getting points off those turnovers. The Cyclones rank third in the country in opponent turnovers per possession. They may not be able to get that to work in their favor tonight when they face a Colorado team that only turns the ball over on 13.7% of its possessions, which is the 18th lowest rate in the country.

The Buffaloes are also a solid shooting team, ranking 84th in effective field goal percentage. As long as they can hold things together defensively, they have a chance to keep this game within the number.

Pick: Colorado +17.5 (-110)

Washington vs. Illinois Prediction

Washington doesn't have the offense to hang with Illinois on the road tonight. The Huskies rank just 224th in the country in effective field goal percentage, well below Illinois, which comes in at 32nd. To make matters worse for Washington, the Huskies are primarily a three-point shooting team, but now they have to take on a Fighting Illini team that ranks 27th in three-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot just 46.4% from beyond the arc.

Illinois has been dominant on its home court this season, sporting in average scoring margin of +24.1 when playing at home. I expect another lopsided victory in their favor tonight.

Pick: Illinois -12.5 (-110)

Hawai'i vs. UC Irvine Prediction

Believe it or not, Hawai'i leads all of college basketball in defensive efficiency so far this season. UC Irvine is also one of the best defensive teams, coming in at 16th in that stat. These two teams also rank 11th and 15th in opponent floor%, keeping their opponent's scoreless possessions at a high rate.

Not only are these two teams two of the best defensive teams college basketball has to offer, but the Anteaters are also one of the worst offensively, ranking 287th in effective field goal percentage. This game has all the signs of being a low-scoring affair.

Pick: UNDER 140.5 (-105)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!