Daily Dunk: Best College Basketball Bets Today (Predictions for Indiana-Purdue, VCU-Saint Louis, and More)

There's no better way to start a weekend by cashing in on a few college basketball bets, so that's what I'm going to try to do in today's edition of the Daily Dunk.

There's a couple of interesting matchups involving ranked teams tonight, but there's also a game Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference that I think has plenty of value. Let's dive into them.

Best College Basketball Bets Today

Odds via BetMGM Sportsbook

Saint Louis -7.5 (-110) vs. VCU
Siena +3.5 (-105) vs. Merrimack
Indiana +11.5 (-105) vs. Purdue

VCU vs. Saint Louis Prediction

In my opinion, 7.5 points would be around the right spread if this were played at a neutral site, but with Saint Louis on its home court, it's a point or two off. Saint Louis is a force to be reckoned with at home, sporting an effective field goal percentage of 63.4% and an average win margin of +25.9.

VCU is a very solid team and deserving of an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament if it doesn't win the conference tournament, but I don't think the Rams quite have the skill to hang with this unbelievably solid Billikens team. VCU ranks 51st in eFG% and 65th in VCU.

Saint Louis already beat VCU by nine points on the road, so with the Billikens back on their home court, I expect another comfortable win and cover.

Pick: Saint Louis -7.5 (-110)

Siena vs. Merrimack Prediction

I'm a bit surprised by Siena being the underdog in this matchup. The Saints outrank Merrimack in effective field goal percentage, defensive efficiency, and effective possession ratio.

Not only that, but Merrimack is the second-worst rebounding team in the country, grabbing just 42.6% of available boards. That could come back to haunt them tonight against a Siena team that grabs 52.2% of rebounds, which is the 76th best mark in college basketball.

I'll take the points with Siena.

Pick: Siena +3.5 (-105)

Indiana vs. Purdue Prediction

I think this Indiana team is much better than its record indicates. Not only do the Hoosiers rank 30th in the country in effective field goal percentage, but they're also 86th in defensive efficiency, which is four spots higher than Purdue's 89th.

Not only that, but Indiana has one of the highest three-point shot rates in the country, and now they get to face a Purdue team that ranks 124th in opponent three-point field goal percentage. There's a reason Indiana won the first game between these two teams, and it wasn't a fluke.

With the game set to take place on Purdue's home court, I'm not brave enough to bet Indiana to pull off another upset, but I'll certainly back them getting 10.5 points.

Pick: Indiana +11.5 (-105)

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