Eric Uribe
A number of games round out the college basketball schedule on Wednesday night, but only a few select games are really worth betting. Find out our best NCAAB bets of December 15, 2021 in this article. We’ve done the hard research already and are giving you what we know for free!
Over/Under 154 Points: Northern Colorado Bears at No. 8 Arizona Wildcats
| Outcome |  |  |
| Over 154 points | -110 | -110 |
| Under 154 points | -110 | -110 |
The spread is set at 23.5 points in this contest by the top betting sites for college hoops. Lopsided lines like those are always a crapshoot, which is why we’re more interested in the over/under bet between Northern Colorado and Arizona. At a whopping 154 points, it’s the highest point total of Wednesday night.
That over/under is warranted because both of these offenses can absolutely score. Per KenPom, Arizona’s offensive efficiency is 112.9 points per 100 possessions — which would put them in the top-20 nationally. However, that scoring prowess shoots up while playing at home. The Wildcats have strung together five straight home wins, averaging 96.2 points in those contests.
But let’s not forget the Bears. Sure, maybe they aren’t facing the caliber of competition that ‘Zona is, but Northern Colorado has reached the 70-point mark in nine of 11 games played this season. They should be able to do that against a subpar defense like the Wildcats. We’re hammering the over here, no doubt about it!
Against The Spread: Central Florida Knights at Temple Eagles
| Team | | |
| UCF spread (-4) | -110 | -110 |
| Temple spread (+4) | -110 | -110 |
Despite having a four-game win streak over UCF, the top online sportsbooks have made Temple the against-the-spread underdogs in this opening conference tilt. In fact, the Knights haven’t beaten the Eagles on the road since February 2017 — almost five years ago now.
But hey, streaks are meant to be broken and that’s what we’re betting happens. Something we like about UCF is its experience. This early in the season, many teams like Temple are still “finding themselves.” That’s less of an issue for the Knights because its main core of players are familiar with one another. UCF is led by a senior trio of Darius Perry, Brandon Mahan and Cheikh Mbacke. Thus far into the season, the three seniors have combined to score 35 percent of the team’s points.
We think this game will be close, which will make UCF bettors sweat it out till the very end. But thanks to late-game free throws, the Knights should win by five or more to cover the spread.
Against The Spread: UC Irvine Anteaters at No. 10 USC Trojans
| Team | | |
| UC Irvine spread (+10.5) | -110 | -110 |
| USC spread (-10.5) | -110 | -110 |
This should be a good matchup between two west coast teams playing well. USC is a perfect 10-0 and has jumped out to No. 10 in the rankings. UC Irvine is a very respectable 5-2, hence why the against-the-spread line is only 10.5 points — it’s usually higher when ranked teams play mid-majors.
The matchup to look out for is between two forwards. Isaiah Mobley is the engine that drives the Trojans. This season he’s averaging 14.7 points and 9.8 rebounds — making a claim to NBA teams that he belongs in the league alongside his younger brother, Evan (third overall pick by Cleveland this past draft). For the Anteaters, it’s led by senior forward Collin Welp. This year, Welp is rivaling Mobley’s stats with averages of 12.6 points and 6.9 boards per contest.
We’re picking UC Irvine to cover based on its defense. It’s one of the stingiest in the entire nation, giving up just 54.6 points per game this year (the fourth-lowest figure among all D1 programs). And sure, the ranked Trojans are a huge step-up in competition for the Anteaters, but we think they’ll fare better than most expect.
Against The Spread: Nebraska Omaha Mavericks at UNLV Rebels
| Team | | |
| Nebraska Omaha spread (+19) | -110 | -110 |
| UNLV spread (-19) | -110 | -110 |
We’re actually stunned UNLV is getting 19 points on the spread from the oddsmakers. Look, we get it, it’s Omaha, but it needs to be said: the Runnin’ Rebs are a shell of themselves. Because of its name and history, many college hoops fans still think the program is one to be reckoned with. Spoiler alert: they’re not. UNLV is 6-5 this season and that includes double-digit losses to the likes of SMU and San Francisco.
We’re going to go out on a limb and pick the Mavericks to cover the spread. It’s not that we think Omaha is any good (they’re not, evident by its one win this season). We just think the Rebels aren’t good enough to win by 20 or more points.
How To Bet NCAA Basketball?
Wednesday is jam-packed with college basketball games and the bets we covered above are only a sliver of what’s available. For more bets on NCAA basketball, check out one of the sportsbooks listed underneath. You name an NCAAB wager — moneyline, spread, over/under, prop — and it’s likely offered at these bookmakers.
Better yet, these same betting sites have numerous sportsbook sign-up bonuses for free play available. We’ve outlined a few big-money deals currently up for grabs in the table below. As you can see, bonuses range from hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play. To claim your money, follow one of the links below.
