College Basketball Best Bets: Tonight's Predictions, Cooper Flagg Player Prop & ATS Picks

College basketball has returned. And the opening night of college hoops has a few marquee matchups worth watching.

No. 6 Gonzaga and No. 8 Baylor will face off in a matchup of March Madness odds contenders that should feature plenty of scoring. No. 19 Texas and Ohio State will battle under the bright lights in Las Vegas, while Cooper Flagg will make his much-anticipated debut for No. 7 Duke.

Our college basketball bets for Monday help make the most of an intriguing opening slate of the 2024-25 college hoops season.

Best college basketball player props & ATS predictions for Monday

College basketball odds subject to change. Pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale.

• Cooper Flagg Under 7.5 rebounds () ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Louisville -18.5 () vs. Morehead State ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Ohio State +3 (-115 via DraftKings) vs. Texas ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Baylor vs. Gonzaga Over 156.5 () ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Monday's marquee college basketball odds & schedule

(Odds via BetMGM)

• No. 13 Texas A&M (-4.5) vs. UCF
• Maine vs. No. 7 Duke (-28.5)
• Missouri vs. Memphis (-4.5)
• Howard vs. No. 1 Kansas (25.5)
• Jackson St. vs. No. 4 Houston (-34.5)
• UNC Asheville vs. No. 2 Alabama (24.5)
• No. 19 Texas (-2.5) vs. Ohio State
• No. 8 Baylor vs. No. 6 Gonzaga (-3.5)

College basketball props for Monday

College basketball picks odds subject to change. Our NEW player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds on any market across legal sportsbooks in your area!

Cooper Flagg Under 7.5 rebounds ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -140 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 58.33%

Flagg, who could be the No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA draft, will make his collegiate debut for Duke on Monday. With his points prop trading at a fair total of 16.5, I’m targeting Under 7.5 rebounds as my favorite bet for Flagg’s opener against Maine.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see this line close at 6.5. It’s not that Flagg, a 6-foot-9 wing, can’t grab boards; it’s more that he will face stiff competition from his teammates. 

Duke doesn’t have a starter shorter than 6-foot-5. Freshman center Khaman Maluach, who is 7-foot-1, grabbed 11 rebounds in an exhibition game against Lincoln. For comparison, Flagg finished with two boards against Lincoln and four rebounds against Arizona State.

Add in the blowout potential, and I’m comfortable taking the Under on 7.5 rebounds for Flagg.

College basketball game predictions for Monday

Louisville to cover the spread (-18.5) vs. Morehead State ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -108 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 51.92%

The Kenny Payne era is over after just 12 wins in two years. Pat Kelsey is now the head coach at Louisville after winning 68.1% of his games at the College of Charleston and Winthrop over the last 12 seasons.

The Cardinals might not be immediate ACC contenders, but I expect them to take care of business against inferior teams, especially when they have a talent advantage. Kelsey went 53-6 against Quad 3 and Quad 4 teams in the last two years at Charleston.

The spread for this game has moved in Louisville’s favor since opening at 17, but I’m laying up to -19.5 with the Cardinals in Kelsey’s debut.

Ohio State to cover the spread (+3) vs. Texas ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -115 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 53.49%

I’m interested in fading No. 19 Texas early because I don’t think it deserves to be a top-20 team entering the year. 

The Longhorns overhauled their roster in the offseason, replacing eight scholarship players with six transfers. I expect growing pains to begin the year, particularly since the roster features multiple ball-dominant players.

Ohio State, meanwhile, brings its leading scorer back in Bruce Thornton after he averaged 15.7 points per game. Monday’s opener projects to be a toss-up, which is why the spread has dropped from +3 to +2.5 at most of our best March Madness betting sites. 

I’m taking the +3 before it’s too late.

Baylor vs. Gonzaga Over 156.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -110 via Caesars | Implied probability: 52.38%

The total opened a few points lower than this mark, but it still hasn’t moved enough. Baylor and Gonzaga are two elite offensive teams and will showcase that inside Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on Monday.

Baylor has ranked in the top eight in adjusted offensive efficiency for four straight seasons while ranking 72nd or worse in defensive efficiency in the previous two years. Gonzaga has been in the top five in offensive efficiency every year since 2019.

With a projection north of 160, this Over is playable at 158 or better.

March Madness betting odds pages

Here are our best March Madness betting sites:

• Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUSDYW | Read our Caesars Review
• BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
• bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
• FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
• DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review

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* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.

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Related pages

• Best Sports Betting Sites | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only)