Our free College Basketball picks are out for Tuesday, November 30th, 2021! Make sure you check our expert College Basketball picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free College Basketball picks for the best games on today’s schedule!
Presbyterian @ #13 Tennessee – 7pm ET
The 4-1 Tennessee Volunteers welcome the 5-2 college of Presbyterian to Knoxville for this primetime non-conference matchup. Tennessee will be looking to get to SEC conference play without taking another loss. While Presbyterian will be looking for a big top 25 upset on the road.
Denis Kirilov
Tennessee showed some improved playing style since the start of the season. They stand at 4-1 at the moment which puts them in the undesirable 11th place in the Southeastern Conference. However, this is expected, since most of the teams are seeded and just a single loss can put the team miles away from 1st place. Tennessee suffered a defeat against Villanova in their third match for the season which mainly happened due to their awful performance in the first half where they scored just 15 points. In their other meetings, the Volunteers have been quite merciless and they even outclassed North Carolina by 17 points.
Presbyterian is performing really well so far as the team tops the Big South with 5 wins and 2 losses. They have lost to Clemson and Cincinnati who are far better than them, but the Blue Hose managed to defeat all the other teams of their caliber. Their best performing player in the face of Rayshon Harrison averages 21.3 points per game which is a fantastic achievement so far. However, in their most difficult matchups, he has been held under 16 points and under 40% from the field. He managed to sink in 3 shots against Clemson resulting in 12 points in total on a 3-16 shooting. Harrison dropped just 16 points against Cincinnati on 6-15 shooting from the field. He has been struggling from the 3-point line as well and I think this gives me enough confidence to choose Tennessee’s spread in this one.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Tennessee -24.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Presbyterian has actually had a pretty good year so far, coming into this one at 5-2, including being on a current three-game winning streak, all coming down in New Orleans over the holiday, giving them the title of the University of New Orleans Classic. I think they can keep this one close, but I don’t see a way they manage to pull off the upset here.
The November finale.
13th-ranked @Vol_Hoops wraps up the opening month of the season Tuesday night, playing host to Presbyterian at 7pm ET.https://t.co/egB4zUdE0f
— Tennessee Athletics (@Vol_Sports) November 29, 2021
Tennessee is entering at number 13 in the latest polls, and with star freshman Kennedy Chandler leading the way for the Vols, I think they roll with relative ease. Tennessee does have a loss to Villanova on the year, and it came by double-digits, which makes me question whether they’re ready for some of the countries elite teams, but against mediocre teams, and I think the Presbyterian Blue Hose are one, Tennessee takes care of business at home.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Tennessee -24.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The College Of Presbyterian comes into this game with a decent record of 5-2 to start the season. They are currently on a three-game winning streak having picked up victories over VMI, New Orleans, and Central Arkansas by a combined total of 16 points. Those three wins captured them first place in the University Of New Orleans Classic that was held over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Tennessee Volunteers come into this game sporting a record of 4-1 on the year as their lone loss came to the Villanova Wildcats by a score of 71-53. Since that loss, they have won their last two games, one of which came against North Carolina that won them a third-place finish in the Cheez-It Hall Of Fame Classic. As for the result of this game, the Tennessee Volunteers in my opinion will end up with the victory at home in this contest.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Tennessee -24.5 (-110)
Maryland Eastern Shore @ #17 UConn – 7pm ET
2-4 Maryland-Eastern Shore heads north to Connecticut to play the 6-1 UConn Huskies. Maryland Eastern Shore is coming off of a loss to Liberty that extended their losing streak to 2 games. Meanwhile, UConn picked up a win over VCU in their last game.
Denis Kirilov
Maryland Eastern Shore is 2-4 at the moment which is probably a better start than expected. They made an upset against Fordham in their 4th game of the season and they put up a good fight against the rest of their opponents like Saint Josephs, Campbell, and Liberty. They are losing by an average of around 10 points which should be considered a great achievement having in mind the teams they are coming up against. UConn will surely be their toughest meeting so far, but after their great start, the Huskies’ performance slightly dropped. They lost to Michigan State a couple of days ago and at the same time, they were forced into overtime against Auburn and VCU Rams.
In my opinion, UConn will easily close out this game against Maryland Eastern Shore. It’s also likely to see yet another great performance from Adama Sanogo and R.J. Cole. However, I don’t think they will be able to keep the high level throughout the whole game in order to cover the spread. For me, Maryland Eastern Shore knows how to defend and they will do their best to not get whitewashed by more than 30 points in their sixth road game for this season.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Maryland Eastern Shore +35 (-105)
Noah Dunlap
UConn rolls in this one against an overmatched Maryland-Eastern Shore team. The Hawks enter this one at 2-4 on the season, including back-to-back double-digit losses to less than stellar teams in Liberty and Campbell. A matchup against a UConn team that is playing better than many expected coming into the year isn’t the kind of game Maryland-Eastern Shore needed if they were trying to get back on the right track.
With UConn coming in at 5-1, and the only loss being to Michigan State in a close matchup, as they only dropped the game by four. Now, being number 17 nationally should have them feeling good about themselves as they have all the momentum in the world coming into this one. They take this one with ease, so feel confident taking the Huskies and the points.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: UConn Covers -35 (-115)
Tony Battalio
Maryland-Eastern Shore comes into this contest with a record of 2-4 on the season, as they have not gotten off to the start they had hoped for. They also come into this game on a two-game losing streak after being defeated by Liberty and Campbell by double digits in both games. They are a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. This game against the UConn Huskies is by far their toughest test of the 2021-22 regular season.
The previously mentioned Connecticut Huskies come to this game nationally ranked and with a record of 6-1 on the season. They opened up the season with a five-game winning streak before falling to Michigan State in their last game. Following the loss to the Spartans, a defeated Virginia Commonwealth in order to claim a third-place finish in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. This is a game that the Huskies should control from start to finish as they look to repeat their earlier five-game win streak by adding another victory here.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: UConn -35 (-115)
Florida State @ #2 Purdue – 7:30pm ET
The first game of the 2021 Big Ten/ACC Challenge pits two of the conferences’ best teams against one another in this ranked match-up. The Purdue Boilermakers put their undefeated record on the line as they welcome in 5-1 Florida State to West Lafayette, Indiana.
Denis Kirilov
The upcoming fixture between Florida State and Purdue will be a very interesting one for the neutral fan of the NCAA. Purdue is now ranked 2nd as they managed to sweep everyone that came their way including Villanova and North Carolina. The team has also been relentless in the rest of their games winning by 30-35 points on average. Zach Edey, Jaden Ivey, Trevion Williams, and Sasha Stefanovic have had a fantastic campaign so far as all of them have dropped at least 13 points on average. The team looks amazing as they set their eyes on their first NCAA Tournament trophy. They have managed to reach the final just once back in 1969.
Florida State, on the other hand, suffered an unpleasant loss to Florida in their second game of the season. They have displayed fantastic performance against their toughest opponents in the likes of Missouri and Loyola Marymount. However, their take on the games where they had to face far easier teams can be described by just one word – underestimation. They barely defeated Boston University in their last match, while the Seminoles managed to just score 59 points against Tulane. For me, Purdue shouldn’t have trouble in winning this upcoming fixture as they are by far the better team. I also think they will be able to cover the spread with ease.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Purdue -11.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Florida State is finally playing better basketball following an ugly beatdown by their in-state rival, the Florida Gators. They’re certain to want to play a slowed-down, physical style of basketball which Leonard Hamilton has made a staple during his time in Tallahassee. The only problem is that playing in the Big Ten, that’s exactly the kind of basketball that Purdue wants to play as well.
Ready for the CHALLENGE.
The ‘Noles are coming to town. pic.twitter.com/W8P8LsXSyy
— Purdue Mens Basketball (@BoilerBall) November 28, 2021
To me, this one ends up coming down to whether you think technical ball wins, or whether you think superior athletes can get the job done. I think Purdue has the better actual basketball players, but FSU absolutely has better athletes. In a game that ends up being extremely tight, certainly not enough for the line to be at 11.5, and quite possibly low-scoring, I like the Boilermakers to get a big-time non-conference win at home over the Seminoles, in one that is certain to impress the committee when the time comes at the end of the season.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Florida State +11.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
This game has the potential to be the best one of the Tuesday night slate as it will kick off the second night of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Florida State Seminoles travel to West Lafayette with their 5-1 Record looking to be the first team to beat the Purdue Boilermakers this season. Florida State’s lone loss of the season came against their in-state rivals, the Florida Gators in blowout fashion. However, since that loss to the Gators the Seminoles have won four games in a row, by a total of 56 points, on their way to a Jacksonville Classic Championship.
Purdue comes into this match-up with an undefeated record of 6-0, and potentially having a case to be the number one ranked team in the country. They have already racked up a couple of top 25 wins by defeating the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels in back-to-back games, to win the Cheez-It Tip-Off Hall Of Fame Classic. This game is likely to go right down to the wire and maybe even into overtime. However, when the final buzzer sounds, I have the Purdue Boilermakers extending their season-opening win streak to seven games with a big home win.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Purdue (-720)
Northwestern State @ #15 Houston – 8pm ET
Northwestern State takes on the nationally-ranked Houston Cougars looking to improve upon their 1-6 start to the year. While the Houston Cougars look for another win to close out the month of November and continue to build upon their 5-1 record to start the year.
Denis Kirilov
Northwestern State has had a disappointing run at the beginning of the NCAA season. They are 1-6 which puts them second-to-last in the Southland Conference, just above Incarnate Word. The team depends much on a single player in the face of Kendal Coleman. He leads the Demons in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks. However, he has one of the worst free-throw percentages in the College League so far scoring just 4 out of 18 attempts. The center is not some big guy as well, as he is 6’8’’, weighing 220 lbs.
The 15th-seeded, Houston, suffered an upset against Wisconsin last Tuesday. They reached the semifinals last year where they lost to Baylor by 19 points after a weak first half. This was also the case against Wisconsin as the Cougars managed to drop just 20 points after the first 20 minutes of play. However, they were quite dominant in the rest of their meetings as they whitewashed Oregon, Butler, and Virginia. For me, Houston’s ambition to repeat their performance from last year is still legit and they will need to make a serious statement in the upcoming games. They are yet to score more than 80 points in regulation, so I think this is a perfect opportunity for them. I will have the Houston Cougars to cover their spread in this one.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Houston -31.5 (-118)
Noah Dunlap
Houston has been one of the more impressive teams in college basketball so far this season, as they enter at 5-1, with the only loss coming to Wisconsin in a two-point ballgame in the finals of the Maui Invitational. The offense has played pretty well for the Cougars so far, and the defense has made a habit of stepping up in a big way. That isn’t changing as they welcome in Northwestern State.
For the Demons, they come into this one at 1-6, and honestly, I think they’re just ready to get to conference play, as over the next month or so they also have games against Baylor, LSU, and Texas A&M. When you’re sitting at 1-6 against largely lesser competition, looking up and realizing that you still have that non-conference gauntlet left is something that can absolutely deflate any type of confidence you may have had coming in. I look for Houston to come out and just obliterate a Northwestern State team that has already looked beaten for much of the year, and they haven’t come anywhere close to playing the type of talent they’re about to get in the Houston Cougars.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Houston -31.5 (-118)
Tony Battalio
The Houston Cougars come into this game off of a third-place finish in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational Tournament. Their lone loss came in the semi-finals of the tournament to the eventual champions, the Wisconsin Badgers by a score of 65-63 in a wild ending. In their five victories, this season the Houston Cougars have an average margin of victory of 21.6 points, which is among the best in the country. They look to be the early season favorite in the American Athletic Conference as we near the start of conference play.
Northwestern State is a small school from the state of Louisiana, and they play in the Southland Conference. Their season has not gotten off to the best start as they come into this game with a record of 1-6 through their first seven games of the year. The Demons are currently on a four-game losing streak that does not seem to be ending anytime soon. Following this game against Houston, matchups against LSU and Baylor await them in the month of December. As for the result of this game, the Cougars should control this one from start to finish en route to a big home win, extending their winning streak to two games in the process.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Houston -31.5 (-118)
#1 Duke @ Ohio State – 9:30pm ET
The second game of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge sees the undefeated Duke Blue Devils travel to Columbus, Ohio to play their first game following their win over Gonzaga. As the Ohio State Buckeyes look to rebound from a slow start to hand Duke their first loss in the final season of Coach K’s legendary career.
Denis Kirilov
In one of the most compelling matchups on Tuesday night in the NCAA, Ohio State hosts the top-seeded and undefeated, Duke. Ohio State is coming into this game after some unpleasant losses against Xavier and Florida. They even had a hard time against Akron in their opening game for the campaign, winning by just a single point. They are certainly a top team in the League, but at the moment they are struggling to find their winning rhythm. The Buckeyes are 4-2 which puts them in 12th place in the Big Ten.
Duke, on the other hand, has been merciless so far. They defeated Kentucky in their opening match by 8 points and they managed to transfer this performance to the most important game in the regular season against the ex-#1, Gonzaga, beating them by just 3 points. The team also showed masterclass in the rest of their matches so far, which surely makes them a top contender for the title. They will look to get their sixth title in Mike Krzyzewski’s 42nd and last season as a head coach of the Blue Devils. At least, I expect them to be quite consistent throughout the whole season and not suffer any mood swings like their upcoming opponent. For me, Duke should be able to close out the game and take their 8th straight win for the season. I will have them cover the spread for a higher value.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Duke -2.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Duke has the best resume of any team in college basketball this year, which is why they’re currently ranked number one in the country. With wins over Kentucky and Gonzaga already on the young season, being led by Paulo Banchero, this Blue Devils squad absolutely looks like a title contender in Coach K’s final season on the sidelines. However, coming into the year, I thought this was a game that could give Duke some issues, as it’s their first true road test of the year, and it was supposed to be against a ranked Ohio State team.
Sources: ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️ uni at Ohio State
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 29, 2021
That is until OSU decided to struggle to open the year. The Buckeyes have looked shaky all year, including an opening night thriller to Akron, in a game they almost lost. They still come into this one at 4-2, but with losses to Florida and Xavier, and a narrow win over the Pirates from Seton Hall, I’m not sure that they’re ready for any of the country’s best teams, and well, Duke might just be the best. The Blue Devils get a win in this one, but it’s one that I think stays reasonably close for much of the game. However, with the line sitting at 2.5 right now, I think you can still be comfortable in taking Due and the points in this one.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Duke -2.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The Duke Blue Devils are off to a fantastic start and hold multiple wins over top 5 teams in the country. They are coming off of a huge win against the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Black Friday, who were the top team in the nation at the time. Adding to that, they opened up the season with a big win over a top ten Kentucky squad in the State Farm Champions Classic. Led by standout Freshman Paulo Banchero, they have their sights set on a national championship to give Coach K the proper send-off in his swan song season. Outside of the neutral-site game with Gonzaga, this will be Duke’s first true road game, it will be a much-needed test for the young Blue Devils before getting into Atlantic Coast Conference play in about a month’s time.
The Ohio State Buckeyes came into the season nationally ranked in the top 25 but have since fallen out after a rough start to the year. It took a buzzer-beater to down-instate companion Akron on opening night, followed by a close call against Niagara and a blowout of Bowling Green just to get to a record of 3-0 on the year. After that is when things went downhill as they were beaten by another fellow Ohio school, Xavier nearly lost to Seton Hall and then fell to the Florida Gators at the buzzer. All that chaos has them coming into this game with a record of 4-2 on the year as they will face their toughest test yet. As for the result of this one, Duke will come out with a win on the road, despite being the underdog according to ESPN, which makes this a great bet. Jumping on the Duke Moneyline is the right call in this one.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Duke -2.5 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
