Best NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions (12/17): Hump Day College Hoops

Nate Hornung

Written by: Nate Hornung

Published: Wed Dec 17, 2025, 9:50 am ET

Read Time: 5 minutes

Can the Gators stay efficient against Ben McCollum's Iowa Hawkeyes? Iowa Florida PIcks

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There's a decent amount of matchups on Wednesday's College Hoops betting board so our expert's dove into the slate and found their favorite picks and predictions. Let's get right into what they've found, and keep it mind, these lines have been moving like crazy recently. It pays to book these wagers as early as you can!

We have had a very successful CBB betting season so far, let's keep it going.

  • NCAA Basketball YTD
  • 64-55 (53.8%)
  • +4.55u
  • Average Odds: -105

Go check out what else I've got on my daily card, and view the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks.

Best NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions December 17

Creighton Bluejays vs. Xavier Musketeers Picks NCAA Basketball Picks

Tre Carroll leads Xavier with 16.9 points per game on 32.2 minutes played - NCAA Basketball Picks

Tre Carroll leads Xavier with 16.9 points per game on 32.2 minutes played

Best Bet: Xavier -3.5 (-112) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook

Full disclosure, I snagged the ML at -125 late last night. However, I think Xavier can cover this spread, or you can just pay the juice on the moneyline if you would like. They are at home, against a terrible opponent, have won five straight, and are beginning Big East play. Lots of intangibles on the side of the Musketeers.

Creighton is horrible this season. They are slow, they can't get to the free throw line, they definitely don't defend, and they can't shoot threes like they used to. The Bluejays are top 25 in 3P Rate but No. 217 in 3P%, shooting just 32% from deep. This team is bottom 30 in FT Rate and turnovers forced, along with No. 268 in offensive rebounds allowed. Creighton is just 1-5 against top 100 teams this year, and have lost their two road games by an average of 24 points.

Xavier leads the nation in taking care of the basketball, while also running much faster than the Bluejays. Richard Pitino's team takes advantage of their threes, ranking top 80 in 3P Rate and top 60 in 3P%. Plus, they are top 65 in 3P% Defense and top 20 in 3P Rate defense, while ranking No. 41 in offensive rebounds allowed. From what I have seen this year, Xavier is the better team, plain and simple.

St. Francis (PA) Red Flash vs. #23 Florida Gators NCAA Basketball Picks

Thomas Haugh and the Gators take on St. Francis tonight at home - NCAA Basketball Picks

Thomas Haugh and the Gators take on St. Francis tonight at home

Best Bet: St. Francis/Florida Over 154.5 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook

I was able to snag over 151.5 last night, but three points doesn't scare me off of this game. It's a very simple sell job, so try to pay attention.

Both teams are insanely fast, so we might see 80 possessions. That's pretty much it. Florida ranks No. 63 in pace while the Red Flash are even faster, coming in ranked No. 50 in the nation. Their offense? Horrendous. But their defense? Even worse. How does that translate to points?

St. Francis is dead last in the country in eFG% defense and are second worst in 2P% defense. Florida might score 120 on their own. Defensively, I don't see Florida really taking it to them. They certainly have nothing to look ahead to, as they face Colgate and Dartmouth to end the year. Therefore, I could see them getting lazy on the defensive side of the ball after earning a 30-40 point lead, cruising their way to a win.

Binghamton Bearcats vs. Pittsburgh Panthers NCAA Basketball Picks

Cameron Corhen leads the Panthers in points and rebounds per game this season - NCAA Basketball Picks

Cameron Corhen leads the Panthers in points and rebounds per game this season

Best Bet: Binghamton/Pittsburgh Under 138.5 (-113) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook

One more time, I was able to get under 140.5 last night, but have no fear, we should still stay under this total. Starting with the hosts, they are insanely slow. Pittsburgh ranks No. 352 in possessions per game, ranking bottom 15 in the nation. They have had just one of their 11 games reach 70 possessions, and it didn't go over. Plus, we only saw 58 trips up and down the floor in their last game. They've had four straight stay under 65 while nine straight have stayed under 70.

Binghamton is the same way. They are No. 300 in pace, averaging just 66 possessions per game. The Bearcats have only had two of their 11 games hit at least 70 possessions, including five of their last six staying under their average. Binghamton is north of 300 in adjusted offensive efficiency, eFG% and turnover rate on both sides of the ball. However this team ranks top 70 in FT Rate defense, while the Panthers are north of 200 at getting to the stripe.

Still Didn't Get Your NCAA Basketball Fix?

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Nate Hornung
Nate Hornung

Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.

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