This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series.
It is holiday tournament time, Part 2 of the first phase of the college basketball season: the non-conference. We learn a lot about teams in November and December, but the clock resets and the slates are wiped clean come conference season in January. For today, I've found three holiday tournament games from around North America that look like prime cover candidates. Let's keep building our early season bankroll!
Weber State Wildcats vs 
Colgate Raiders
In a rare (but very cool) tournament played in Canada, these two pillars of mid-major success clash in Moncton, New Brunswick. Weber already has impressive wins over KenPom No. 60 Saint Mary's and No. 71 Yale, but took its foot off the gas in a one-point loss to No. 172 Gardner-Webb to open this tournament. The Cats play at a slow tempo that features Dillon Jones, No. 6 in KenPom's POY rankings so far. Colgate's offensive prowess has scaled way back this year and it shows, as its two wins have come against teams outside the top-150 while its two losses came against teams inside that 150, including an 18-point trouncing to the same Yale team Weber beat in this tourney. Jones is the type of talent that can take over a game and Weber's excellent defense should prove to be too much for the Raiders today.
College Basketball Best Bet: Weber State +1.5 (@ PointsBet)
Kennesaw State Owls vs Georgia Southern Eagles
From Canada, we take you to Greenville, SC for the opening of this holiday tournament. Kennesaw is a solid team in its own right, playing fast with athletes all over the floor. The Owls have overwhelmed their inferior opponents so far while Georgia Southern looks the part of inferiority. The Eagles are 0-3 on the year with each loss coming to teams outside the top-125 and all by double digits. Southern is 0-10 SU in its last 10 games away from home and 2-8 ATS in those games. Kennesaw keeps that trend going.
College Basketball Best Bet: Kennesaw State -4.5 (universal)
Utah Utes vs St. John's Red Storm
For our last stop on the holiday conference tour, we take the short drive from Greenville to Charleston, SC where Craig Smith and Utah take on Rick Pitino's Red Storm. Utah is a team built for tournaments like this with grown men and a lot of experience and continuity, a stark contrast to the rebuilding efforts of Pitino at St. John's. While the Johnnies do have the fourth-most experience in college basketball, they lack continuity, with so much of the experience coming in the form of transfers. At No. 81, St. John's has shown it can out-athlete teams that are inferior but has struggled against good teams (16-point loss to No. 36 Michigan, seven-point loss to No. 57 Dayton). At No. 33, the Utes have handled their business and played No. 1-ranked Houston tough to open this tourney. In their last 10 games as favorites, the Utes are 8-2 SU/7-3 ATS, while the Johnnies are 1-9 SU/3-7 ATS in their last 10 as dogs. When trends and situations align, we know what to do.
College Basketball Best Bet: Utah -4.5 (universal)
Sunday's College Basketball Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best college basketball bets for Sunday, November 19:
- Weber State +1.5 (@ PointsBet)
- Kennesaw State -4.5 (universal)
- Utah -4.5 (universal)
For up-to-date information on the latest college basketball betting odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the college basketball odds page on RotoWire.
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