College hoops is about to roll into another Super Saturday slate, but we’ve got to get through Friday’s games before we get there. The schedule for December 5th is a little light, but we do have a few heavyweight matchups, and our old friends in the MAAC start conference play. We dug deeper than normal, but managed to find three college basketball picks that you’ll want to lock up before tonight’s games tip off.
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College Basketball Preview, Picks, and Best Bets for December 4
Matt Dewoskin ATS College Basketball Picks Record (Est 11/3/2025)
All ATS Selections: 55-39-2
Perfect 3-0 Cards: 5-26
Quinnipiac at Iona
Start Time: 7:00 PM EST
Quinnipiac comes into this game with a 5-3 overall record, but are 2-2 on the road this year. The Bobcats are 4-3 ATS, but 3-1 ATS on the road.
Iona enters this matchup with a 6-2 overall record, but the Gaels are 3-0 at home. The Gaels have a 5-3 ATS record, but have covered two out of three at home.
There’s a bit of a revenge angle to this matchup. Iona knocked Quinnipiac out of the MAAC tournament last year and ended their season. The Bobcats had won the two regular-season matchups last year.
Both of these teams want to get up and down the floor in this one. Quinnipiac is 23rd in pace of play, while Iona is 16th in pace. Iona is the better shooting team, while Quinnipiac is arguably the better defensive team. However, these teams are remarkably similar when it comes to measurables.
Iona replaced their coach and their entire roster this past off-season, so no one on their side really remembers ending Quinnipiac’s season last year. However, the Bobcats return five players and have most of the same coaching staff from last year. This is also the first conference game for most of the Iona roster and their coaching staff. Quinnipiac has at least a few guys who have gone through MAAC conference play last year.
The Bobcats owned this matchup in the regular season last year, have the motivation, and have gone on the road and won. The Bobcats have wins at Pitt and at Maine. This is likely a one-possession game between a pair of conference rivals. Let’s lock up Quinnipiac to stay within 2.5 points or win outright against Iona at the start of conference play.
Best Bet: Quinnipiac +2.5
UAB at Drake
Start Time: 7:30 PM EST
Drake comes into this matchup with a 6-3 overall record and a 4-3 record ATS. The Bulldogs are also 3-2 at home, but only 1-2 ATS at home.
UAB enters this game with a 6-3 overall record and a 5-3 record ATS. The Dragons have lost and failed to cover each of their two true road games this year.
UAB has only played two road games and gotten drilled in both. They lost to NC State in Raleigh. That’s understandable. They also just lost by 15 against Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro. That’s harder to understand. The situation indicates that UAB struggles to travel, and a trip to Iowa in December for a team from Alabama sounds like a tough travel spot.
Drake lost their first two home games of the year, but they’ve won three home games in a row. That streak includes a 10-point win over Georgia Tech.
Metrics slightly favor UAB, but they’re not remarkably better than Drake anywhere that matters. Given the location and the team, the side to be on is Drake. Let’s take the Bulldogs to win and cover at home again as the Dragons continue to struggle away from Birmingham.
Best Bet: Drake -1.5
Notre Dame at TCU
Start Time: 8:00 PM EST
Notre Dame comes into this game with a 6-3 overall record and a 5-4 ATS record. The Fighting Irish have a 0-1 record on the road. They lost to Ohio State, but did manage to cover.
TCU enters this matchup with a 5-2 overall record and a 3-2 home record. The Horned Frogs have gone 5-2 ATS. They have home losses to Michigan and New Orleans.
Notre Dame just wrapped up the Players’ Era tournament in which they went 1-2. The Fighting Irish beat Rutgers, but lost by 10 points to Houston and Kansas. They also just beat Missouri in South Bend as a part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. Notre Dame has been competitive in just about every game against Power Five schools this year.
TCU is off a championship win at the Rady Children’s Invitational. The Horned Frogs won outright against Wisconsin and Florida. This is a classic letdown spot for the Horned Frogs. This is their first game after winning an MTE. They haven’t played since November 28th, and could no-show this one. On the metrics side, Notre Dame is better offensively, but TCU has the better defense. The Horned Frogs have been prone to scoring droughts, and this looks like an obvious game for their offense to struggle after the tournament success and the time off.
TCU is an odd place to play with a weird floor, but the Fighting Irish don’t really get blown out when they play bigger programs. Look for Notre Dame to stay within the number here. Lock up the Fighting Irish to cover.
Best Bet: Notre Dame +7.5
The College Basketball Experience
For more analysis on every college basketball game for the 2025-26 season, make sure you tune into The College Basketball Experience. Colby Dant, Moneyline Mac, and Noah Bieniek talk about each game on the entire slate. Listen for input on ATS and moneyline college basketball picks every night!
