The college hoops schedule offers over 50 games to bet on today. This is one of the beefier Sunday slates that we’ve had this year. We get the hefty schedule because the season takes a pause for Christmas, and a lot of teams are getting an extra game in before the break. We’ve gone through the numbers and found three college basketball picks that you’ll want to lock up as you follow the National Football League today.
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College Basketball Preview, Picks, and Best Bets for December 21
Matt Dewoskin ATS College Basketball Picks Record (Est 11/3/2025)
All Selections: 84-58-2
Perfect 3-0 Cards: 9-39
Quinnipiac at Hofstra
Start Time: 1:00 PM EST
Quinnipiac comes into this game with a 9-3 overall record and a 4-2 record on the road. The Bobcats are 6-4-1 against the spread and 5-1 ATS on the road.
Hofstra enters this matchup with an 8-4 overall record and a 2-0 record at home. The Pride is 9-1 ATS overall and has yet to play a game with a point spread at home this year.
Quinnipiac is on a five-game winning streak that includes two road wins. The Bobcats have recently won at Iona and at Monmouth. Hofstra has won three in a row, and its run includes wins over Syracuse on the road and Pitt on the road.
This game will be won or lost at the three-point line. This is a matchup of two top-50 three-point shooting teams in the country. According to the metrics, Quinnipiac is slightly better at shooting from deep and defending the perimeter, but this game is played in Hofstra’s gym. Who dictates the pace will also matter here. Quinnipiac prefers to play up-tempo, while Hofstra prefers the half-court game.
Hofstra is better inside the paint, but Quinnipiac has done a solid job of defending the interior for a team that lacks impressive size.
Quinnipiac can score enough to keep this close, and Quinnipiac is due for a let-down after beating a pair of Power Five programs. This is likely a one-possession game, and we’re catching two possessions. Let’s lock up Quinnipiac to keep the final score within 6.5 points.
Best Bet: Quinnipiac +6.5
Illinois-Chicago at Charlotte
Start Time: 2:00 PM EST
UIC comes into this matchup with a 4-7 overall record and a 1-4 mark on the road. The Flames are 4-6 ATS overall and 2-3 ATS on the road.
Charlotte enters this game with a 5-7 overall record and a 5-2 mark at home. The 49ers are 5-6 ATS overall and 3-3 ATS at home.
UIC is on a five-game losing streak dating back to November 26th. The Flames are about to go defeated for the entire month of December. They still have a matchup with Illinois State on December 29th, but they might complete the reverse table run. UIC has looked okay when they’ve stepped up in competition, but struggled with teams that should be easy wins. They only beat Chicago State by four and lost outright at home to Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Charlotte has struggled with most high-majors, but looked solid against low- and mid-major programs. They just won and covered at home against Lafayette. They also managed a win against North Carolina A&T.
UIC can make free throws, but they can’t really shoot from anywhere else on the floor. The Flames are among the worst teams in the nation from the field, but surprisingly solid from the line. Charlotte has a clear advantage in shooting and offensive efficiency, but they’re also by far the better rebounding team. Look for Charlotte to make their shots and clean the glass on their way to win by at least three points. Lock up the 49ers to cover the 2.5 points.
Best Bet: Charlotte -2.5
UC-Irvine at North Dakota State
Start Time: 7:00 PM EST
This game is played at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX as part of the Sun Bowl Invitational.
UC-Irvine comes into this matchup with a 7-5 overall record and a 3-7 record ATS.
North Dakota State enters this game with a 10-3 overall record and a 7-3 record ATS.
UC-Irvine had a four-game winning streak end against Belmont in Irvine, CA, on Friday. The Anteaters won three regional matchups against low- and mid-major California teams and South Dakota State before getting destroyed at home by Belmont.
North Dakota State is currently on a five-game winning streak. The Bison have racked up three road wins, a win at home against a lower division opponent, and a win at home against Northern Arizona.
We just watched UC-Irvine get run out of their own gym by Belmont. Now, they get to face the Bison in a neutral-site game. UCI has been terrible on offense this year, but they have a top-50 defense. North Dakota State can score and are solid on the defensive end. The difference here is that we get a poor shooting team in UC-Irvine against a team that likes to get up and down the floor and shoot in North Dakota State. A poor shooting team like the Anteaters probably won’t see improvement on a neutral site.
Until UC-Irvine finds a way to generate offense, they’re going to struggle to beat teams that have a plan on the offensive end. North Dakota State isn’t as dynamic as Belmont, but they can score. The best defense the Bison have tangled with is Arkansas State. NDSU took the Red Wolves to overtime in Jonesboro. Look for North Dakota State to win this one outright, but lock up the plus 2.5 points.
Best Bet: North Dakota State +2.5
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!
