College Basketball Best Bets: Three Favorite Picks for Friday, December 16

Following another sweep, we are looking to stay hot on a quiet Friday slate before one of the best days of the season. It has been a profitable week so far of college basketball bets, and we're looking to keep it rolling on a quiet slate for Friday, December 16. We're looking to give you some winning best bets using a combination of key stats and trends, as well as some artificial intelligence from our DimersBOT NCAA basketball predictions. With that said, keep reading so that we can help you narrow down what you should be taking on a loaded Friday of NCAA basketball betting. Today's bets feature the Xavier Musketeers, the Stanford Cardinal and a high-profile matchup between the Creighton Bluejays and the Marquette Golden Eagles.

If you haven't already, you should consider signing up for DraftKings ➡️ here ⬅️ as you can turn a $5 pre-game moneyline bet on any game into a free $150 if your team wins. 

RELATED: College Basketball Bet Hub 

College Basketball Best Bets for Friday, December 16

Xavier Musketeers vs. Georgetown Hoyas - 6:30PM ET

Xavier heads on the road to take on a mediocre Georgetown team who is 0-5 against top 200 opponents on the season. The problem for the Hoyas is their defense, which is ranked 238th on Kenpom, and it hasn't allowed them to keep it close against good teams.  In three games vs, top 100 opponents, Georgetown has lost all games by 12+ points.

Xavier has a great offense, ranked 11th in the country and plays a very fast tempo which opens the door for blowout potential. Every team Xavier has played this season that is ranked outside the Kenpom top 100, they defeated by 13 or more points, with an average margin of victory of 22 points in those victories. Xavier can continue to take care of business.

BET: Xavier -10 (-110) at DraftKings Sportsbook

🏀 Xavier vs. Georgetown Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Xavier vs. Georgetown

---

Green Bay Phoenix vs. Stanford Cardinal - 8:00PM ET

We survived a similar bet to this one last night in Lehigh at Wisconsin, where Lehigh led at the half but needed a late three pointer to cover the 23-point spread. We're going back to the well here - it's exam week, and weird things happen with big favorites at home around this time of year. Stanford has a huge game against Texas in just two days on Sunday, and they'll be hoping to just stay healthy and get out of the gym as quickly as possible here.

Stanford is not a good basketball team - at just 3-6 on the season, the Cardinal have lost three straight games and only one of their wins this season has come by more than ten points. Green Bay is just 2-9, but they have covered 24.5 points in their last nine games, including games at Wisconsin and at Loyola Chicago. We'll ride with the underdog here against the inflated spread.

BET: Green Bay +24.5 (-110) at DraftKings Sportsbook

🏀 Green Bay vs. Stanford Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Green Bay vs. Stanford

---

Creighton Bluejays vs. Marquette Golden Eagles - 8:30PM ET

Ryan Kalkbrenner's health could be the story here - the Creighton big man is one of the best players in the country, but he has missed the last three games due to "sickness". We don't expect him to play tonight, which gives Marquette a massive advantage. Creighton has lost five straight games, and in the three without Kalkbrenner, BartTorvik has the Bluejays ranked as the 138th best team in the country....a massive departure from the preseason top five team they were a month ago.

Marquette has been very good at home this year, winning six of seven games including a 26-point evisceration of Baylor. Their three losses have come by a combined 11 points this year, and all eight of their wins have been by double digits. This is not the type of team you want to play if you are banged up on a cold streak, and we expect Marquette to take advantage of Creighton's misfortune.

BET: Marquette -3 (-110) at DraftKings Sportsbook

Best College Basketball Parlay Today

There are numerous different ways you can wager on College Basketball games in 2022, such as the moneyline, spread, total, player and team props, and, of course, parlays. While we normally suggest taking our picks on their own, we also really love parlays! With that said, check out the fat payout you can get by throwing all of our best bets together tonight. 

🔥 Xavier -10
🔥 Green Bay +24.5
🔥 Marquette -3

*All odds and lines correct at time of publishing