Monday marks the start of the new college basketball season. It’s a long time until March Madness, but this is where the journey begins. Naturally, there is a massive collection of games on Monday. To help you wrap your head around the dozens of games on the schedule, here are four college basketball picks we like for opening night.
Louisville (-19.5) vs. Morehead State
The Cardinals literally have a brand new team. The entire roster from last season is gone and new coach Pat Kelsey has brought in over a dozen transfers to start rebuilding after finishing 8-24 last season. To be fair, the Cards have some good players who came from big programs, including Wisconsin transfer Chucky Hepburn and Colorado transfer J’Vonne Hadley. But it’s going to take some time for things to gel, making a 20-point win on opening night tough to envision. Keep in mind Louisville is facing a Morehead State team that went 19-12 against the spread last season and went to the NCAA Tournament. Even though the Eagles have a new head coach and some new faces, they bring back enough to challenge the new-look Louisville.
Pick: Morehead State +19.5
Syracuse (-22.5) vs. Le Moyne
These schools are separated by about three miles, although the game will surely mean more to the Dolphins, who are playing at the Division I level for just the second season. Despite being newcomers, LeMoyne put together a solid 15-17 record last season and went 17-11-1 against the spread, covering more than 60% of the time. While the Dolphins lost their two leading scorers, they bring back a lot and have continuity with fifth-year coach Nate Champion. They can also make perimeter shots, which can keep them close in this game. While Syracuse has a talent advantage, the Orange is integrating four new transfers and three freshmen. It’s too soon for a deep Syracuse lineup to know its best lineup, allowing the Dolphins to stay within 20 points against their intra-city rivals.
Pick: LeMoyne +22.5
Wisconsin (-25) vs. Holy Cross
The Badgers lost a few key players, but Greg Gard always seems to have players who are ready to plug into those vacant spots. Wisconsin brings back a pair of experienced guards with Max Klesmit and John Blackwell, as well as a versatile forward in Steven Crowl. Transfers Xavier Amos and Cameron Hunter also add to the scoring depth the Badgers have. They’ll have a Holy Cross team that was just 10-23 last season and was among the worst nationally against the spread. The Crusaders took their lumps in multiple non-conference games last season, especially against power-conference opponents. They won’t have enough to stay competitive with a Wisconsin team that has the talent to get back to the NCAA Tournament this year.
Pick: Wisconsin -25
Gonzaga (-5) vs. Baylor
If you can stay up late, this is the game of the night, as both are top-10 teams to open the season. Other than Anton Watson, Mark Few’s Bulldogs bring back every key player from last season, including leading scorer Graham Ike and the backcourt of Nolan Hickman and Ryan Nembhard. That trio is special enough, even if the Bulldogs didn’t add a few players in the transfer portal, including forward Michael Ajayi. On the other side, the Bears have to hit the road for this game while also replacing their top three scorers from last season. In fairness, freshmen VJ Edgecombe and Robert Wright are big-time recruits while Jeremy Roach and Torched Omier are huge additions from the transfer portal. But that's still a lot of new pieces to put together. Defending Ike in the paint is also a concern, which is why Gonzaga should be able to find a way to cover five points on its home court.
Pick: Gonzaga -5
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