College Basketball Props – Best Player Prop Bets for Saturday, Jan. 23rd
- 19 of the top-25 teams in college basketball are in action on Saturday, January 23rd
- Player props are available for many of the NCAA’s biggest stars
- See below to find out where we think the betting value lies
Saturday’s college hoops slate is absolutely loaded. 19 of the top-25 teams in the nation will hit the hardcourt including each of the top-3. COVID has robbed us from seeing #5 Texas, #12 Texas Tech and #22 Illinois, but there’s still plenty of great games, and great players to wager on.
Speaking of great players, online sportsbooks have released player props for the slate’s most popular contests, and we’ve identified a few of our favorite bets which you can checkout below.
NCAA Player Props – Saturday January 23
| Kansas vs Oklahoma | Points |
|---|---|
| Ochai Agbaji (Jayhawks) | 14.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Jalen Wilson (Jayhawks) | 12.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Marcus Garrett (Jayhawks) | 9.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Austin Reaves (Sooners) | 14.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Baylor vs Oklahoma State | Points |
| Jared Butler (Bears) | 16.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Davion Mitchell (Bears) | 14.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Isaac Likekele (Cowboys) | 12.0 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Providence vs Villanova | Points |
| Caleb Daniels (Wildcats) | 12.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Collin Gillespie (Wildcats) | 16.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Justin Moore (Wildcats) | 12.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Maryland vs Minnesota | Points |
| Marcus Carr (Golden Gophers) | 18.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Both Gach (Golden Gophers) | 9.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Liam Robbins (Golden Gophers) | 14.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Ohio State vs Wisconsin | Points |
| Duane Washington (Buckeyes) | 14.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| E.J. Liddell (Buckeyes) | 12.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| D’Mitrik Trice (Badgers) | 14.0 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Micah Potter (Badgers) | 11.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Georgia Tech vs Virginia | Points |
| Trey Murphy (Cavaliers) | 11.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Sam Hauser (Cavaliers) | 14.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Kihei Clark (Cavaliers) | 11.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Jay Huff (Cavaliers) | 13.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Pacific vs Gonzaga | Points |
| Drew Timme (Bulldogs) | 17.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Joel Ayayi (Bulldogs) | 13.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Jalen Suggs (Bulldogs) | 13.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
| Corey Kispert (Bulldogs) | 20.5 (O -112 | U -112) |
Odds taken on Jan 23rd from DraftKings.
As usual, I’m going to be targeting unders in the player props market starting with a Big 12 rivalry game between #2 Baylor and Oklahoma State.
Prop #1: Isaac Likekele Under 12.0 Points
The Cowboys are coming off an upset of #9 Kansas, one of the top-15 defensive teams in college basketball. Their matchup on Saturday is even more difficult, as they’ll tangle with the Bears, who rank #1 in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.
🗣️ Simply the best 💯#SicEm 🐻 | #TimeIsNow 🏀 pic.twitter.com/CQ555RWfh2
— Baylor Basketball (@BaylorMBB) January 22, 2021
As a result, Oklahoma State guard Isaac Likekele appears to be overvalued in the props market. The Junior managed just 10 points against Kansas, and is only attempting 7.9 shots per game. He doesn’t shoot 3’s, averaging 0.5 attempts per outing, and rarely gets to the line (3.8 attempts per game).
Man I just wish Isaac Likekele had a jump shot. Kid does everything else so well.
— Pat McMahon (@patmcmahonhoops) January 5, 2021
If he’s going to exceed this number, he’s going to have to be extremely efficient, which is easier said than done against Baylor. The Bears rank first in the Big 12 in points against, second in opponent field goal percentage and second in 2-point makes allowed.
Prop #2: Austin Reaves Under 14.5 Points
Oklahoma’s leading scorer Austin Reaves is going through a shooting funk. He’s made fewer than 43% of his looks in four of his past six games, and has failed to exceed 11 points in back-to-back outings. Now he has to face aforementioned Kansas, which is not a recipe for success.
Solid performance tonight for the #Sooners. 3 guys in double figures (none of those being Austin Reaves or Brady Manek.)
De’Vion Harmon continued his solid play, and Elijah Harkless is really turning out to be a key piece for this team. Fun to watch. https://t.co/Evg39UyeyQ
— TJ Eckert (@TJEckertKTUL) January 20, 2021
Kansas is allowing the third fewest points in the conference and the third lowest field goal percentage to enemy shooters.
After a four-game stretch between late December and early January where he was taking 14 shots per outing, Reaves hasn’t cleared 9 attempts in two straight contests, despite the Sooners behind shorthanded in one of those games. He struggles from beyond the arc, shooting just 25% from long range this season, and in order for him to eclipse this over/under, he’s going to need to be hyper efficient.
Prop #3: E.J. Liddell Under 12.5 Points
Ohio State freshman E.J. Liddell has alternated strong performances with weak ones over the past four games, most recently putting up just 11 points in a loss versus Purdue. The Boilermakers’ twin towers Trevion Williams and Zach Edey held Liddell to 42.9% from the field, and his matchup versus #10 Wisconsin is arguably even more imposing.
E.J. Liddell has taken one single shot in the second half so far.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) January 20, 2021
The Badgers lead the Big Ten in points allowed and have two giants in the front court, Nate Reuvers and D’Mitrik Trice, who tower over the 6-foot-7 Liddell. To compensate, maybe we see him play a little further away from the basket, but that actually favors under bettors. Liddell is not a strong 3-point shooter, averaging just 27.6% from beyond the arc, and has made more than one 3 in only one game this season.
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
