College Basketball Best Bets: Three Favorite Picks for Thursday, December 22

It's the final good college basketball slate before the holiday break, and we are here to take advantage and win some money with our best bets. We're looking to keep it rolling on an awesome slate for Thursday, December 22. 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 Thursday of NCAA basketball betting. We're focused on the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Maryland Terrapins games for our best college basketball bets tonight.

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RELATED: College Basketball Bet Hub 

College Basketball Best Bets for Thursday, December 22

Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Quinnipiac Bobcats - 4:30PM ET

Penn State has quietly been one of the more surprising teams in the country this season, and also one of the more fun teams to watch in all of college basketball. They are the second-best three-point shooting team in the sport, shooting 41% from three as a team this season. Micah Shrewsberry has this program headed in the right direction, and it starts by winning their winnable games.

In four games against opponents ranked 150 or higher on Kenpom this season, Penn State has won all four by double digits with an average margin of victory of 23.25 points per game. On top of this, Quinnipiac doesn't do a good job of preventing opponents from shooting threes - they are 290th in the country in preventing three point attempts. Penn State will be able to bomb away from deep, and we like them to cover.

BET: Penn State -14.5 (-110) at DraftKings Sportsbook

🏀 Penn State vs. Quinnipiac Predictions
📈 Betting preview: Penn State vs. Quinnipiac

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Saint Peter's Peacocks vs. Maryland Terrapins - 6:30PM ET

Kevin Willard gets to face off against the program that elevated Shaheen Holloway into a position where he could take Willard's job at Seton Hall! This is a fun Thursday night matchup. Saint Peter's is just 6-5 on the season, but they have only lost one game by more than 20 points (a loss at Seton Hall, with the aforementioned Holloway taking center stage). The Peacocks play a very slow tempo (ranked 311th in the country), which allows them to hang in games.

Maryland started the year 8-0 but has since lost three straight games, which is typical for a Kevin Willard team that peaks early and falls apart come conference play. After respectable losses to Wisconsin and Tennessee, Maryland got ran out of their own gym in a 27-point loss to UCLA in their last game. In that three-game span, Maryland is playing like the 166th best team in the country according to Barttorvik.com. 23 is too many points for a struggling team to cover, even at home.

BET: Saint Peter's +23 (-110) at DraftKings Sportsbook

🏀 Saint Peter's vs. Maryland Predictions
📈 Betting preview: 🏀 Saint Peter's vs. Maryland

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Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Missouri Tigers - 9:00PM ET

Illinois has been making headlines the past few weeks with drama in the locker room. First, their head coach Brad Underwood publicly questioned their players' leadership and effort, specifically that of star transfer Terrence Shannon, after a blowout loss at home to Penn State. Then, Illinois nearly lost to Alabama A&M, before Matthew Mayer (another transfer - from Baylor) hit the podium after the game and said the players and the coaches don't see eye to eye.

Now the Illini are set to face a Missouri team that has won 10 of 11 games this season. Conventional wisdom might lead you to believe it's a good spot for Missouri....well not so fast. The Tigers have only played one top 50 team all season and promptly got blown out at home against Kansas by 28 points. The Illini have the size, speed and athleticism to overwhelm Missouri, and they're due for a big moment where the time comes together and finally puts a great performance out on the court.

BET: Illinois -6.5 (-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. 

🔥 Penn State -14.5
🔥 Saint Peter's +23
🔥 Illinois -6.5

*All odds and lines correct at time of publishing