Our college basketball predictions for Monday, Nov. 2, highlight the best bets from six game previews, including Purdue +6.5, Florida -5.5, and UCLA +4.5.
Explore each analyst's case below and find more expert analysis in our free college basketball picks.
College basketball top picks at a glance (Monday, Nov. 2)
| Matchup & time | Top pick & analyst |
|---|---|
| Miami vs. Florida 6 p.m. ET |
Florida -5.5 Colby Marchio |
| Army vs. Duke 6:30 p.m. ET |
Army +44.5 Chris Hatfield |
| Memphis vs. Iowa State 7 p.m. ET |
Iowa State -15.5 Chris Hatfield |
| Gonzaga vs. Purdue 7:30 p.m. ET |
Purdue +6.5 Geoff Clark |
| Ohio State vs. BYU 9 p.m. ET |
BYU -3.5 JD Yonke |
| Arizona vs. UCLA 10 p.m. ET |
UCLA +4.5 Colby Marchio |
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Miami vs. Florida pick: Florida -5.5
- Time: 6 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN2
- Analyst: Colby Marchio
Top pick: Florida -5.5
Colby Marchio is backing the Florida Gators to get their season off to a strong start against Miami. The Hurricanes are coming off a 19-win turnaround, but they face a Florida team with national championship aspirations.
The Gators return 11 players from last season, giving them a significant continuity advantage in an era of constant roster turnover. That familiarity with Todd Golden's system should help Florida hit the ground running, and Marchio is comfortable playing the spread up to -8.5 in his Miami vs. Florida predictions.
Army vs. Duke pick: Army +44.5
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPNU
- Analyst: Chris Hatfield
Top pick: Army +44.5
Chris Hatfield expects Duke to win comfortably, but he sees the 44.5-point spread as too steep against a veteran Army backcourt. His model makes the Blue Devils 41.5-point favorites, leaving room for the Black Knights to cover.
Army's perimeter shooting gives it a path to staying within the number, provided its guards can handle Duke's full-court pressure. Ryan Curry and Jacen Holloway will be important in keeping possessions under control and creating opportunities. Hatfield is willing to take Army at +42.5 in his Army vs. Duke predictions.
Memphis vs. Iowa State pick: Iowa State -15.5
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- TV: FS1
- Analyst: Chris Hatfield
Top pick: Iowa State -15.5
Hatfield expects Iowa State to pull away from Memphis behind its defensive pressure and frontcourt depth. His model makes the Cyclones 14.7-point favorites, but he's willing to lay a little more with point guard Tamin Lipsey available.
Iowa State forced turnovers on 22.8% of defensive possessions last season, and Lipsey's presence should make life difficult for the Memphis guards. The Tigers are also expected to be without Nemanja Popović, removing an important passing option from their frontcourt. Hatfield likes Iowa State to cover up to -15.5 in his Memphis vs. Iowa State predictions.
Gonzaga vs. Purdue pick: Purdue +6.5
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN2
- Analyst: Geoff Clark
Top pick: Purdue +6.5
Geoff Clark sees value in taking Purdue and the points against Gonzaga in a neutral-site matchup. The Boilermakers have a stronger recent record against the spread in neutral-site games, going 35-27-1 since 2021 compared with Gonzaga's 26-37-1 mark.
Purdue also holds a significant edge in roster continuity, returning a much larger share of last season's minutes. Gonzaga could be without transfer wing Chauncey Wiggins, further weakening a team that ranked 212th nationally in 3-point percentage last season. Clark is comfortable taking Purdue down to +4.5 in his Gonzaga vs. Purdue predictions.
Ohio State vs. BYU pick: BYU -3.5
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- TV: FS1
- Analyst: JD Yonke
Top pick: BYU -3.5
JD Yonke is buying the hype around BYU, backing the Cougars to cover against Ohio State. Head coach Kevin Young has steadily built a talented roster, and Yonke expects that investment to show up on the court in the season opener.
The offense starts with point guard Robert Wright III, who is looking to build on an 18.2-point-per-game season. He'll have plenty of support from Collin Chandler and Jaxon Kohler, while Ohio State's leading returning scorer, John Mobley Jr., is less than 100% after an ankle injury. Yonke likes BYU up to -4.5 in his Ohio State vs. BYU predictions.
Arizona vs. UCLA pick: UCLA +4.5
- Time: 10 p.m. ET
- TV: TNT, truTV
- Analyst: Colby Marchio
Top pick: UCLA +4.5
Marchio is taking the points with UCLA against a highly regarded Arizona team. The Bruins return three starters from last season, compared with just two for the Wildcats, giving them a continuity advantage in this neutral-court matchup.
UCLA also added highly touted prospect Nikola Kusturica, while returning guard Trent Perry is expected to take another step forward. Arizona has significant production to replace after the offseason, and Marchio believes the Bruins can keep the game close. He considers UCLA playable down to +3.5 in his Arizona vs. UCLA predictions.
More college basketball picks
Want to build a bigger card? These Covers roundups cover more bet types for today's games:
Check the college basketball injury report before finalizing today's picks.
All of today's matchups are also on the college basketball scores and matchups page, and the full pick archive lives in free college basketball picks.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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