This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series.
The best college basketball bets will be showcased daily on RotoWire in the 2022-23 season. Steve Peralta gets things started with five plays for Opening Night.
Tarleton State at 
Arizona State
Tarleton enters its third season at the Division I level and is coached by former Texas A&M and Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie. In its first two seasons competing at the D1 level, Tarleton has played at an extremely slow pace, with its defense being the primary strength of the team. This appears to be the case once again based on KenPom's preseason projection for this year's team.
This Virginia-esque strategy, a shorter game with a defensive focus, served the Texans well last season, as Tarleton played respectable games against some of the best teams in the country, losing at Michigan 65-54, before losing at Gonzaga 64-55. All in all, Tarleton has proven that it's capable of covering a double-digit number against an elite team, so there's no reason to think they can't keep the game close against Arizona State.
The Sun Devils struggled scoring last season, and, until they prove otherwise, I'm betting they'll struggle once again.
College Basketball Opening Night Bet: Under 131 & Texans +13.5
Chattanooga at 
College of Charleston
Charleston head coach Pat Kelsey consistently has his teams ranked near the very top of the tempo rankings, posting the second-fastest adjusted tempo in the country last season, per KenPom. This lightning-quick tempo has been a defining trait of Kelsey-coached teams since 2016, so we can safely expect an abundance of possessions in this matchup.
Similarly, Dan Earl, the new head coach of Chattanooga, usually has his teams playing just as fast. In his last two seasons, while coaching VMI, his teams played similar to Iowa -- fast pace, proficient offense, and no defense. These are the ideal ingredients for hitting an over bet, and combined with Charleston's tendencies, should yield a high-scoring shootout.
College Basketball Opening Night Bet: Over 152.5
Memphis at 
Vanderbilt
The Commodores hired head coach Jerry Stackhouse following the 2019 season and the team has been trending upward ever since. Vanderbilt was at rock bottom in 2019, losing all 18 SEC conference games, but the Commodores have since worked their way up, improving every year since Stackhouse was hired.
KenPom currently has Vanderbilt ranked at No. 66, similar to where it ended last season -- a reasonable preseason ranking considering many key players are returning. Additionally, this team has a good chance for improvement because Vanderbilt is also bringing in its highest-rated recruiting class since 2018 (per 247sports rankings).
On the other side of the court, Memphis has been formidable in recent years under Penny Hardaway, but it's hard not to overlook the significant talent they lost from last year's team, most notably Jalen Duren, who was selected in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. Memphis still has plenty of talent, but Vanderbilt appears to be closer to them compared to last season.
In what figures to be a close game on opening night, I'll gladly take the home team with points.
College Basketball Opening Night Bet: Vanderbilt +2
South Dakota at 
Wisconsin
This bet is all about the Badgers. Wisconsin lost its top two scorers from last season's team, Johnny Davis and Brad Davison, so the Badgers might struggle to score while they establish their new offensive identity.
On defense, the Badgers have finished top 17 in KenPom's defensive efficiency rankings in all but two seasons since Greg Gard took over in 2016. Additionally, Wisconsin consistently plays at one of the slowest paces in the country, giving us all of the key ingredients for hitting an under.
South Dakota, meanwhile, gives us a bit more uncertainty as the program welcomes a new coach, Eric Peterson, in his first season as a D1 head coach. Peterson spent the last several years working under Utah Coach Craig Smith, previously head coach of South Dakota and Utah State. Based on KenPom's data, Smith's teams consistently rank high on defense and in the last five years have played at a slower pace. Given these tendencies, it seems likely that Peterson will start his coaching career by instilling a similar defensive and tempo philosophy.
College Basketball Opening Night Bet: Under 140.5
