Today's early best bets to target: Top college basketball picks, Cardinals-Cowboys NFL bets for MNF
Find Monday's best bets for the biggest games from the SportsLine Projection Model and top CBS Sports experts
The 2025-26 college basketball season begins on Monday, and there are games scattered throughout the day. Omaha faces Murray State in South Dakota at 1:30 p.m. ET, while Drake faces Northern Arizona in the same arena at 4 p.m. ET. SportsLine's proven computer model has targeted early best bets for both of those games, along with a pick for Monday Night Football between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. Arizona is on a five-game losing streak, but the model is backing the Cardinals (+3) in that matchup.
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Whether you're looking into NFL betting, college basketball betting or anything else on the Monday sports schedule, there are a number of online sports betting options, and our team can help point you in the right direction. Our computer model and experts will weigh in on all of the biggest events every day, and they're offering their top sports betting picks right now.
Monday's early best bets
- Under 150.5 in Murray State vs. Omaha (-110)
- Drake -9.5 vs. Northern Arizona (-118)
- Cardinals +3 (-108)
Combining these three picks into a Monday parlay at FanDuel would result in a payout of +626 (risk $100 to win $626). Bet it at FanDuel here:
Monday college basketball best bets
- Game: Omaha vs. Murray State (1:30 p.m. ET)
- The Pick: Under 150.5 points (-110)
Omaha is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance last season, but it only scored 53 points in a blowout loss to St. John's in the first round. Murray State came up short against Bradley in the Missouri Valley Tournament, combining for just 132 points. The Racers held opponents to fewer than 70 points per game last season, including a 31.6% mark from 3-point range. They were not much better from the perimeter offensively, shooting 34.4%. The model is expecting a slow start on Monday night, as these teams combine for 147 points to go Under in 61% of simulations.
- Game: Drake vs. Northern Arizona (4 p.m. ET)
- The Pick: Drake -9.5 (-118)
Drake is coming off a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, winning the Missouri Valley Tournament before knocking off No. 6 seed Missouri in the first round of the Big Dance. The Bulldogs are facing a Northern Arizona team that lost in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky Tournament and dropped their first-round game against Queens in the CBI. The model has Drake cruising to a win in this neutral-site game, covering the spread 66% of the time.
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Monday NFL best bets
- Game: Dallas Cowboys vs. Arizona Cardinals (8:15 p.m. ET)
- The Pick: Cardinals +3
"Let's take a look at the Cardinals' five-game losing streak. They lost by one at San Francisco, by three to Seattle, by four at Indy and by four to the Packers," SportsLine NFL expert Larry Hartstein said. "Of course they also lost at home to Tennessee, but remember, they were about to take a 28-6 lead when Emari Demercado dropped the ball short of the goal line. The Cards led in the fourth quarter in each of those five losses. Dallas ranks dead last in pass defense and will again be without both starting safeties plus at least one depth safety. Another safety is questionable. Look for the Cardinals, who used the bye as a reset, to keep it close on Monday Night Football."
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