Last Updated on December 5, 2025 12:31 am by Alex Becker
CININNATI, OH— There are a few good college basketball games taking place on Friday night, including a rivalry matchup and a premium non-conference clash. Cincinnati heads across town to take on Xavier, and #11 Gonzaga travels to Lexington to take on #18 Kentucky. I’ll pick both games for Friday’s CBB Best Bets on December 5, 2025.
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CBB Best Bets for Friday, December 5
CBB Best Bets Dec. 5: Pick #1 — #11 Gonzaga at #18 Kentucky (7:00 PM ET on ESPN2)
Current Odds: Gonzaga -5.5 (-110) / Kentucky +5.5 (-110)
Why it makes the card: This is the best game of the night by far, as it’s the only matchup between two ranked teams. Gonzaga is 7-1 straight up and 6-2 ATS this year. Kentucky is 5-3 straight up and 4-4 ATS on the season. The game will be played in Lexington, where Kentucky is 5-1 straight up this year.
I like Kentucky here. Since Mark Pope became the Wildcats’ head coach last season, Kentucky is 8-6 ATS as an underdog, 14-10 ATS as the home team, and 12-11 ATS in non-conference games. For those reasons, the Wildcats and the points are the pick.
Pick: KENTUCKY WILDCATS +5.5
CBB Best Bets Dec. 5: Pick #2 — Cincinnati at Xavier (7:30 PM ET on TNT)
Current Odds: Cincinnati +1.5 (-105) / Xavier -1.5 (-115)
Why it makes the card: This is a great crosstown matchup. Both schools are located in Cincinnati, and they play each other in non-conference play every season. Xavier has owned this rivalry of late, as they are 7-3 straight up and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against Cincinnati. That’s one of the reasons I like the Musketeers here.
Some other numbers make the case for Xavier to defeat their crosstown rivals on Friday night. The Musketeers are 12-11 ATS as the home team, 16-11 ATS as a favorite, and 15-13 ATS when playing on 2 or 3 days of rest since the start of last season. Xavier is the pick.
Pick: XAVIER MUSKETEERS -1.5
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