Syracuse vs. Indiana odds, prediction, preview, time: College basketball picks, best bets for Monday, Nov. 9

Monday's college basketball schedule brings the Indiana Hoosiers and the Syracuse Orange to Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 6:30 p.m. ET. Both teams are 2-0. Indiana is favored by 5.5 points, according to the latest Indiana vs. Syracuse odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 146.5. Indiana's over/under for total team points is 77.5, while Syracuse's is 71.5.

Indiana's perimeter offense faces Syracuse's rebounding advantage, a matchup that could influence both the final margin and total.

Indiana opens its first test away from Assembly Hall on Monday, bringing a 2-0 record to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Hoosiers beat Eastern Illinois 91-57, then Bellarmine 92-69. Darren Harris scored 23 points against Bellarmine and made five 3-pointers. Bryce Lindsay chipped in 15, while Aiden Sherrell scored 12. Coach Darian DeVries wants his team pushing the pace, and his bench has averaged 43 points through two games.

Syracuse is also 2-0 under first-year coach Gerry McNamara, who helped the Orange win the 2003 national championship as a player. The Orange followed a 74-58 victory over New Haven with a 102-49 win against Central Connecticut. Gavin Doty averages 16 points and nine rebounds, while Kiyan Anthony contributes 15.5 points per contest. The Orange have won six straight meetings with Indiana, including a double-overtime victory in 2021.

Indiana's scoring hasn't depended on one player. Sam Alexis added 12 points against Bellarmine, and freshman Trevor Manhertz averages 10 points through two games. Manhertz has made four of eight 3-point attempts, giving DeVries another option alongside Harris and Lindsay. The Hoosiers have enough perimeter depth to make Syracuse defend beyond its starting five. That's a tougher task for the Orange than either of their first two games presented.

Markus Burton has been uneven. He scored 19 against Eastern Illinois, then two on 0-of-7 shooting against Bellarmine. Syracuse can disrupt the glass: Doty averages nine rebounds, while Sadiq White Jr. collected 10 in both games. Indiana has to limit second chances without relying entirely on its guards. The Orange have won six straight meetings, but these rosters have changed since 2021. SportsLine predicts an 81-73 Hoosiers victory, an eight-point margin. The SportsLine Projection Model has Indiana covered the 5.5-point spread in 58% of simulations.

Indiana's first two games finished with 148 and 161 combined points. The Hoosiers scored 91 against Eastern Illinois, then 92 against Bellarmine, and DeVries wants them attacking before defenses get set. Harris averages 15 points and 2.5 made 3-pointers per game. Manhertz has converted half his attempts from deep. Indiana's scoring depth gives it several options even when one guard struggles from the field.