X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Top College Basketball Betting Picks for Saturday, January 25

NCAA college basketball CBB betting picks march madness

Nick Federline's NCAA college basketball betting picks for Saturday January 25th, 2020. He analyzes CBB Vegas lines and recommends the top expert bets including spreads and over/unders.

In this article every week, we'll be reviewing some of the top college basketball games of the day to see how we can beat Vegas.  Today's slate of games includes the annual Big 12-SEC challenge, and a couple of Ohio Valley Conference showdowns.

Wednesday was a much-needed bounce-back day, with four relatively easy covers. As you enjoy the fruits of our 4-0 Wednesday, remember that perfect days like that are not to be expected with regularity, but let's try getting another today.

Here are some of the top college basketball expert betting picks for Saturday, January 25. Let me know your thoughts, and follow me on Twitter @fredetterline. All game times below are Eastern Standard Time.

Featured Promo: Get any Props Premium Pass for 30% off using code NEW. Win more with our two new Props Optimizer tools -- one for PrizePicks Props, and one for Sportsbook Betting Props. Find optimal prop bets and get our recommended picks daily! Go Premium, Win More!

Season record to date: 17-11

 

Air Force @ San Jose State - 5:00 pm

The Air Force Academy brings one of the most experienced rosters in college basketball this year. The team has struggled with inconsistent play all year, with head-scratching losses to Idaho State and UNLV. Luckily, the Falcons finally are favored in a game, which will mark the first game in 2020 that they are favored in a game. This team has far too much talent to continue floundering and it would be reasonable to expect coach Dave Pilipovich and senior forward Lavelle Scottie to get the team prepared for arguably the worst team in the Mountain West Conference. If the Falcons don't get this season back on track quickly, coach Pilipovich could be looking for a new job next season as the team has six seniors who will be graduating at the end of the year and not much more talent in the pipeline ready to replace them.

San Jose State has not been a disappointment this year, but that is because no one expected much of the Spartans to begin with. One player that hoped to inject excitement for Jean Prioleau's team was Samuel Japhet-Mathis, a Wake Forest transfer. Thus far Samuel has yet to be an offensive contributor, but he is coming into his own on the defensive end and will be someone to keep an eye on as the season progresses for the Spartans. There aren't many bright spots on this Spartans team that will likely end the year back in the familiar Mountain West basement.

Pick: Air Force -4

 

Southeast Missouri State  @ Eastern Illinois - 4:15 pm

The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) has some of the starkest differences in talent differential between the top of the conference and the basement dwellers. The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks, fresh off an embarrassing 19-point loss at SIU-Edwardsville qualify with the latter group. The Redhawks have not beaten a Division 1 opponent since November 30, and have lost their first three conference road games by an average of 18.5 points.

The Eastern Illinois Panthers are a team chock full of shooters - sometimes this team will light up the scoreboard and sometimes they will fall completely apart if the shots aren't falling. The Panthers find themselves in the middle tier of the OVC, and have largely taken care of business against the teams that they were expected to beat but still looking for a signature win. This team has been especially strong at home, with six wins out of six tries this season. Expect the Panthers to notch an easy seventh home win for the season today.

Pick: Eastern Illinois -10

 

Belmont @ Austin Peay - 4:30 pm

The Belmont Bruins are undergoing a bit of a transitional year, with Casey Alexander taking over for longtime coaching legend Rick Byrd. Alexander, who led Lipscomb to the NIT Championship game a year ago, played at Belmont in the early 1990s and has the Bruins playing well, despite having to replace current Cleveland Cavalier Dylan Windler and his fellow former Bruin star guard Kevin McClain. On offense, the Bruins run through their young center Nick Muszynski, and a team of guards that love to play up-tempo. In a few years, Alexander will have the Bruins back on top of the conference.

The Austin Peay Governors have been on a tear, on the backs of Terry Taylor, a name you will want to remember come March. Taylor is scoring 23.5 ppg and rarely leaves the floor. His teammate Jordyn Adams is averaging 17.3 ppg, and is the only other Governor averaging double figures in points. The Governors have won seven in a row, Both teams have good offenses and average to mediocre defenses, so keeping an eye on the over is also a good idea.

Pick: Austin Peay +1

 

Baylor @ Florida - 8:00 pm

The Baylor Bears athletic department has enjoyed an incredibly successful year. The women's basketball team won their 3rd national championship, the football team won 11 games and the men's basketball team is now ranked first in the nation.  Baylor has been nearly perfect this season, with a 3-point loss at Washington the only blemish on the resume. The team has signature wins over Butler, Texas, and Kansas, and has Waco residents thinking a deep run in the tournament is possible this year.

Florida entered the season with high expectations that the team is finally starting to live up to. Coach Mike White brought in the most heralded transfer in college basketball in Virginia Tech forward Kerry Blackshear, and the team is finally starting to meld together. Young guards Scottie Lewis and Andrew Nembhard have improved over the early season woes, and this Florida team now is a team that should be circled on most brackets as an under-seeded team with a chance to make a long tournament run. This non-conference matchup, which is a part of the Big 12-SEC challenge, should tell us quite a bit about both squads.

Pick: Florida -1

 

Thanks for reading, and remember to gamble responsibly.

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Miguel Vargas

Homers Against The Twins On Thursday
Hunter Goodman

Delivers In Game 1 On Thursday With Two Hits
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Christopher Morel

Home Run Seals Victory For Rays
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Zach Neto

Hits Go-Ahead Home Run On Thursday
Yandy Díaz

Yandy Diaz Tallies Three Hits In Win Against Arizona
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Pete Fairbanks

Picks Up Fourth Save On Thursday
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Picks Up Save On Thursday
Corbin Burnes

Picks Up Eight Strikeouts In Thursday's Start
MacKenzie Gore

Strikes Out Eight In Loss On Thursday
Cade Povich

Picks Up Win On Thursday
Bobby Witt Jr.

Scores Three Runs, Steals A Base On Thursday
Alex Bregman

Homers In Loss To Seattle
Mike Yastrzemski

Homers, Drives In Two On Thursday
Salvador Perez

Notches Four Doubles, Four RBI In Thursday's Doubleheader
Jordan Beck

Homers Three Times On Thursday
Jameson Williams

Lions Didn't Entertain Trade Offers For Jameson Williams
Dalton Rushing

Homers In Four-Hit Game
Qadir Ismail

Raiders Sign Qadir Ismail
New York Giants

Giants Plan To Exercise Kayvon Thibodeaux's Fifth-Year Option
Russell Wilson

Will Be Giants Starting Quarterback
Max Muncy

With A Pair Of Doubles Back At Triple-A
Michael Lorenzen

Tosses Quality Start
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Close Out The First Round With Josh Simmons
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Trade Up One Spot In First Round To Select Jihaad Campbell
A.J. Puk

Likely To Miss Multiple Months
Marquis Grissom Jr.

Notches Fifth Save At Double-A
Buffalo Bills

Bills Address Secondary And Take Maxwell Hairston With 30th Overall Pick
Félix Bautista

Felix Bautista Records Third Save
NFL

Eagles, Chiefs Swap First-Round Picks
Washington Commanders

Josh Conerly Jr. Goes At No. 29 Overall To Commanders

Giants Trade Up For Jaxson Dart At No. 25
Detroit Lions

Tyleik Williams Taken By Lions At No. 28 Overall
Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Go With Malaki Starks At No. 27 Overall In NFL Draft
Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Takes Donovan Jackson No. 24 Overall
NFL

Rams Trade The 26th Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft To The Falcons
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Trade Back Into First Round To Draft James Pearce Jr. At No. 26 Overall

Matthew Golden Selected No. 23 Overall By Green Bay
NFL

Texans Trade The 25th Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft To The Giants

Omarion Hampton Taken No. 22 Overall By Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Selects Derrick Harmon At No. 21 Overall
Denver Broncos

Broncos Build Secondary By Selecting Jahdae Barron At No. 20

Buccaneers Add Emeka Egbuka At No. 19
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Isaiah Stewart

Remains Out For Game 3
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Linus Ullmark

Attempts To Overcome Playoff Struggles Thursday
Anthony Cirelli

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Logan Thompson

Comes Up Big In Game 2
Connor McMichael

Strikes Twice In Wednesday's Win
Anze Kopitar

Tallies Four Points In Game 2 Victory
Adrian Kempe

Notches Two Goals, Two Assists In Wednesday's Win
Tyler Seguin

Gives Stars Series Lead With Overtime Winner
Tyler Herro

Scores Game-High 33 Points In Wednesday's Loss
Donovan Mitchell

Fires In 30 Points In Game 2 Win
Paolo Banchero

Notches 32 Points In Game 2 Loss
Jaylen Brown

Posts 36-Point Double-Double Wednesday
Jalen Green

Erupts For 38 Points In Game 2 Victory
Brandin Podziemski

Limited To 14 Minutes Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Set For MRI Thursday
Brandin Podziemski

Upgraded To Available
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Michael Porter Jr.

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Davion Mitchell

Moves Into Starting Lineup Wednesday
Brandin Podziemski

Picks Up Questionable Tag
Al Horford

Starts Game 2
Michael Porter Jr.

Practices On Wednesday
Jayson Tatum

Out On Wednesday
Isaiah Stewart

May Miss Another Game Thursday
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Posts Team-High 26 Points In Tuesday's Loss
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Notches 27 Points Despite Poor Shooting
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Pascal Siakam

Scores Team-High 24 Points In Game 2 Win
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF