It’s officially the first day of 2025, and we’ve got a college hoops slate. Get some pancakes, bacon, and eggs to help with the hangover, and tap out an Underdog Fantasy college basketball entry for today. We’ve got a lot of games on the schedule today, but we’ve found three plays that you’ll want to use.
Keep in mind that playing all three legs of our plays in Underdog Fantasy could win you 6X your money on a single entry. Let’s dig into tonight’s plays and remember to let it ride!
Underdog Fantasy College Basketball Picks January 1
Matthew Dewoskin Underdog Fantasy College Basketball Pick Em Record (Est 11/4/2024)
All Pick Em Selections: 79-66-2
Perfect 3-0 Pick Em Entries: 9-40
Chucky Hepburn Higher Than 2.5 Turnovers
Louisville guard Chucky Hepburn has given up at least 2.5 turnovers in nine of his first 13 games this season. The Cardinals get North Carolina to visit the Yum! Center today, and Hepburn should give the ball away at least three times.
Hepburn will likely get his full workload against the Tar Heels. He’s only played fewer than 30 minutes in four games this year. Those games account for half of the games that Hepburn has gone lower than 2.5 turnovers. His minutes should be at or higher than his season average.
The North Carolina defense isn’t amazing, but the Tar Heels are capable of generating turnovers. They generate 11.9 opponent turnovers per game. That comes in right at the middle nationally.
Hepburn has shown that he can give the ball away, and the Tar Heels aren’t complete pushovers. Go higher on Hepburn’s turnovers total in your Underdog Fantasy college basketball entry for January 1st.
Andrej Stojakovic Lower Than 23.5 Points+Rebounds+Assists
Cal travels to Pittsburgh for a New Year’s Day match up with Pitt. This is a rough spot for Golden Bears forward Andrej Stojakovic.
First, this is a long distance road spot on a holiday afternoon. Traditionally, this is not a great spot for offensive production.
Next, Pitt only allows opponents to score 67.9 points per game. That’s 75th in the nation. The Panthers are also really good at limiting opportunities for assists and rebounds.
Finally, Pitt can also defend the perimeter. The Panthers limit opponents to 29.9% from beyond the arc.
Stojakovic has gone lower than 23.5 PRA in six out of 12 games played this season. We’ll likely see seven out of 13 after the final buzzer today. Lock in the lower total on Stojakovic PRA in your Underdog Fantasy college basketball entry.
Liam McNeeley Higher Than 8.5 Rebounds + Assists
UConn travels to Chicago to meet DePaul at the Wintrust Arena today. Liam McNeeley should fill up the stat sheets against the Blue Demons even if this is a road spot.
McNeeley has gone higher than 8.5 rebounds and assists in seven out of 13 games this year. He’s also coming off a 7-assist, 5-rebounds game at Butler, so he has performed well on the road. The Huskies also haven’t played in 10 days, so this isn’t a typical back-to-back road spot.
DePaul allows opponents to average 13.1 assists per game. That’s 150th in the nation. They also allow opponents to grab 32.9 rebounds per game. That’s 91st in the nation. The Blue Demons have feasted on lower competition, but their game log shows that higher level opponents have been able to grab boards and dish out assists a lot more frequently.
This isn’t a great spot, but the numbers on DePaul are a bit misleading, and McNeeley has proven that he can compile counting stats. Look for McNeeley to end the game with a rebounds and assists total higher than 8.5 today.
The College Basketball Experience
For more analysis on every college basketball game for the 2024-25 season, make sure you tune into The College Basketball Experience. Colby Dant, Moneyline Mac, and Noah Bieniek talk about each game on the entire slate. Listen for input on ATS and moneyline college basketball picks every night!
