College hoops is fully back, and we get a Super Tuesday-level slate on a Monday. We have almost 60 games with posted lines to take action on. Several teams are still tuning up with buy games, but we do have a few conferences that are already into conference play. We’ve dug through the slate and found three college basketball picks that you’ll want to lock up before games tip off. Let’s dig into it.
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College Basketball Preview, Picks, and Best Bets for December 29
Matt Dewoskin ATS College Basketball Picks Record (Est 11/3/2025)
All Selections: 88-66-2
Perfect 3-0 Cards: 9-43
Lamar at Northwestern State
Start Time: 7:30 PM EST
Lamar enters this game with a 5-6 overall record and a 2-2 road mark. The Cardinals are 3-4-2 against the spread overall and 3-0-1 ATS on the road.
Northwestern State comes into this matchup with a 3-8 overall record and a 2-1 home mark. The Demons are 5-4 at home and 1-0 ATS in their gym.
Neither team has played since December 20th. Lamar is currently on a four-game losing streak. That includes a 0-2 record in the Southland Conference. The Cardinals lost at home to UT-RGV and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Northwestern State is 1-1 in conference with a win at SELA and a loss at McNeese.
Lamar has been a bit of a mess recently. For a team that was expected to contend in the Southland, the Cardinals sure aren’t showing it. Lamar has a better lineup on paper, but they have to go into Northwestern State’s gym. The Demons are a better free-throw shooting team, and they have the better offense. Lamar can defend a little, but they may struggle from the field due to the layoff and the unfamiliar rims. Lock up Northwestern State to cover the 3.5 points and consider a moneyline sprinkle.
Best Bet: Northwestern State +3.5
Purdue-Fort Wayne at Milwaukee
Start Time: 8:00 PM EST
IPFW comes into this matchup with an 8-6 overall record and a 1-6 road record. The Mastodons are 5-6 ATS overall and 2-5 ATS on the road.
Milwaukee enters this game with a 6-6 overall record and a 4-1 home record. The Panthers are 7-5 ATS overall and 3-4 ATS at home.
IPFW is off a buy game win over Notre Dame in South Bend. Milwaukee is off a road win at Cleveland State. The Panthers are 2-0 in conference play this year. IPFW is 2-1 in Horizon League play with wins over Oakland and Detroit Mercy.
These teams are remarkably similar. Both teams can score, and neither really plays defense. IPFW can shoot a little better, but Milwaukee is better at rebounding and taking care of the basketball. Points will be scored, but Milwaukee should generate more second chances on offense and take advantage when IPFW gets loose with the ball. The home environment will also play to Milwaukee’s advantage. IPFW is also off its biggest win of the season over big brother Notre Dame. This is a prime let-down spot for the Mastodons. Let’s lock up Milwaukee to win and cover the 1.5 points.
Best Bet: Milwaukee -1.5
Utah at Washington
Start Time: 11:00 PM EST
Utah comes into this game with an 8-4 overall record and a 0-1 road record. The Runnin’ Utes are 3-8-1 ATS overall and 1-0 ATS on the road.
Washington enters this matchup with an 8-4 overall record and a 5-1 home record. The Huskies are 7-5-1 ATS overall and 4-2 ATS at home.
Both of these teams are off a couple of blowout wins over mid-major programs, and both teams have conference play on deck.
Utah and Washington can both score points. The Runnin’ Utes are better at shooting from range, while the Huskies are better in the paint. The key differences here are in rebounding and defense. Washington is one of the better rebounding teams in the country, and they try on defense. Utah doesn’t crash the boards or clamp on defense nearly as well as Washington does. The Huskies are also better at generating and limiting turnovers. This is a case of a better team playing at home against an opponent that is a bad matchup.
Utah has played three Power Five programs this year and their 1-2 in those matchups. They lost to Cal by seven and Mississippi State by 12. They did manage to beat Ole Miss by one. Washington is the best team Utah has faced this year by a wide margin.
This is a beefy number to lay. If Utah catches a crazy shooting game, they’ll stay in this, but the Utes have been off since 12/20 and will likely have rust. A rusty Utes offense and a defense that won’t be able to handle Washington means that the beefy line is justified, and Washington should get the win and the cover. Lock up the Huskies to roll at home in their final tune-up before they get into their Big Ten schedule.
Best Bet: Washington -11
The College Basketball Experience
For more analysis on every college basketball game for the 2025-26 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!
