The first Super Tuesday of 2026 lives up to its name. Tonight’s college basketball slate is loaded with heavyweight matchups. From a few SEC bangers to a couple of Big Ten grinders, tonight’s schedule has the Power Five action you’ve been looking for. If we’re going to break down low-major-dominated slates, we have to bet when the bigger programs are butting heads, right? Right. Lock in these three college basketball picks before the games tip off tonight.
Are you looking for a sportsbook to take advantage of our college basketball picks? Check out MyBookie.ag!
College Basketball Preview, Picks, and Best Bets for January 6
Matt Dewoskin ATS College Basketball Picks Record (Est 11/3/2025)
All Selections: 97-81-2
Perfect 3-0 Cards: 9-50
George Washington at Dayton
Start Time: 8:00 PM EST
George Washington enters this game with an 11-4 overall record and a 2-0 mark on the road. The Colonials are 8-6 overall against the spread and 1-1 ATS on the road.
Dayton comes into this matchup with an 11-4 overall record and an 8-1 mark at home. The Flyers are 6-9 overall ATS and 3-6 ATS at home.
Dayton is off a scare at Loyola-Chicago. They only beat the Ramblers by two on the road. George Washington has won two games in a row. The Colonials wrecked LaSalle at home by 22. Dayton has won and covered three of the last five games in this series.
This is a case of two teams going in separate directions. Dayton played a game that was too close for comfort at Loyola-Chicago while George Washington has been routing teams. Given that this series has historically been won and covered by the home team, the side to lock up is Dayton. The Flyers are a much better defensive side than George Washington, and they can score on the inside. The Colonials don’t defend the paint very well. The Flyers should eat on the inside and limit the explosive George Washington offense. Lock up the Flyers to win and cover the three points.
Best Bet: Dayton -3
Toledo and Northern Illinois
Start Time: 8:00 PM EST
Toledo enters this game with a 7-6 overall record and a 2-3 road mark. The Rockets are 4-6-1 overall ATS and 2-1-1 on the road.
Northern Illinois comes into this matchup with a 5-9 overall record and a 4-2 mark at home. The Huskies are 6-6 ATS overall and 1-3 ATS at home.
Northern Illinois has played like a bottom-50 program in the country and may be the worst team in the MAC. The Huskies have lost back-to-back conference games, including a 14-point loss at home against Buffalo. Toledo has won two in a row, including a five-point win over Western Michigan at home. The Rockets failed to cover a double-digit spread at home against the Broncos.
Neither of these teams is amazing on defense, but Toledo has a much better offense. The Rockets are better at shooting from the field, much better at the free-throw line, and don’t really turn the ball over. Toledo is just the better roster, and they’ve won six of the last seven in this series.
NIU was chippy in their most recent loss and still came up short against Kent State. Toledo is trying to break into the upper third of the MAC and needs to pick up the win here. They should shoot their way to victory against a really poor Northern Illinois defense. Lock up Toledo to win this and cover the 6.5 points.
Best Bet: Toledo -6.5
UCLA at Wisconsin
Start Time: 9:00 PM EST
UCLA enters this matchup with a 10-4 overall record and a 1-1 road record. The Bruins are 5-8-1 overall ATS and 0-2 ATS on the road.
Wisconsin comes into this game with a 9-5 overall record and an 8-1 home mark. The Badgers are 5-9 overall ATS and 4-5 ATS on the road.
Wisconsin is off a bad loss at home against Purdue. It’s really rare for the Badgers to lose multiple home games in a row. UCLA is off a tough road loss at Iowa. This is the second leg of a Big Ten road trip.
The book on UCLA is that they’re a bit undersized and soft in paint. Wisconsin has never been undersized or soft in the paint…ever. The Badgers should be able to win in transition, get easy buckets in the paint, and force UCLA to try to win with jump shots. Wisconsin is also a much better rebounding team than the Bruins are. Second chances will be very limited for the Bruins.
UCLA will struggle with Wisconsin’s size, and the Badgers should dictate pace. Wisconsin can do enough on defense to slow down the Bruins’ offense and will limit any extra opportunities on the boards. Lock up Wisconsin to win and cover the 3.5 points.
Best Bet: Wisconsin -3.5
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!
