Mid-major madness continues on January 8th, with a lot of the ‘other’ schools taking the spotlight after Monday and Tuesday slates dominated by power schools. Today’s games required a little deep-sea diving. We had to look into a few unique angles, but we have three college basketball picks for today’s games. Let’s dig into it.
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College Basketball Preview, Picks, and Best Bets for January 8
Matt Dewoskin ATS College Basketball Picks Record (Est 11/3/2025)
All Selections: 101-83-2
Perfect 3-0 Cards: 10-51
Denver at South Dakota State
Start Time: 8:00 PM EST
Denver enters this game with an 8-9 overall record and a 3-7 road record. The Pioneers are 10-4 overall against the spread and 8-2 ATS on the road.
South Dakota State also comes into this matchup with an 8-9 overall record and a 5-1 home mark. The Jackrabbits are 7-7 overall ATS and 2-1 ATS at home.
Denver is off a road loss at St. Thomas, in which they held a lead in the second half and came out with a cover. South Dakota State just lost on the road at North Dakota. The Jackrabbits have lost four of their last five, but that’s a bit misleading. Three of the losses were against Arizona, Wyoming, and Milwaukee.
Denver is on the second leg of a road trip and has to head into Brookings, SD to meet a Jackrabbits team that needs a win. The Pioneers are off a tough game in a lit environment, and now head to a tough game in a lit environment.
Denver doesn’t do much on the defensive end. Their goal isn’t to stop their opponent. Their goal is to get the ball back and score again as quickly as possible. The challenge there is they have to play in an unusual gym against a team that will stay in front of them. South Dakota State will score against the Denver defense often. As long as the Jackrabbits avoid a crazy shooting night by Denver, they should win and cover a game that they need to get their season back on track. Lock up South Dakota State to win and cover.
Best Bet: South Dakota State -7.5
Montana at Idaho
Start Time: 9:00 PM EST
Montana comes into this game with an 8-7 overall record and a 2-3 mark on the road. The Grizzlies are 5-6 overall ATS and 2-3 ATS on the road.
Idaho enters this matchup with a 9-5 overall record and a 5-0 mark at home. The Vandals are 5-6 overall ATS and 1-1 ATS at home.
Montana is off back-to-back wins at home, but they’ve struggled on the road. Idaho just won at home against Eastern Washington, but failed to cover as a 6.5-point favorite.
We’ve got yet another poor defensive team playing on the road. Montana struggles to defend the perimeter, and Idaho lives and dies by the three-pointer. Look for the Vandals to bury Montana under an avalanche of threes. Montana also plays a bit loose with the ball. The Grizzlies average 14.9 turnovers per game. That’s 348th in the nation. Idaho isn’t the best defensive team in the conference, but they can get into passing lanes and take advantage. Lock up the Vandals to win and cover against the Grizzlies.
Best Bet: Idaho -3.5
Santa Clara at Gonzaga
Start Time: 1130 PM EST
Santa Clara comes into this game with a 13-4 overall record and a 3-1 road mark. The Broncos are 8-8 overall ATS and 2-2 ATS on the road.
Gonzaga enters this matchup with a 16-1 overall record and a 7-0 home mark. The Bulldogs are 11-6 overall ATS and 5-2 ATS at home.
Gonzaga and Santa Clara have split this series in each of the last two seasons. Santa Clara always plays tough in The Kennel. The Broncos won outright as a 15-point underdog last year.
Santa Clara has won four straight and is 4-0 in conference. Gonzaga is on a nine-game winning streak.
The Broncos have covered and, in fact, won outright, catching double-digits. Santa Clara is the better free-throw shooting team, and that’s about where the advantages end. The Broncos have proven the ability to go into hostile territory and come out with a cover. Santa Clara keeps this one from getting totally out of hand. The Bulldogs will win by 12. Let’s lock up Santa Clara to keep this game within 15 points.
Best Bet: Santa Clara +15.5
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!
