The Friday slate for college hoops has only seven games scheduled. Saturday gets over 140, but we only have seven games on one of the slowest nights in sports for the entire year. A seven-game slate might lack options, but it’s still a slate, and we’re going to bet it. We’ve gone through the few games scheduled and found three college basketball picks that you’ll want to have action on. Let’s dig into it.
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College Basketball Preview, Picks, and Best Bets for January 16
Matt Dewoskin ATS College Basketball Picks Record (Est 11/3/2025)
All Selections: 112-96-2
Perfect 3-0 Cards: 12-58
Creighton at Providence
Start Time: 6:30 PM EST
Creighton comes into this game with an 11-7 overall record and a 2-3 mark on the road. The Blue Jays are 8-10 overall against the spread and 3-2 ATS on the road.
Providence enters this matchup with an 8-9 overall record and a 6-3 mark at home. The Friars are 9-8 overall ATS and 5-4 ATS at home.
Creighton won and covered each of last year’s matchups in this series. The Blue Jays have won two out of three road games in conference and covered all three games. Providence has dropped three straight Big East games at home. They only managed to cover in one of the home losses.
Both teams are coming into this game banged up. Creighton has a trio of rotation pieces that are listed as questionable with undisclosed injuries. Providence will likely be without leading scorer Jason Edwards. Edwards missed a game earlier this week with a foot injury. He hasn’t been confirmed as out, but it isn’t looking good for this game.
Providence profiles as an all gas, no brakes team this year. The Friars are 13th in scoring offense, but 341st in scoring defense. Creighton offers a more balanced approach, ranking 128th in scoring offense and 110th in scoring defense. Providence is especially poor at defending the perimeter. The Friars are 341st in three-point percentage against, and Creighton lives beyond the arc. Look for the Blue Jays to try to limit possessions, take advantage of a Providence team that plays loose at times, and wreck the Friars from beyond the arc.
Also, the line appears to be telling us that Edwards will miss this game. Let’s lock up Creighton to pick up another win in the Big East.
Best Bet: Creighton -1
Toledo at Kent State
Start Time: 6:30 PM EST
Toledo enters this matchup with a 10-7 overall record and a 3-3 mark on the road. The Rockets are 6-9 ATS overall and 3-3 ATS on the road.
Kent State comes into this game with a 13-4 overall record and a 9-1 mark at home. The Golden Flashes are 7-8 ATS overall and 5-3 ATS at home.
Kent State has won and covered three straight matchups in this series. Last year, the Golden Flashes beat Toledo by 40 points in Portage County. Toledo has won five of their last six, including two in-conference road games. The Rockets beat Northern Illinois and Central Michigan away from Toledo. Kent State has won two of its last three, but suffered a weird loss at Central Michigan this past week.
Both teams are 4-1 in-conference play, but Kent State has played a tougher schedule. Toledo has wins over Northern Illinois, Central Michigan, and Western Michigan. Those teams are a combined 3-14 in MACtion. Kent State has wins over Buffalo, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, and UMass. Toledo has played Miami (OH) and lost by 14 points.
Don’t expect to see a whole lot of defense in this matchup. Both teams are in the top-90 in terms of points scored per game. Kent State is 22nd in the nation in average points per game, while Toledo is 84th. However, Kent State is 337th in the nation in points allowed, while Toledo is only 289th. The game total is at 171.5, but the over is in play. Both teams could hit 90 points scored in this one.
Kent State is the better shooting team and the more efficient offense. The Golden Flashes are also the much better rebounding team. Toledo routinely gets killed on the glass.
Kent State can score a ton of points, and they should get more second chances given Toledo’s limitations in rebounding. This game is also played on a familiar gym, and Kent State is looking for a signature win. The Golden Flashes have played a good MAC schedule, but Toledo has gone up against the best and lost. Look for Kent State to blow this one open late and get the win and cover at home.
Best Bet: Kent State -4.5
Marquette at DePaul
Start Time: 8:30 PM EST
Marquette enters this game with a 6-12 overall record and a 0-5 mark on the road. The Golden Eagles are 5-13 ATS overall and 1-4 ATS on the road.
DePaul comes into this matchup with a 10-7 overall record and an 8-3 mark at home. The Blue Demons are 11-6 ATS overall and 6-5 ATS at home.
Marquette has won six straight matchups in this series. The Golden Eagles won both games last year outright, but DePaul covered both as a heavy dog. Marquette has only won twice in their last 10 games. DePaul has won two out of three conference games played at home with wins over Georgetown and Xavier. Marquette has played three conference road games this year and lost all three by more than 15 points.
One of the biggest surprises in the Big East is DePaul turning into a top-50 scoring defense in the country. The Blue Demons have allowed opponents to average only 68.6 points per game this year. That’s the 46th-best mark in the nation.
Marquette comes into this game with an offensive efficiency rating that comes in at 315th in the country. DePaul’s defense has been solid this year, and Marquette really struggles to find quality looks. The Blue Demons can do enough on offense to pull away. The Golden Eagles may also be without a pair of key contributors. A struggling offense on the road with a short bench isn’t typically a recipe for success. The Blue Demons were also mentioned in the recent gambling indictment, and we’ve seen teams make a better effort to appear to be legitimate after getting caught by the Feds. Looking at you, Temple.
Lock up DePaul to win and cover the 3.5 points.
Best Bet: DePaul -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!
