Super Saturday came and went like a great meal, and now we get the leftovers that are the Sunday slate. We have a couple of power conferences in action, a few low-major matchups, and a handful of mid-major games. There isn’t a ton of action in college hoops, but we’ve dug deep and found three college basketball picks worthy of locking up before tip-off. Let’s get into it.
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College Basketball Preview, Picks, and Best Bets for January 10
Matt Dewoskin ATS College Basketball Picks Record (Est 11/3/2025)
All Selections: 105-88-2
Perfect 3-0 Cards: 10-53
Illinois at Iowa
Start Time: 12:00 PM EST
Illinois enters this game with a 12-3 overall record and a 2-0 road record. The Fighting Illini are 8-7 against the spread overall and 1-1 ATS on the road.
Iowa comes into this matchup with a 12-3 overall record and a 9-0 mark at home. The Hawkeyes are 11-4 ATS overall and 7-2 ATS at home.
Illinois is on a four-game winning streak. The Fighting Illini are just off a 26-point beatdown of Rutgers in Champaign.
Iowa just had a four-game winning streak snapped at The Barn in Minnesota. The rumor is that the barn is a tough place to play.
The Hawkeyes are excellent at controlling pace and defending. Iowa allows the second fewest points per game in the nation. They can defend the perimeter, limit scoring on the interior, and average 15.1 turnovers against per game. That’s 20th in the nation.
Given that Iowa is off the loss and this is in their building, they’re the side as the short underdog. Illinois has gone on the road in conference this year, but they went to Penn State and Ohio State. Penn State was technically a neutral site, and Ohio State didn’t qualify as lit in early December. This is a legitimately hostile environment against one of the best defenses in the country. This has one-possession game written all over it. Let’s lock up Iowa and the two points, but sprinkle the money line.
Best Bet: Iowa +2
Memphis at Florida Atlantic
Start Time: 1:00 PM EST
Memphis comes into this game with a 7-7 overall record and a 1-3 record on the road. The Tigers are 9-5 overall ATS and 1-3 ATS on the road.
Florida Atlantic enters this matchup with a 10-6 overall record and a 6-1 mark at home. The Owls are 9-5 overall ATS and 4-1 ATS at home.
Memphis is currently on a three-game winning streak. They just clipped Rice in Houston. Florida Atlantic has won only two of its last five, but its last win was at UAB. The Owls have dropped games to Tulane, UCF, and St. Mary’s. Memphis won and covered against FAU in both games last year.
Taking Penny Hardaway teams as an Underdog has traditionally been a system play in these parts. That hasn’t worked out exactly this season. We’re likely one more non-cover as an Underdog away from declaring the system broken.
Memphis needs this game if they’re going to build a tournament resume. The Tigers are 2-0 in conference, but really need to stack wins to get their season back on track.
Memphis enters this matchup as the much better defensive team than Florida Atlantic. The Tigers are in the top 20 in the nation in steals generated per game, and they’re really good at turning over the opposition. Florida Atlantic has the more efficient offense, but they’ve struggled with Memphis’ athleticism in the past. The Tigers should limit the FAU offense, and be able to do enough on the offensive end to get the job done. Lock up the Tigers and the two points.
Best Bet: Memphis +2
Cincinnati at UCF
5:00 PM EST
Cincinnati enters this game with an 8-7 overall record and a 0-2 mark on the road. The Bearcats are 5-10 overall ATS and 0-2 ATS on the road.
UCF comes into this matchup with a 12-2 overall record and a 9-1 mark at home. The very shiny Golden Knights are 8-6 overall ATS and 6-4 ATS at home.
Cincinnati has dropped two in a row with losses at West Virginia and at home against Houston. The Bearcats are 4-6 overall in their last 10 games, and 3-7 ATS over that stretch. UCF is off a loss at Oklahoma State, but rattled off 11 straight wins before losing in Stillwater, OK. UCF is 6-4 ATS in its last 10 games.
These two teams split this series last year, with each team winning and covering at the other’s building.
This game is a true clash of styles. UCF has a much better offense. The very Golden Knights are 24th in the nation in points per game and 31st in the nation in three-point shooting percentage. UCF can put the ball in the basket. Cincinnati can’t score as easily as the Golden Knights can. The Bearcats are solid defensively, but it’s really hard to see Cincinnati scoring enough on the road to keep this close. Cincinnati can only really score on the inside, but UCF is solid in the paint. The line is a little short, but we’re diving in. Lock up the Golden Knights at home and lay the 3.5 points.
Best Bet: UCF -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!
