Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a day to honor a civil rights leader and a key figure in American history. One way that the nation celebrates Dr. King is with a full day of college hoops. The slate for January 19th has over 40 games scheduled. That’s a large amount of games for a Monday during conference play. We’ve dug through the slate and found three college basketball picks for today’s games. Let’s go through it.
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College Basketball Preview, Picks, and Best Bets for January 19
Matt Dewoskin ATS College Basketball Picks Record (Est 11/3/2025)
All Selections: 114-102-3
Perfect 3-0 Cards: 12-61
Sacred Heart at Rider
Start Time: 2:00 PM EST
Sacred Heart comes into this game with a 6-13 overall record and a 3-9 mark on the road. The Pioneers are 7-11 overall against the spread and 4-8 ATS on the road.
Rider enters this matchup with a 2-15 overall record and a 2-5 mark at home. The Broncs are 6-10 overall ATS and 1-5 ATS at home.
These two teams met once last year. Sacred Heart won by 12 points and covered a five-point spread. The Pioneers just snapped a six-game losing streak by picking up a win at Siena. Rider won their first conference game of the season at home against Iona, but they’re off a loss at St. Peter’s.
Rider remains one of the worst offensive teams in the country. The Broncs are 362nd in the nation in points per game. They’re dead last in the nation in three-point percentage and offensive efficiency. Sacred Heart isn’t the greatest offense in the world, but the Pioneers average over 72 points per game, and they’re in the top-10 in the nation in free-throw shooting percentage.
Sacred Heart has lost three of its last five by four points or fewer, and a few of those games were on the road in conference. Sacred Heart is the better side, and they’re capable of scoring more than 70 points in a game. Let’s play the 3.5 points and lock up Sacred Heart.
Best Bet: Sacred Heart -3.5
New Hampshire at Maine
Start Time: 2:00 PM EST
New Hampshire enters this game 4-12 overall record and a 0-10 mark on the road. The Wildcats are 8-6 overall ATS and 7-3 ATS on the road.
Maine comes into this matchup with a 3-16 overall record and a 1-4 mark at home. The Black Bears are 8-10 overall ATS and 0-4 ATS at home.
Maine swept this series last year, but only covered the game played in Orono, ME. The Black Bears just finished a 1-2 road trip with a win at NJIT. They’re off a loss to Vermont, but they only lost by five points in Burlington, VT. New Hampshire has lost five straight, including three conference games. The Wildcats are off a one-point loss to UMBC in Maryland.
Maine struggles on offense, but has a top-60 scoring defense in the country. New Hampshire is really rough on both sides of the ball. The Wildcats are 348th in the nation in scoring offense and 249th in scoring defense. Maine is actually good at taking the ball away from its opponent. The Black Bears average 7.5 steals per game. That’s 100th in the nation. They’re also 157th in the nation in generating turnovers on defense.
Maine will win and cover a rock fight. The Black Bears can defend and should be able to do enough at home to cover the short spread. They won this by 25 points last year. Lock up Maine to get the win and cover against New Hampshire.
Best Bet: Maine -1.5
North Carolina A&T at Hampton
Start Time: 9:00 PM EST
North Carolina A&T comes into this matchup with a 7-9 overall record and a 3-5 road mark. The Aggies are 9-5 overall ATS and 6-2 ATS on the road.
Hampton enters this game with an 8-10 overall record and a 5-0 home mark. The Pirates 10-6 overall ATS and 3-0 ATS at home.
North Carolina A&T is 6-4 in the last 10 games against Hampton, but Hampton swept last year’s series and covered in Hampton, VA. North Carolina A&T has lost five straight games outright, but they’ve managed to cover four of the five games. Hampton is off three straight losses.
This is a true clash of styles. NC A&T is a solid offensive team, but struggles to defend consistently. The Aggies average 74.5 points per game and are solid on the interior on offense. NC A&T shoots 51.3% on two-point shots. Hampton allows opponents to shoot 53.4% on two-point shots. Hampton is the better defensive side, but the Pirates can’t really score. They’re 340th in effective shooting percentage and 306th in shooting efficiency.
NC A&T is a much better rebounding team, and they’re a better shooting team by a wide margin. This should be a one-possession game, and the Aggies are catching two possessions. Lock up North Carolina A&T to keep this one close and potentially steal this one on the road.
Best Bet: North Carolina A&T +6.5
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!
