The calendar is about to flip to February. You know what that means? March is right around the corner, and with March comes madness. However, we still have a few days left in January before we get there. The college hoops slate has over 50 games scheduled. We’ve gone through the numbers and found three college basketball picks you’ll want to make before the games start. Let’s get into it.
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College Basketball Preview, Picks, and Best Bets for January 29
Matt Dewoskin ATS College Basketball Picks Record (Est 11/3/2025)
All Selections: 127-114-5
Perfect 3-0 Cards: 12-70
Penn State at Northwestern
Start Time: 8:00 PM EST
Penn State enters this game with a 9-11 overall record and a 1-4 mark on the road. The Nittany Lions are 8-12 against the spread overall and 3-2 ATS on the road.
Northwestern comes into this matchup with a 9-11 overall record and a 6-4 mark at home. The Wildcats are 8-12 overall ATS and 4-6 ATS at home.
Penn State won this matchup at home a few weeks ago, but failed to cover by the hook. They did cover as a seven-point underdog on the road last year. The Nittany Lions have lost seven straight, but they’ve covered in four of those spots. Northwestern has lost six out of its last seven. The Wildcats have covered two games in a row.
Penn State brings the more efficient offense and is the better shooting team overall. The Nittany Lions are 96th in the nation in effective shooting percentage and 107th in offensive efficiency. Penn State can score, but they really struggle on the defensive end. The Nittany Lions tend give up a lot of open looks, but they’re also really good at taking the ball away. The problem there is that Northwestern gives up the least amount of turnovers in the country.
This game is almost always a one-to-two-possession game. There hasn’t been a double-digit winner in this series since 2021. Penn State’s offense will keep it close, but its defense will likely give this one away in the end. However, let’s lock up Penn State to keep the game within the 8.5-point spread.
Best Bet: Penn State +8.5
Utah Tech at Abilene Christian
Start Time: 8:00 PM EST
Utah Tech enters this matchup with an 11-11 overall record and a 3-8 road mark. The Trailblazers are 10-9 overall ATS and 6-5 ATS on the road.
Abilene Christian comes into this game with a 10-9 overall record and a 6-2 mark at home. The Wildcats are 7-9 overall ATS and 2-3 ATS at home.
Abilene Christian has won seven out of eight games in this series overall. These two teams played on January 1st, and Utah Tech won its first-ever matchup in this series at Abilene Christian. However, the Trailblazers have lost and failed to cover each of their last three road games. Abilene Christian has lost three straight overall after beating Utah Valley and Tarleton State.
This is a simple handicap. Utah Tech has been a poor team on the road this year, and Abilene Christian is tough at home. The Wildcats also need this game to get back into the conference race. Abilene Christian can be tough on defense, especially at home, but they struggle to score. They’ve played back-to-back games and scored fewer than 60 points. The Wildcats are due for a bounce back, and they should cover as the short favorite. Let’s lock up Abilene Christian to win and cover after dropping the first matchup in this series this year.
Best Bet: Abilene Christian -2.5
Hawaii at UC-Irvine
Start Time: 11:00 PM EST
Hawaii comes into this game with a 15-4 overall record and a 2-3 road mark. The Rainbow Warriors are 8-9 overall ATS and 3-2 ATS on the road.
UC-Irvine enters this matchup with a 14-7 overall record and a 6-3 mark at home. The Anteaters are 10-9 overall ATS and 2-5 ATS at home.
UC-Irvine has won four of the last five matchups outright in this series and covered five straight games against Hawaii. The Rainbow Warriors have won and covered three of the last four games overall. UC-Irvine returns home after a four-game road trip in which they went 2-2 overall and 3-1 ATS.
Both of these teams are nasty on defense. Hawaii ranks 13th in the nation in points allowed, while UC-Irvine ranks 35th. Expect buckets to be hard to come by in this one, but Hawaii is usually not as good away from the island. UC-Irvine isn’t a great offense, but they get to play in their building. The Anteaters should be a bit more comfortable on the offensive end, while Hawaii usually struggles in this spot.
UC-Irvine and Hawaii are tied for first in the Big West Conference, but Hawaii has to travel to Irvine for this one. The Rainbow Warriors have been invincible at home, but they can struggle on the mainland. Let’s take that angle, and lock up UC-Irvine to win and cover an absolute rock fight.
Best Bet: UC-Irvine -1.5
The College Basketball Experience
For more analysis of every college basketball game in the 2025-26 season, make sure to 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!
