College Basketball Betting Guide: Odds, Predictions For Jan. 19

Today's NCAAB Betting Odds, Lines & Picks

The Big Ten, Pac-12 and WCC are all in action tonight and I have a play in each conference. Scroll down to check out which games I like and where our BetQL model has found some value.

One trend to note is that the BetQL NCAAB model is crushing spread picks, hitting roughly 54% of all spread picks rated ⭐⭐ and higher in the last 90 days for a total return of $5,021 on $100 bets! Take advantage of BetQL's free trial and see all of today's best college basketball bets, plus what the model is projecting for this week's NFL, NBA and NHL games! Start your free trial today!

Saint Mary's at Pepperdine Prediction

It hasn’t been an easy time in conference play for Pepperdine. The Waves sit at 0-5 in the WCC this season and things aren’t going to get any easier tonight with Saint Mary’s in town. The Gaels are tied with Gonzaga atop the conference at 5-0. While Saint Mary’s has no problem scoring, much of its success has come on the defensive end of the floor. The Gaels lead the nation in defensive rebound percentage and have the eighth-ranked defense, according to KenPom. I expect the Gaels to completely control the glass on both ends and overwhelm a Waves defense that has given up 90 points in its last two games and at least 80 in each of the last five. Plus, BetQL managing editor Dan Karpuc also gave out Saint Mary's -12 as his best bet for the day!

My picks: Saint Mary's 1H -6.5 & full game -12

Rutgers at Michigan State Prediction

Both Rutgers and Michigan State have been great covering teams lately. The Scarlet Knights are 7-1 ATS in their last eight and the Spartans are 6-3 in their last nine. That said, I'm going to back Rutgers on the road tonight and I might even consider sprinkling a little on the moneyline. Steve Pikiell's squad is the better of the two teams on the defensive end, ranking third overall on KenPom, and is the second-best offensive rebounding team in the Big Ten. Rutgers has defended the pick and roll at a high level all season and its backcourt will match up really well against Michigan State's guards. The Scarlet Knights also have a slight height advantage down low and have the deeper, more experienced team overall. Take the points with the road team!

My pick: Rutgers +3

USC at Arizona Prediction

Arizona has regressed quite a bit both offensively and defensively since the start of Pac-12 play, but tonight's game against USC presents a great opportunity to get back on track. That's because the Trojans are absolutely terrible on the offensive end, which is why I'm going to take their team total under 71.5. USC is an awful 3-point shooting team, ranking No. 332 on KenPom, and Arizona is great at defending the 3, so I don't expect a plethora of points there. The Wildcats are also the best team in the conference at preventing opponents from getting to the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, if Arizona wants to get its season back on track after two bad losses to Washington State and Oregon, it's going to need to buckle down on the defensive end. The Wildcats only allowed teams to score more than 70 points twice in the entire month of December and that's what I expect will be the case again tonight.

My pick: USC Team Total Under 71.5

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