College Basketball Expert Picks For Thursday, Jan. 19

College Basketball Picks, Predictions

There's more college basketball action today, which means even more tough decisions for bettors to go along with NBA, NFL, NHL and college football this week. To help you make the best bets today, the BetQL editors have picked a few of their favorite college basketball bets below using key trends, data and picks from the BetQL model.

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!

Kate Constable: Saint Mary's 1H -6.5 & Full Game -12

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.

Dan Karpuc: Saint Mary’s -12 at Pepperdine

Saint Mary’s (16-4 SU, 12-6-1 ATS) is quietly one of the most dangerous teams in the country. While they are unranked in the AP poll, they rank eighth in KenPom’s all-encompassing efficiency rating and own the seventh-ranked Adjusted Defensive Rating. The Gaels play at a snail’s pace (352nd in Adjusted Tempo) and their unique defensive sets wreak havoc on their opponents, per BetQL’s Brian “The Prodigy” Hunt, who is a huge fan of Saint Mary's. KenPom ranks Pepperdine 148th overall and what stands out is the fact that they have played at the 11th-fastest Adjusted Tempo. Saint Mary’s completely overwhelms opponents and forces offenses to execute in the half court, which I don’t see happening with much effectiveness here.

Matt Horner: Indiana +6 at Illinois

I think we have reached a low enough point that Indiana is a play-on team now. Remember, this was a preseason favorite that still has a lot of talent, but has underperformed. This line opened at 7 and was quickly bought down to 6. Illinois is a good team, but we have seen how inconsistent the Illini can be. I'll take the points with the Hoosiers.

Lucy Burdge: USC +8 at Arizona

USC has covered the spread in six of its last seven games, while Arizona has failed to cover in four straight, dropping the Wildcats to 6-11-1 ATS on the season. USC has also covered six times in eight games away from home, while Arizona is just 3-6-1 ATS at home after failing to cover in four straight in Tucson. Considering all that, I like USC to cover this spread tonight.

MORE: TODAY’S COLLEGE HOOPS BETTING GUIDE

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!