College Basketball Best Bets for Wednesday, Jan. 29
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 9 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
We have another deep slate of college basketball on Wednesday, as two top-10 teams hit the road against unranked opponents and the SEC features another top-15 battle.
But I'm looking for the best betting value, not necessarily the biggest games.
So, here's college basketball best bets and picks, including three expert NCAAB predictions for Wednesday, January 29.
East Tennessee State vs. UNC Greensboro Pick
UNC Greensboro has been a staple atop the SoCon standings in the past decade, and this year is no different. The Spartans look to stay one game within first place with a victory on Wednesday against a much improved East Tennessee State squad.
Greensboro’s best attribute this season has been its ability to shoot the ball. The Spartans are a scorching 40.8% from deep in SoCon play — the best mark in the league — and they shoot over 46% of their shots from behind the arc.
They’ll be challenged against a Buccaneers squad that takes away the triple at the highest rate in the league, but UNC Greensboro’s terrific veteran backcourt should be able to counter any over-playing on the perimeter.
Ronald Polite III, Kenyon Giles and Donovan Atwell are right up there with the best guard trios in the league.
That guard trio fuels a pick-and-roll heavy attack that's among the most efficient in the SoCon.
East Tennessee State has defended ball screens admirably this year, but the Bucs won’t be able to turn over UNC Greensboro’s sure-handed guards or faze them with pressure.
On the other end, East Tennessee State relies heavily on the offensive glass to score points. The Bucs lead the conference and rank 10th nationally in offensive rebound percentage.
UNC Greensboro will be tested on the boards, an area it’s been so-so protecting as one of the smaller teams in the league. Mike Jones’ squads are known for their scrappiness and toughness – effort will be their size on Wednesday.
This game will be a good one between two evenly matched squads. UNC Greensboro will no doubt look to avenge a 1-2 record against East Tennessee State last season. The Spartans’ lone win vs. the Bucs last season came by 16 points on their home floor.
Pick: UNC Greensboro -1.5 (Play to -2.5)
Oral Roberts vs. St. Thomas Pick
It wasn’t too long ago that Oral Roberts was the talk of the nation. Max Abmas had this program in the Sweet 16 as a 15-seed back in 2021, and Paul Mills leveraged a 30-win, 18-0 Summit League season into the Wichita State gig.
Under the new regime, Oral Roberts has been awful — and this year it’s hit rock bottom.
St. Thomas is arguably the best coached team in the league and one of the best coached teams in the country.
What Johnny Tauer has done at this program has been nothing short of miraculous. His offense hums and leads the Summit in both turnover percentage and effective field goal percentage.
Against by far the worst defense in the conference (and fifth-worst in the country), the Tommies can essentially name their number on Wednesday.
St. Thomas will shred the inept Oral Roberts defense. The Tommies have a near-perfect shooting chart, taking only rim looks and 3s – they eschew the mid-range at all costs. Per CBB Analytics, only three teams in the country have attempted a lower rate of mid-range jumpers.
Oral Roberts has been bludgeoned inside this year, ranking 355th in field goal percentage allowed at the rim and 347th in field goal percentage allowed on paint 2s. With the Tommies’ intricate motion offense and ability to get out in transition, except plenty of easy buckets from in close.
On the other end, Oral Roberts' offense has been buoyed by Issac McBride, a certifiable stud but not a miracle worker.
The Golden Eagles lead the country in isolation possessions — signs of an awful offense — and while the Tommies aren’t the most athletic bunch –nor the best one-on-one defenders — you can bet Tauer will game plan to take away McBride and force Oral Roberts' harmless supporting pieces into beating him.
Take the Tommies by 20 at home.
Pick: St. Thomas -14.5 (Play to -16)
Rutgers vs. Northwestern Pick
Editor's Note: Dylan Harper (ankle) is out.
Rutgers has been a giant disappointment this season, there’s no doubt about that.
But this team still has two of the most talented players in the country in Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper and one of the best coaches in Steve Pikiell.
At their best, the Scarlet Knights can compete with anyone, as wins against UCLA and at Nebraska — plus close contests versus Alabama and Texas A&M — show.
Northwestern might be the better team right now, but Rutgers is more talented and more than capable of hanging around within two possessions.
It should come as no surprise that Rutgers relies on its talented twosome to score buckets. Rutgers ranks among the nation’s leaders in possessions used in isolation. That’s usually a bad thing, but when the two guys using those possessions are top-five picks in this summer’s NBA draft, you can make it work.
Northwestern’s defense isn’t quite up to its usual standard this season, and its lack of athleticism on the perimeter has left it susceptible to being beaten off the dribble in one-on-one situations. Bailey and Harper should have no trouble getting to spots and creating open looks for themselves and their teammates.
And of course, as is tradition with a Pikiell squad, this Rutgers team hits the offensive glass hard. The Scarlet Knights have been the Big Ten’s fourth-best offensive rebounding team this season, while Northwestern ranks second-to-last in defensive rebounding rate.
Rutgers’ defense has been its weaker side this season, by far the weakest in the Pikiell era. But Northwestern isn’t a team that’s going to exploit that weakness, as it's the 15th-best offensive squad in the Big Ten and 79th in the nation.
Like Rutgers, the the Wildcats rely on two primary scorers — Brooks Barnhizer and Nick Martinelli — to create offense and score in isolation.
Rutgers has plenty of perimeter size to match up with Northwestern’s tough, scrappy duo and should be able to muck it up enough on this end to stay close.
Pick: Rutgers +7.5 (Play to +6)
