NCAA Basketball Predictions, Odds & Best Bets: Thursday Hoops (1/23)

Thursday brings us plenty of NCAA Basketball action! We took a look at the College Hoops slate and found plenty of best bets for tonight’s entertainment. Let’s get into it.

For all of our Expert NCAA Basketball Picks, check out our page here. But for now, let’s get right into it!

Listed below are my College Hoops best bets for today, but be sure to get all of my picks on my Twitter (@Shaggy_Bets)

NCAA Basketball Best Bets – January 23rd, 2025

Maine vs UMass Lowell Predictions

Best Bets: UMass Lowell -4 (-115) BetOnline

Don’t hate me too much, but I snagged the River Hawks ML at (-148) last night instead of taking the -2.5, but I still think they cover the number that is offered. Maine comes into town on a four game winning streak, but they aren’t anything special.

Offensively they rank 290th overall, and 347th in both offensive rebounds and FT Rate. They do not get second chance points or cheap ones from the stripe very often. Defensively they are more sound, and they are Top 10 in turnovers forced, but on the road they will have their hands full. UMass Lowell is fantastic at winning the free throw battle, ranking 39th in FT Rate offense and 13th in FT Rate defense at home. The River Hawks will speed up this game, which will upset the Bears, and coming off their worst outing of the season, I trust Lowell to fix their issues and win this game at home.

Stetson vs Eastern Kentucky Predictions

Best Bets: Eastern Kentucky -12 (-110) BetOnline

The Colonels are favored by a big number for a reason. They are ranked 130 spots higher than Stetson, and they LOVE to run.

Eastern Kentucky’s offense is Top 155 in the country, but they are Top 25 in taking care of the basketball. Despite their uptempo style of play, the Colonels find a decent shot most times down the floor. Defensively, they aren’t that great, and they give up plenty of offensive rebounds, but I don’t see that coming into play tonight.

Stetson is just awful. Offensively, they are 274th overall, 322nd in turnovers and 331st in offensive rebounds (hence why I don’t see it being an issue). On the other side of the ball, they are even worse. The Hatters are 359th in overall efficiency and 353rd in turnovers forced and offensive rebounds allowed. They suck on both sides of the ball, can’t take care of it or grab offensive boards, but let their opponents do whatever they would like. Stetson is also coming off a win against West Georgia, a team that has now accounted for two of the Hatters’ five wins. The Colonels will push the pace, that will be fine with Stetson, but they won’t be able to do as much offensively.

Pepperdine vs Oregon State Predictions

Best Bets: Pepperdine/Oregon State Under 144.5 (-110) BetOnline

Under, Under, Under! The Beavers are a Top 70 team who are coming off a loss to San Francisco in which they gave up 81 points. They are not going to let that happen against Pepperdine at home. Oregon State is SLOW, ranking 313th in possessions per game, while being incredibly efficient on offense. Now, their defense takes a fantastic jump at home, ranking Top 50 in eFG%. They are 10-1 at home, and I don’t see Pepperdine competing.

The Waves have put up a combined 113 points in their last two outings against San Francisco and Saint Mary’s, two teams that play an extremely similar play style to the Beavers. They are very, very slow but efficient on offense, and win the game on the defensive end.

While Pepperdine likes to speed things up, I don’t see them controlling the pace against Oregon State tonight. Pepperdine is nothing special but nothing terrible on both sides of the ball. However, on the road they struggle to grab offensive rebounds while doing a fantastic job of not fouling their hosts. Tonight I see this one staying well under 144.5.

UC Santa Barbara vs UC San Diego Predictions

Best Bets: UC Santa Barbara +10 (-110) BetOnline

This play is not sexy, I can assure you, but hear me out.

This is going to be a slow paced game. The Gauchos are 338th overall and 358th on the road in possessions per game, while UC San Diego is 241st, slowing things down to 284th at home. The Tritons (UCSD) have lost two of their last three, and this could be a look ahead spot as they face CS Northridge on Saturday. UC Santa Barbara has a much easier spot in two days, playing CS Fullerton who rank 321st overall.

The Gauchos (UCSB) are Top 50 in eFG% on both sides of the ball, and jump up to 30th defensively away from home. They play well no matter where they are at, and they don’t switch up their game for anyone. The Gauchos are 63rd in offensive rebounds allowed and 41st in FT Rate defense, which will be crucial in a slow paced games. Offensively, UCSB is Top 100 in 3P Rate, while shooting nearly 40% from deep, ranking 11th in the country. They struggle to get to the free throw line, but when you shoot 40% from deep on nearly 43% of possessions, you’re going to put some points up.

Now, UC San Diego ranks 332nd in eFG% defense at home, they are 286th in offensive rebounds, and 270th in FT Rate defense. They rank 8th in 3P Rate, but shoot far too many as they only knock down roughly 33%, ranking 228th in the country. But here is the kicker.

The Tritons cannot defend the perimeter. They rank 344th in 3P Rate defense and 333rd in 3P% defense, both at home. The Gauchos whole offense is from beyond the arc, and they shouldn’t have any trouble succeeding in this extremely slow paced game. With points at a premium in this matchup, giving the Gauchos ten is way too many.

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