Our free College Basketball picks are out for Saturday, January 8th, 2022! Make sure you check our expert College Basketball picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free College Basketball picks for the best games on today’s schedule!
Wichita State @ #12 Houston – 12pm ET
This American Athletic Conference matchup features two of the best mid-majors over the last decade or so facing off. The Wichita State Shockers come into this game at 9-4. Meanwhile, the Houston Cougars come into this one ranked 12th in the country with a record of 13-2 so far this season. This game has a ton of upset potential.
Denis Kirilov
Wichita State takes on the 12th-seeded, Houston, who is coming into this match on a 5-game winning streak. Houston holds a decent 13-2 record from the start of the campaign. The Cougars have only lost to Wisconsin and Alabama, while at the same time, they have been quite dominant in the rest of their appearances. Josh Carlton scored 30 points in their last game against South Florida, proving that he deserves more minutes. Marcus Sasser tops the scoring list for Houston with 17.7 points per game, while Kyler Edwards is right behind him with 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Wichita State, on the other hand, is 9-4 from the beginning of the season. Although they haven’t played against seeded teams, some of their opponents have been really tough ones including Arizona and Memphis. Their roster is quite limited as only 10 players have recorded any playing time for them. Tyson Etienne is their most valuable player with 14.9 points per game. However, his efficiency from the court is quite low, which reflects on the overall performance of the team. The squad also concedes a lot of turnovers per game and I think this will be crucial for the outcome of tomorrow’s match. I will trust the hosts from Houston to cover their spread.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Houston -12.5 (-110)
Workin’ for the weekend 😤#watchus pic.twitter.com/XXTwctpbj9
— Wichita State Men’s Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) January 7, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Wichita State Shockers have been one of the best mid-major programs in recent history. However, they have truly failed to recapture the glory they had back when Ron Baker and Fred Vanvleet took them on a roller coaster ride deep in the NCAA tournament multiple times. They come into this American Athletic Conference game with a record of 9-4 through their first 13 games on the season. However, they have lost two of their last three games and they will be looking for a bounce-back victory in this one. Although it won’t come easy against this dominant Houston Cougars team.
It may be fair to say the Houston Cougars are the best mid-major in college basketball this season unless you’re one of the people that still consider Gonzaga a mid-major. They come into this game with an incredible record of 13-2 on the season. Houston is currently on a five-game winning streak and has not lost since December 11th. Not to mention they are also ranked in the top ten of the country at the number 10 spot and will continue to move up as they keep winning. As for the result of this game, I have them adding another win as well, defending the home court and picking up a conference victory over Wichita State.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Houston -12.5 (-110)
#6 Kansas @ #25 Texas Tech – 4pm ET
This Big 12 Conference matchup features two of the top teams from the conference facing off. The Kansas Jayhawks come into this game at 12-1 at 6th in the country. Meanwhile, the Texas Tech Red Raiders come into this one ranked 25th in the country with a record of 10-3 so far this season. This game is perhaps the best one of the evening slate.
Denis Kirilov
The match between Kansas and Texas Tech will be one of the two-seeded games for Saturday in the NCAA. The Kansas Jayhawks are on an 8-game winning streak, but they haven’t faced a top-tier team so far. They hold a 12-1 record that helps them stay in 3rd place in the Big 12 Conference right behind Iowa State and Baylor. On the other hand, Texas Tech occupies 8th place in the current standings with 10 wins and 3 losses. They lost 2 games in their last 4 matches as they were outplayed by Iowa State and Gonzaga. The Red Raiders seem to have a decent defense this season, but it is their offense that doesn’t deliver in the most important moments.
Texas Tech has a great depth within the roster and even though they hugely depend on Kevin McCullar, I think that there are plenty of replacements who can help the team in times of trouble. Terrence Shannon Jr. leads the way for the Red Raiders with 14.3 points and his efficiency from the field shouldn’t be underestimated as well, as he averages 47.5% FGM. Kansas, on the other hand, makes amazing use of their highly athletic and strong players in the face of Jalen Wilson, Christian Braun, and David McCormack. On top of that, Ochai Agbaji averages 20.2 points per game on 52.9% performance from the field. His 3-point percentage is also fantastic, standing at 45.1%. I think that Kansas will be able to come on top in the end as they are undoubtedly the better team.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Kansas -5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The number six ranked Kansas Jayhawks once again look to be one of the premier teams in the big 12 conference as we progress with another college basketball season. With the pending departure of Oklahoma and Texas in the next few years, it’s going to ring even truer as Kansas will only look to increase their stranglehold on the conference. However, in the last handful of years, I’ve been challenged more than ever by teams like Baylor, Iowa State, and this Texas Tech team. They come into this game with a record of 12-1 on the season, as their lone loss was an upset loss to the Dayton Flyers. They will look for a big top 25 and Big 12 victory in this one.
The previously mentioned Texas Tech Red Raiders come into this game with a record of 10-3 so far this season. They are currently ranked in the last spot of the top 25 rankings, just clinging on at number 25. A win in this game would be huge for their resume as we inch closer to March and the NCAA Tournament. The three losses for Texas Tech aren’t exactly résumé killers and they do own a marquee win over the Tennessee Volunteers for another winter here’s what happened sitting pretty early on in 2022. However, it is just not something that I can see happening as I have the Kansas Jayhawks picking up the victory on the road in this top 25 matchup in Lubbock, Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Kansas -5 (-110)
#1 Baylor @ TCU – 5pm ET
This is the second Big 12 Conference matchup on this featured slate as two more top teams from the conference are facing off. The Baylor Bears are the best team in the country and are currently 14-0. Meanwhile, the TCU Horned Frogs come into this one ranked 25th in the country with a record of 10-1 so far this season. Both teams will be looking to add a huge win to their resumes in this clash of Texas schools.
Denis Kirilov
The reigning champions from Baylor will visit Texas as they will face TCU on Saturday. The TCU Horned Frogs have been playing on a high level from the very beginning as they hold a 10-1 record. Their performance includes victories over Utah and Texas A&M. The team has a deep roster which allows a lot of rotations throughout the matches. Mike Miles is TCU’s most valuable asset as he tops the list with 16.9 points, 4.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. However, he will need to level up his game, if the team would like to keep this fantastic record.
Baylor has been simply out of this world in the past two seasons. They remain undefeated in the NCAA this year as they come into this game on a 14-0 record. The team has smashed Villanova two weeks before Christmas, setting a new anti-record for the Wildcats by holding them below 40 points. Then, they would have to go on the road to play the 8th-seeded, Iowa State, who fought well until the end, but came up short, 77-72 in favor of the Bears. James Akinjo has been incredible on both ends for Baylor, leading the team in points, assists, and steals. Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua grabs around 8 rebounds per game which also plays a significant role throughout the match. I think that Baylor will take a more conservative win as they will play Texas Tech at home in just 3 days. Hence, I will go with TCU covering their spread.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: TCU +9.5 (-106)
Rolling with the punches.
Powered by @HEB #SicEm | #CultureofJOY 🏀 pic.twitter.com/uu8aoid5Q2
— Baylor Men’s Basketball (@BaylorMBB) January 7, 2022
Tony Battalio
The number one ranked Baylor Bears are putting together a great case to repeat as national champions in 2022. Not only do they come into this game with 14 straight wins to open the season they have done so in dominant fashion. As they have been winning the majority of their games by double digits. They will look to add win number 15 in this one, against a Big 12 conference opponent and surprisingly competitive TCU. With a win by double digits in this game, that would mean Baylor has won twelve of their fifteen games by 10 points or more this season, a trend that is likely to continue throughout the rest of the year, with how dominant they’ve been.
The TCU Horned Frogs are somehow coming into this game with a fantastic record of 10-1 but find themselves unranked. With an upset win here at home that is something that would be 100% guaranteed to change. A win over the top team in the nation would catapult them into the top 25 when the new rankings come out on Monday. The Horned Frogs will have their first chance to play a marquee power 5 opponent in this one, as they are on a seven-game winning streak. However, I just can’t see them picking up the victory in this one that Baylor has just been to dominate the season which is why I have the Bears winning this Big 12 conference game on the road.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Baylor -9.5 (-114)
#18 Tennessee @ #21 LSU – 6pm ET
This Top 25 SEC matchup is set to be a good one. As the 18th ranked Tennessee Volunteers will meet the 21st ranked LSU Tigers on Saturday evening in Baton Rouge. Tennessee comes into this one at 10-3, while LSU finds themselves at 13-1 and nearly unbeatable thus far. the Vols will be looking to add another top 25, while LSU will look to extend their winning streak to 2.
Denis Kirilov
Tennessee and LSU will go head-to-head on Saturday in one of the most interesting games in the NCAA. The two teams are playing well from the beginning of the season, but the LSU Tigers seem to be having the upper hand for now. They hold a 13-1 record, but up until their 13th game they hadn’t faced a seeded team. Auburn was their first opponent from the top 20 as they handed them their first loss of the season, 70-55. Eventually, the Tigers managed to pull themselves together and outplayed Kentucky in their last meeting. Tari Eason is their biggest asset who performs on a whole new level this season.
The Tennessee Volunteers are coming into this game after two quite unconvincing games following Christmas. They were first outlasted by Alabama in their last game for 2021, 73-68, and then, they were forced into overtime against Ole Miss. Fortunately, they managed to take home the victory after a clutch performance from Santiago Vescovi. Alongside him, Kennedy Chandler, Olivier Nhamhoua, and John Fulkerson are their most valuable players who are playing quite well this season. However, they occasionally come up short in the end due to an unfortunate turn of events. I think that this time the Volunteers will be clinical in their attempt and leave the court in LA victorious.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Tennessee +2 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The 18th ranked Tennessee Volunteers come into this one with a record of 10-3 on the season. They have won three of their last four games heading into this top 25 matchup. It will be yet another chance for them to score a top 25 victory. As they already hold a few this year and already have a solid résumé early on in January. Tennessee holds wins over Arizona, and North Carolina already, while their losses haven’t been killer either, coming to Alabama, Texas Tech, and Villanova. With a win in this game, they would only further cement the fact that they are a top team in college basketball this season, and should be considered as a potential national title contender as well.
The 21st ranked Louisiana State Tigers are coming into this game with a record of 13-1 through their first fourteen games of the year. Their lone loss of the season was to a top ten Auburn Tigers squad, which they quickly rebounded from by defeating the Kentucky Wildcats in their last game. They are also the champions of the Emerald Coast Classic, after winning two games in two days over Penn State and Wake Forest. As for the result of this game I have them picking up another victory and improving their win total of 14 on the year and adding the top 25 win in the process making their already beautiful résumé look even better.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: LSU -2 (-110)
Pepperdine @ #4 Gonzaga – 9pm ET
This West Coast matchup provides the perfect opportunity for an upset. As the 6-9. Pepperdine Wave travel to play the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Gonzaga is currently ranked as a top-five team in the nation and will be looking to make another run back to the national championship this season.
Denis Kirilov
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been considered one of the best teams in the NCAA this season. However, after losing to Baylor in last year’s final, they have been a more hesitating team. They have already lost twice this season, suffering upsets to Duke and Alabama in just 10 days. However, the Zags are playing well as they managed to find the right path against Texas, UCLA, and Texas Tech. They haven’t played since December 29th, which would mean that they have gotten some 10-days rest. Chet Holmgren struggles to live up to the expectations, but the season is quite long and there is still enough time for him to shine eventually. He has been playing on a high level against weaker teams, but when it came to decisive tough games, he went missing.
Pepperdine is a team that has shown a lot of struggles coming into this season. They hold a 6-9 record ahead of this game. The Waves had to go through a 6-game losing streak in November as they were outclassed by teams like Grand Canyon, Nevada, UC Santa Barbara, and Fresno State. Their best performance came against UC Davis and San Jose State. Pepperdine has a lot of difficulties from the field, averaging just above 40% FGM. Their team, however, is quite versatile, but it seems that something is missing in every single player. That’s why I will trust the Zags to come up with a huge victory on Saturday.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Gonzaga -29.5 (-105)
From an October practice to a December game 😯
JUST like @drewtimme2 practiced it 💯 pic.twitter.com/WgPZQ8wKxi
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) January 5, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Pepperdine Wave come into this game against a tough Gonzaga Bulldogs team with a record of 6-9. As they have had a rough go of it so far this year. However, they have picked up victories in four of their last five contests this season so things are starting to look up for them. They could not be catching fire at a better time as they have to play the number four ranked team in the country in this one. It may be Pepperdine’s time to pick up a huge upset victory over this West Coast powerhouse.
The previously mentioned Gonzaga Bulldogs are coming to the game ranked inside of the top five of the nation. They currently possess a record of 11-2 as both of their losses have come to top teams like Alabama and Duke. They also have two potential wooden award winners on their roster in Andrew Timme and Chet Holmgren. As for the result of this game, I think it will very easily end up being a Gonzaga Bulldogs victory at home.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Gonzaga -29.5 (-105)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
