Our free College Basketball picks are out for Thursday, January 27th, 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!
#11 Wisconsin @ Nebraska – 5pm ET
The first featured Big Ten conference clash of the Thursday slate features the Wisconsin Badgers heading to Nebraska to play the Cornhuskers. Wisconsin comes into this one 15-3 while Nebraska is desperate for a victory. This is likely to be one of a few lopsided games this evening.
Marko Nadin
The Nebraska Cornhuskers are having a season to forget as they have lost 11 of the last 12 games and are currently 14th in the Big Ten with a 6-13 record. The only good news this season for Nebraska is freshman guard Bryce McGovens who is averaging 15.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Still, the team has struggled with injuries and there are no hopes of advancing into the postseason. Nebraska is one of the worst rebounding teams in the country with only 33.6 boards per game.
The Wisconsin Badgers are second in the Big Ten and will definitely have a chance for the top spot if they win in Nebraska. The Badgers were on a seven-game winning streak which was snapped by Michigan State in the last game. Wisconsin is 4-1 on the road and 8-2 in the last 10 games. Forward Tyler Wahl who is averaging 11 points per game is questionable for Thursday. Still, Wisconsin is a much better team and will win covering the spread.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Wisconsin -7.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The Wisconsin Badgers come into this game ranked 11th in the nation by the Associated Press. They currently hold a record of 15-3 on the season. The Badgers are also 6-2 inside of Big Ten conference play and a half game back of the leaders, the Illinois Fighting Illini who hold a record of 7-2 inside of conference play. In their last game Wisconsin lost to the Michigan State Spartans at home by double digits in a game that ended with a score of 86-74. Now Wisconsin will be looking to bounce back with a victory in the road in this one as they travel to Nebraska to play the Cornhuskers.
In case you missed it, this week’s game at Nebraska will be played Thursday 4pm/ct on @BigTenNetworkhttps://t.co/S6OYzxM5gY
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) January 25, 2022
The previously mentioned Nebraska Cornhuskers are getting beat left and right so far this season. They come into this game with a record of 6-13 on the year and have just one win in their last 12 games of the season. Nebraska has yet to record a victory inside of conference play yet as well as they find themselves dead last in the Big Ten conference. I do not expect it to get any better for them in this game either as I have the Wisconsin Badgers picking up the victory easily on the road in this one.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Wisconsin -7.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Wisconsin runs away with this one, in a comfortable fashion. The Badgers are currently ranked 11th in the country, coming in at 15-3, including having won eight of their last ten. They have numerous big wins so far this season, including victories over Houston, Marquette, and Purdue. They did slip up in their last one, falling to Michigan State, but their won’t be a losing streak started in this one, as they won’t be losing this game.
Nebraska just doesn’t have the talent to hang around in this game. The Cornhuskers have a 6-13 record, and embarrassingly have lost 11 of their last 12, including not having a single conference win to this point. Any team that loses 11 of 12 is going to have their hands full with this Badger team, as they’ve looked like one of the better teams in the country oftentimes this season. Look for Wisconsin to travel to Lincoln and get an easy win against an overpowered Nebraska squad.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Wisconsin -7.5 (-110)
#16 Ohio State @ Minnesota – 8pm ET
The second featured Big Ten clash for the Thursday night slate features the Ohio State Buckeyes taking on the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Buckeyes come into this one ranked 16th in the nation, while Minnesota is unranked. Both teams will be looking for a big conference win in this one.
Marko Nadin
The Minnesota Golden Gophers had their best start in decades as they won 10 of the first 11 games but have lost 4 of the last 5 games and are currently 11th in the Big Ten with a 11-5 record. Minnesota has six players on the injury list which is the main reason for their recent struggles. They are coming off a 68-65 win over Rutgers with Payton Willis scoring 32 points. Minnesota will need a similar performance from Willis which is hard to believe against Ohio State.
The Buckeyes are 12-4 for the season which puts them 4th in the Big Ten. Ohio State is coming off an 83-37 win over IUPUI. The Buckeyes are among the top 25 teams in the country with 48.3% from the field. They seem like a team that can go deep in the tournament but the Buckeyes are only 2-3 on the road. Ohio State is 0-5 against the spread in their last five Thursday games.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Minnesota +6.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The Ohio State Buckeyes have a huge win over a tough Duke Blue Devils squad on their resume already this season. However, they are also very vulnerable to being upset as well. The Buckeyes enter this game with a record of 12-4 on the season. They are also ranked inside the top 25 at number 16 in the nation as well. They will be looking to extend their winning streak to three games with a victory in this one after picking up wins over Penn State and IUPU. The Buckeyes are currently sitting in fourth place of the Big Ten with a record of 5-2 so they will be desperate for a victory in this one as well.
The Golden Gophers got off to a hot start this season, but have been taking some bumps and bruises inside of conference play so far. They come into this game with a record of 11-5 on the year. They broke a lengthy losing streak in their last game with a victory over the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. As they came away with a win at home by a score of 68-65. However, now they will face a much tougher task as they welcome in the Buckeyes. As for the result of this game I think Minnesota ends up right back in the losers column as I have Ohio State picking up the victory over the Golden Gophers in this one on the road.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Ohio State -6.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Minnesota started the year looking like a team that could fly under the radar as another quality team in a loads Big Tem conference, but it seems to have become obvious that they were the beneficiary of a weak non-conference slate. Since conference play has started they’ve fallen on their face, having lost four of their last five, and just don’t look ready for the gauntlet that you have to run in order to make it through the Big Ten.
Ohio State on the other hand, comes in ranked 16th in the country, as they have a 12-4 record. They’ve slowed down just a bit as Big Ten play has started, but are still playing pretty good basketball (5-2 in conference), and they have one of the best wins of the year in the country so far, as they pulled off an upset over Duke earlier this season. As for this one, Ohio State proves that they are simply a better team, as I think Minnesota is a bit fraudulent, so take the Buckeyes on the road over a mediocre Golden Gopher squad.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Ohio State -6.5 (-110)
#6 Purdue @ Iowa – 9pm ET
The third and final featured Big Ten conference game on the Thursday night slate features the top ranked Purdue Boilermakers traveling to Iowa to play the Hawkeyes. Purdue and Iowa both come in with favorable records but only Purdue is ranked, while Iowa will be looking for a big win in this one.
Marko Nadin
The Purdue Boilermakers are ranked 6th in the country but they will face a real challenge when they visit Iowa. The Hawkeyes are 14-5 for the season including 11-1 at home. Iowa has won 3 of their last 4 games, losing 48-46 to Rutgers. Iowa is fifth in the nation with 83.1 points per game. Sophomore Keegan Murray looks NBA ready with 22.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 57.3% from the field and has led his team in scoring in the last 9 games.
The Purdue Boilermakers are fifth in the Big Ten with a 15-3 record and have won 4 of the last 5 games. They are fourth in the nation with 84.7 points per game and 50.1% from the field and 5th in three-point shooting with 40.1%. Serbian guard Sasha Stefanovic has made a huge leap in the second part of the season and has made a difference in the last couple of games. Both teams are among the top 5 in scoring this season which puts the point margin pretty high at 158.5 points. It will definitely be a high-scoring game but will finish under the point margin and Iowa will cover the +2.5 spread.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Under 158.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The Purdue Boilermakers come into this game as one of the best teams in the country so far this season. They are looking more and more like a credible national championship threat with each passing game. In fact it may be fair to say this may be the best team head coach Matt Painter has ever had step foot in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue comes into this game with a record of 16-3 on the season. They are nationally ranked at sixth in the country as well. They are also 5-3 inside of the Big Ten which is the one area they will be looking to improve in.
✈️ Off to Iowa City. pic.twitter.com/lyugSpxvaX
— Purdue Mens Basketball (@BoilerBall) January 26, 2022
The Iowa Hawkeyes come into this huge home matchup with a record of 14-5 on the season. Despite the favorable record, they find themselves unranked at the moment. Four of their five losses have come inside of conference play which doesn’t help their case, however, it is fair to say they play in the best conference in college basketball. They will be looking to extend a one-game winning streak in this one after picking up a win in their last game. Although as for the result of this game that is something I do not see happening as I have the Purdue Boilermakers picking up the victory on the road in this one.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Purdue -2.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Despite only one of these teams being ranked, I actually think these are two of the best teams in the Big Ten conference. Iowa is unranked, sitting at 14-5 on the season, but they have won three of four, with the only loss coming in surprising fashion to Rutgers. The other thing to note is that the Hawkeyes have one of the nation’s best offenses, but the defense does struggle at times, which is part of the reason they don’t find themselves ranked at this point.
Purdue has been as high as number one this season, although it only lasted for a week as they dropped their first game in the top spot to Rutgers, on a half court buzzer-beater. They’ve slowed down just a touch in Big Tem play, but not much, and with the talent on this Boilermaker roster, I think the safe play is to take them to travel to Iowa City, and simply have too much offense to get the win. Take Purdue in a close one.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Purdue -2.5 (-110)
California @ #7 UCLA – 9pm ET
The first of two featured Pac-12 games features the Cal Golden Bears looking to avoid being swept by the UCLA Bruins in this one. UCLA comes into this game at 14-2 and ranked 7th in the country. Meanwhile, Cal is unranked and 9-10 on the season.
Marko Nadin
The UCLA Bruins are on top of the PAC-12 with a 14-2 record and are expecting the local rival California in a game that will probably be a one-way street. Their only two losses this season came against Gonzaga and Oregon. The Bruins, ranked 7th in the country, are coming off a 75-59 win over the third team Arizona. UCLA is 8-1 at home and are scoring 12 points more on average than California. UCLA is shooting a solid 36.7% from deep which makes them a real treat.
The California Golden Bears have lost their last 5 games and currently are 10th in the PAC-12 with a 9-10 record. California is averaging only 64.9 points per game and with such an offense they stand no chance against UCLA. The Golden Bears have covered the spread in their last six games including a 60-52 loss to the Bruins earlier this month. The spread is set at -16.5 for UCLA which is very high but with the way Bruins are playing lately, they will cover it maybe even in the first half.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: UCLA -16.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The California Golden Bears aren’t having the best of years this season. They come into this game against the mighty Bruins with a record that is below the .500 mark at 9-10 through their first 19 games. They will be looking to score a huge top 25 upset win on the road in this one. However, they will have to play a perfect game of basketball for 40 minutes for that to happen. Judging by their recent string of play, that seems nearly impossible at the moment, as California has lost five straight games, including one to the UCLA Bruins already by a score of 60-52 back on January 8th at home. The task will be much tougher since they have to travel to UCLA this time around.
The UCLA Bruins have put together a fantastic season so far this year. When they can find their way on the court, that is, as they have had several games canceled or postponed due to COVID-19 related issues within their program. Regardless of the issues and lack of games played the Bruins still come into this game with a record of 14-2 on the season and ranked inside the top ten of the country. They picked up a huge win in their last game over a great Arizona Wildcats team at home that extended their winning streak to four games on the season. As for the result of this game I have the Bruins picking up another win at home to extend the streak to five and complete the sweep over Cal.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: UCLA -16.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Cal just isn’t very good. They aren’t the worst team in the Pac-12, but they certainly aren’t the best either, as they come in at 9-10, which is sure to give them problems in this one, as they do take on the best team here, in UCLA. More proof of this is the fact that this Golden Bears team has lost five straight, and this one is almost certainly going to push that to six.
They take on the UCLA Bruins in this one, and the only thing I could see happening to turn this into a game would be for the Bruins to come out flat, having just taken down 3rd ranked Arizona two nights ago. With Johnny Juzang leading the way, this UCLA team has a real chance to find themselves back in the Final Four, where they were last year as well, and could also have dreams of a national championship. The talent disparity in this game is very real, and that’s the reason that, despite the potential for some fatigue, I like UCLA and the points in this matchup, as they host an overmatched Cal team that has fallen on hard times lately.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: UCLA -16.5 (-110)
Stanford @ #15 USC – 11pm ET
The second featured Pac-12 matchup of the evening is much like the first as the Stanford Cardinal head to Los Angeles to play a highly ranked USC team. This is the second meeting between these two teams this season.
Marko Nadin
The USC Trojans are having their best season in the past decade as they are on top of the PAC-12 with a 17-2 record. The Trojans had a historic start winning the first 13 games of the season but have lost 2 of the last 6 since then. They are coming off a 78-56 win over Arizona State. The only aspect of the game that the Trojans need to improve is their free throw shooting as they are 350th in the country with only 62.4%.
The Stanford Cardinal are 11-6 for the season and have lost 2 of the last 3 games. Given the fact that Stanford is allowing more points per game than scoring, their record is much better than the stat sheet says. The Cardinal are 0-4-1 against the spread in their last five games against a team with more than .600 winning percentage. The spread is set at -11.5 for USC which will be an easy task to cover for the Trojans.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: USC -11 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The Stanford Cardinal are in for a fight in this one as they look to complete the sweep of this highly ranked and powerful USC team. The Cardinal come into this game with a record of 11-6 on the season thus far. They picked up a win over Arizona State in their last game after being absolutely demolished in the previous game against the Arizona Wildcats. They will be looking to extend their winning streak to two in this one with another win over the Trojans, this time coming on the road. Stanford is currently 4-3 in the Pac-12.
Business trip 💼#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/YSMHSELrms
— Stanford Men’s Basketball (@StanfordMBB) January 27, 2022
The USC Trojans have put together a great season thus far. They come into this game with a record of 17-2 on the year so far and a record of 7-2 inside of Pac-12 conference play. The Trojans are also currently ranked inside of the top fifteen of the nation at number 15. They will be looking to add to their impressive win total with another victory in this one and avenge the earlier loss to Stanford as well. As for the result of this game, that is exactly what I expect to happen as I have the USC Trojans picking up the victory in this one over the Stanford Cardinal.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: USC -11 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
This summary could look almost identical to the last game’s summary, and I think you’d have a pretty solid description and prediction for who wins this game. Stanford comes in as mediocre team, at best, and honestly I don’t even know that I’d give them a mediocre” label. They did knock off USC earlier this season, but I think that actually ends up failing to happen this time, as I think the Trojans are simply a more talented team, and they’re going to be playing with a purpose, to avenge the earlier loss to this same Stanford team.
That USC team enters this one ranked 15th, with a 17-2 record on the season. The reason for the somewhat low ranking, despite the really good record, is the fact that they’ve played a relatively weak schedule to this point, absent of a resume boosting win, and they also have two losses, one of which is inexcusable (to this same Stanford team), which actually harms their resume just a touch. As for the result in this one, I like USC to avenge the earlier loss to the Cardinal, as I think they travel to Palo Alto in this one, and walk away with a convincing win.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: USC -11 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
