Our free College Basketball picks are out for Tuesday, January 18th, 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!
#5 Baylor @ West Virginia – 5pm ET
This is the first of three featured Big 12 matchups on tap for the Tuesday evening slate. As the 15-2, Baylor Bears travel to play the 13-3 West Virginia Mountaineers in this one. Baylor is coming off back to back losses that dropped them from 1st to 5th in the nation. Meanwhile, West Virginia is coming off a loss of its own as well.
Denis Kirilov
The Baylor Bears have just suffered their first two losses since March 2021. The team lost to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State in back-to-back games at home. James Akinjo and Adal Flagler have been decent against Texas Tech but failed awfully in their next game. On the other hand, Matthew Mayer was the only player from Baylor’s starters who finished off with more than 5 points in the game against Oklahoma State. Their performance from the field took a serious hit in both of their last two appearances as they will try to find their rhythm against West Virginia.
The West Virginia Mountaineers hold a 13-3 record ahead of this fixture. However, they lost their last meeting in the NCAA to Kansas, 85-59. The team only managed to beat UConn in December which is surely their biggest achievement this season. Taz Sherman and Sean McNeil have been leading the team so far, but Malik Curry slowly reveals his potential as well. I think that these two losses for the Bears have been coincidental and they will once again start destroying their opponents. That’s why I will go with Baylor’s spread in this game on Tuesday.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Baylor -6.5 (-106)
Tony Battalio
Just a week ago the Baylor Bears looked like the most dominant team in the country. Now they have lost their last two games and will likely no longer be the top ranked school in the nation. They will be desperately seeking a big road victory in this one to get things turned back around and to show everyone that this poor run of form is nothing serious. Baylor has dropped from number one in the country down to five. Now they are coming into this game with a record of 15-2 on the season. They currently hold a record of 3-2 in the Big 12 conference as well, which puts them in third place, tied with Texas Tech. A win here would snap a frustrating two game losing streak for the Bears.
Fought to the finish.#SicEm | #CultureofJOY🏀 pic.twitter.com/aW9wOLng2z
— Baylor Men’s Basketball (@BaylorMBB) January 16, 2022
The West Virginia Mountaineers are playing perhaps the toughest stretch that any team in the nation will face this season. In their last game, they played Kansas, following this one they will play what will likely be a ranked Texas Tech team, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and then Baylor again to round out the month of January. They come into this one with a record of 13-3 on the season and a Big 12 record of 2-2 through their first four conference games. They will be looking for another chance to pick up a big top 25 win in this one. However, I can’t see it happening as Baylor will be extra motivated in this game and that is why I have them picking up the win over the Mountaineers on the road in Morgantown.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Baylor -6.5 (-106)
Noah Dunlap
After a horrible week for the previous number one Baylor Bears, it seems like they should be ready to get back on track, and a win over a decent, but certainly not great West Virginia team would be a great way to start a new run. Despite the 0-2 week last week, I still think this Bears team is probably the best team in the country and one that certainly isn’t going to be held down for a long period of time.
As for West Virginia, they come in at 13-3, which is probably a good thing, as they’re about to run across an absolutely brutal stretch to end the month of January. Under Bob Huggins, there’s no doubt that the defense is going to be aggressive, which is why they’ve grown to be known as “Press Virginia”, but the problem is whether they can score enough to hang around with elite teams for 40 minutes. Against a more talented Baylor team that’s going to come out with a purpose, I have a hard time believing the answer to that question is yes. Give me the Bears to travel over to Morgantown and pick up a win in a game that I think ends up being relatively low scoring.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Baylor -6.5 (-106)
#7 Kansas @ Oklahoma – 7pm ET
This is the second of three featured Big 12 matchups on tap for the Tuesday evening slate. As the 14-2, Kansas Jayhawks travel to play the 12-5 Oklahoma Sooners in this one. Kansas is coming off of a blowout win over West Virginia. Meanwhile, Oklahoma is coming off of two straight losses to Texas and TCU.
Denis Kirilov
The Oklahoma Sooners take on the Kansas Jayhawks in one of the most entertaining games on Tuesday in the NCAA. The Sooners are off to a decent first half of the Regular Season after defeating the likes of Florida, Arkansas, and Iowa State. They might have suffered upsets against Utah State, Butler, and TCU, but they came up really short on each one of these occasions. The team had to face some of the best teams in College Basketball recently which made them enter a 1-3 run. Tanner Groves has been the driving force for the Sooners with his 57.3% FGM, while Umoja Gibson and Jalen Hill have also been playing well on both ends of the court.
The Jayhawks enjoyed a fantastic month of December as they went on an 8-game winning spree. In one of their first matches for 2022, the team lost to Texas Tech who outscored them by 8 points, 75-67. In their last two games, Kansas took down Iowa State in a close battle and West Virginia by 26 points after a dominating second half. Ochai Agbaji continues to be above 20 points per game as he is mostly known for his incredible performance from the 3-point line, averaging 47.7%. Christian Braun, Jalen Wilson, and David McCormack have also been crucial for the team so far and if they want to have a chance at going deep in the bracket, they will need to further improve their game. I think that Kansas is a slight favorite in this one, but I will still take Oklahoma’s spread for the match, hoping that the meeting will go all the way down to the wire.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Oklahoma +3.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The Kansas Jayhawks come into this game with a record of 14-2. They are sitting on top of the Big 12 with a conference record of 3-1 at the moment as well. In their last game, they picked up a big win over West Virginia by a score of 85-59. It was their second straight victory after defeating Iowa State earlier that week as well. They come into this game ranked seventh in the nation. They will be looking to make it three straight wins, and increase their conference lead with a victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in this one on the road in Norman.
The previously mentioned Oklahoma Sooners head into this one with a record of 12-5 on the season. They are currently 2-3 in the Big 12 after a loss in their last game against the Horned Frogs of TCU. They will be looking for a huge bounce back victory in this one over a highly ranked Kansas team at home. They have been a tough team to beat in Norman so far this season as they are currently 8-1 when playing at home. Surprisingly that lone home loss came to the Butler Bulldogs in overtime. They will be looking to break a two game losing streak in this one. However, I don’t see it happening as I have the Jayhawks picking up the victory on the road.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Kansas -3.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
This one looked like it had the chance to be a really good contest about two weeks ago, but as we’ve watched this Oklahoma team hit a bit of a wall, I’m starting to have my doubts. They started off the year extremely hot, having knocked off Iowa State and Arkansas, among a few others, but they also have a few bad losses, including losses to TCU and Utah State, as well as dropping a game to a Butler team that just lost by 40 to Villanova. This inconsistency makes me doubt whether they’re able to put it all together against a really good Kansas squad.
This Kansas Jayhawks team comes in at 14-2 on the year, with an early season loss to Dayton, and a tight loss to a Texas Tech team that knocked off Baylor in the same week. Apart from those two contests they’ve simply been destroying teams, including a 26- point blowout over a good West Virginia team. While I’m not completely sold on this Jayhawk squad quite yet, the consistency has been there all year, which is one of the key differences, and why I’m going to trust them to travel down to Norman and get a big road win over Oklahoma.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Kansas -3.5 (-110)
#6 Duke @ Florida State – 9pm ET
The Duke Blue Devils are 6th in the nation heading into this huge Atlantic Coast Conference clash. They are 14-2 on the year. They will be traveling to the capital of the state of Florida to play the Seminoles in this one. Florida State is coming into this game with a record of 10-5 on the year. As they will be looking to extend their three game winning streak in this one as well.
Denis Kirilov
In Mike Krzyzewski’s last season as Duke’s head coach, the Blue Devils have been performing on a moderate level so far. Their most valuable asset, Paolo Banchero, regularly racks up more than 20 points in a game as he averages 17.9 points and 7.4 rebounds so far. The 6’10’’ Freshman will try to make an early appearance in the NBA Draft in the upcoming year and he will need to continue playing on a high level if he wants to get picked sooner. Wendell Moore Jr. and Trevor Keels are the other two driving forces of the Blue Devils who suffered a surprising 76-74 loss to Miami on January 8th. The team, however, managed to pull itself together and defeated Wake Forest and NC State in their last fixtures improving to 14-2.
Florida State will take on Duke in their Donald L. Tucker Center as they haven’t lost there since December 11th, 2021, when they were outplayed by South Carolina by a single point. The Seminoles have been quite disappointing during this campaign as they hold a 10-5 record after what was considered to be a fairly easy schedule. Caleb Mills, their top scorer, will need to improve his percentage from the court as it stands at 42.3% for now. Their forward, Malik Osborne, has come up huge in certain games to save Florida State from further shame. I think that this will be a tough game for both teams, but Duke will come on top in the end and will be able to cover the spread.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Duke -4.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
As usual, the Duke Blue Devils are leaning on a superstar class of freshmen to take them to the promise land and win them another national championship. However, this year feels a lot different as it is the final season of Coach K’s legendary career. The Blue Devils come into this game with a record of 14-2 on the season. Duke is ranked just outside the top 5 in the country at number 6. After losing to Miami at home a couple weeks ago they have responded by winning their previous two contests by a combined total of 27 points. Now they will be looking to pick up a third straight victory in this one against a tough Florida State team.
Which uni’s should we wear at FSU?
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 18, 2022
The previously mentioned Florida State Seminoles come into this game with a record of 10-5 on the season. They are currently on a three game winning streak after picking up victories over Miami, Louisville, and Syracuse. Now they will look for a huge top 25 victory at home in this game against the Blue Devils. While they still remain unranked a win in this one would likely propel them into the next edition of the Associated Press Top 25 when it’s released next week. As for the result of this game, however, I don’t see them picking up the victory as I have the Duke Blue Devils winning this game on the road.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Duke -4.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
This Florida State team, despite a 10-5 record, has been a bit of a disappointment so far this season. One reason for this is the fact that they don’t have a good win on the schedule to speak of, as their best win to this point is probably a close win over Syracuse. On top of the lack of quality wins, they have a few losses that they quite simply shouldn’t have if they want to be taken serious as a contender in the ACC, as they’ve dropped contests to South Carolina, the same Syracuse they’ve also beaten, and a 16-point loss to Florida, which at the time may have looked decent, but is looking less impressive by the day.
Now they take on a Duke team that is absolutely their biggest challenge of the year so far, and it’s not one that I think they’re ready for. Duke comes in at 14-2 on the year, and currently sit at number six in the latest poll. With Paolo Banchero leading the way for the Blue Devils, I think this is actually a pretty good matchup for Duke, as one thing we know about Leonard Hamilton at FSU is that they play a physical style of ball, which Duke looks to be built to handle this year. In the end, talent plays out, and the Blue Devils gets a relatively easy win on the road in Tallahassee, though I think it ends up being slightly lower scoring than many people may be expecting.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Duke -4.5 (-110)
#15 Iowa State @ #18 Texas Tech – 9pm ET
This is the third of three featured Big 12 matchups on tap for the Tuesday evening slate. As the 14-3, Iowa State Cyclones travel to play the 13-4 Texas Tech Red Raiders in this one. Iowa State is looking to pick up a huge and much needed Big 12 win in this game and complete the sweep over Texas Tech. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders are looking to bounce back from their last game loss to Kansas State.
Denis Kirilov
The Iowa State Cyclones started off the current campaign on a perfect 12-0 run. They defeated the likes of Xavier, Memphis, Creighton, and Iowa, before dropping their first game to the top-seeded, Baylor. Afterward, they faced Texas Tech in a low-scoring match and finished 51-47 in their favor. Losses to Oklahoma and Kansas broke their momentum, but they quickly got back on the winning track after defeating the Texas Longhorns on Friday, 79-70. Despite his 6’4’’ height, Izaiah Brockington has been draining down buckets from everywhere for his team. He tops the scoring list with 16.5 points per game on a 48.4% performance from the field.
Texas Tech is another team that has surprised many people with their abilities this season. They hold a 13-4 record but became the first team to stop Baylor’s incredible winning streak. On top of that, they have defeated Kansas and Tennessee who are considered to be one of the hidden favorites for the title. The team might have lost to the likes of Providence, Gonzaga, Iowa State, and Kansas State in their last meeting, but they surely made their statement this season. I think this will be a really tight one and I won’t be surprised if we see overtime here. However, I will have to trust the Iowa State Cyclones to cover their spread as they have players like Brockington and Kalscheur who have a lot of experience in such matches throughout the years.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Iowa State +7.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The Iowa State Cyclones come into this game ranked 15th in the nation. They have a record of 14-3 coming into this huge conference game. They snapped a two game losing streak in their last game by picking up a victory over the Texas Longhorns at home by a score of 79-70. Now they will be looking to use that momentum to pick up their second win over the Red Raiders this month like last time these two teams met they defeated Texas Tech by a score of 51-47. The Cyclones are currently 2-3 inside the conference as all of their losses have come inside of Big 12 play.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders come into this game ranked 18th in the nation. They are currently 13-4 coming into this one. Their three game winning streak was snapped in their last contest as they fell to the Kansas State Wildcats on the road by a score of 62-51. The loss dropped their conference record to 3-2 on the year as they are a half game back from the lead. They will be looking to avenge their first loss to Iowa State in this one. However, I don’t see that happening as I have the Cyclones picking up the victory in this one on the road.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Iowa State (+260)
Noah Dunlap
To me, this is far and away the best matchup of the entire college basketball slate for Tuesday night, as I think these are two of the more underrated teams in the country. Iowa State comes in at 14-3 and ranked 15 in this week’s poll, which I actually think is going to end up slightly low by the time the season ends. They have multiple good wins, including Xavier, Iowa, and this same Texas Tech team, as they now go for the season sweep. They did run into a brief two game losing streak earlier this month, dropping contests to Oklahoma and Baylor, but they got back on the right track against Texas, and now they look to ride that momentum into this one.
This Texas Tech team hasn’t been quite as good, coming in at 13-4, but they do have wins over Tennessee, Kansas, and Baylor already, which is absolutely going to be huge for their resume come March. They are coming into this one off of a disappointing loss to Kansas State, which is the kind of game that ends up hurting them if they want to compete for a Big-12 title, but even with the loss I think they’ll be fine in the long run. However, for this one, I’m going to lean on the Cyclones to travel down to Lubbock and pick up a huge win over a solid opponent, in a game that is going to be lucky to break 120 as a total.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Iowa State (+260)
#8 Wisconsin @ Northwestern – 9pm ET
The Wisconsin Badgers come into this one with a record of 14-2 and ranked 8th in the nation. They will hit the road to Chicago to play the Wildcats in this one. Northwestern comes into this game with a record of 9-6 on the year, but 2-4 in the Big Ten as they will be desperate for a conference win in this one.
Denis Kirilov
Wisconsin will try to hold onto its momentum as they will visit Northwestern on Tuesday. The Badgers are enjoying a fantastic season so far, having won 14 out of 16 matches. The only two losses came against Providence in one of their opening games for the campaign and against Ohio State who squandered them by 18 points. Wisconsin has been incredible throughout the remaining obstacles in their schedule as they cruised past the likes of Houston, Purdue, and Ohio State. Johnny Davis has been a “one-man show” for the Badgers as he leads in almost every single component out there. He averages a massive 21.7 points and 7.5 rebounds, but his performance from the field will need to be improved.
Northwestern, on the other hand, has been suffering a lot in 2022 after what was a moderate start to the season in November and December. The team lost four games in a row as they were outplayed by Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, and Maryland. In their last meeting, the Wildcats managed to take revenge against Michigan State defeating them 64-62 on the road. Pete Nance leads the way for Northwestern with 17.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game as his defensive abilities are also on point. I think, however, we will see yet another dominant performance from Johnny Davis and Brad Davison who can easily erupt for more than 30 points in any game. My suggestion here is to go for Wisconsin’s spread for the higher value.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Wisconsin -2 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The Wisconsin Badgers come into this game with a record of 14-2 so far this season. They are currently ranked 8th in the nation. The Badgers are currently on a six game winning streak, after picking up a huge win over Purdue and avenging their loss to the Buckeyes last week. They are currently tied for second place in the Big Ten with Michigan State. They will be looking to pick up a seventh straight win and a sixth win in the Big Ten with a victory over a weak Northwestern team in this one on the road.
𝐍𝐨. 𝟖 Wisconsin 📈📈📈📈📈 pic.twitter.com/B72lfqx9Xt
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) January 17, 2022
The Northwestern Wildcats come into this game with a record of 9-6 on the season. However, they are only 2-4 in the Big Ten coming into this game. In their last game, they picked up an upset victory over Michigan State by a score of 64-62 at home. It earned them a split over the Spartans after MSU beat them earlier on in the month of January. The win over Michigan State snapped a four game losing streak for the Wildcats and they will be looking to carry that momentum into this one. As for the result of this game, however, I have Wisconsin picking up the victory.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Wisconsin -2 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Northwestern simply can’t hang in this one. The Wildcats come in at 9-6, including a huge win over Michigan State in their last outing, but I don’t like their chances to pull off back-to-back upsets with the way their roster is currently put together. That win managed to break a four game losing streak, which as unfortunate as it may be for Northwestern fans, is what I think you can expect more of this year, as opposed to them getting more wins over quality opponents. If you needed more proof of this, this is still the same NU team that has losses to Penn State and Maryland so far this year, which are both inexcusable if they expect people to be able to take them all that seriously.
Wisconsin, on the other hand, comes in looking like one of the best teams in the country, as they sit at number eight in the latest polls. They have a few monstrous wins already this year, with victories over Houston, Purdue, Iowa, and Ohio State. On top of the numerous great wins, they really don’t have any bad losses, as arguably their worst loss of the year came early in the season to a Providence team that has surprised a lot of people in their own right. The talent is going to be huge in this one, as I’d expect potential player of the year candidate Johnny Davis to come out and have a massive night, leading the Badgers to a relatively easy win over a Northwestern team that just can’t match up position by position. Give me the Badgers and the points here as the safe play.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Wisconsin -2 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
