Our free College Basketball picks are out for Tuesday, January 25th, 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!
Clemson @ #9 Duke – 7pm ET
This ACC clash is likely to be one of the most lopsided games of the evening. As the Clemson Tigers travel to Cameron to play the Duke Blue Devils. Clemson comes into this game with a record of 11-8. While Duke is white-hot and entering this one with a record of 15-3 on the year.
Marko Nadin
The Duke Blue Devils had a great start of the season which will be coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last one but have lost two of the last five games. Currently, they are third in the ACC with a 15-3 record. After losing by a point in an overtime against Florida State, the Blue Devils bounced back with a 79-59 win over Syracuse in the last round and are 12-1 at home. Duke has the 8th best offense in the country scoring 82.6 points per game with shooting just under 50% from the field. Freshman forward Paolo Banchero is leading the team with 17.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
The Clemson Tigers have a positive 11-8 record but that is enough only for 10th place in the crowded ACC. Four of the eight losses came in the last six games and three of them were in double-digits. The Tigers are coming off a confident 75-48 win over Pittsburgh in the last round but that does not guarantee anything against the mighty Duke. Both teams allow around 66 points per game but Clemson scores 9 less than the Blue Devils. Seven of the last ten games Duke has covered the spread as a favorite and has won 5 of the last 6 against Clemson. This game will be another routine win for the team from Durham.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Duke -12.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The Clemson Tigers are coming into this game with a record of 11-8. In their last game, they broke a three-game losing streak after picking up a victory at home against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Now they will be looking to pick up a huge top 25 upset victory on the road to boost their resume as the calendar turns towards the last two months of the season. They have yet to truly capture that resume boosting win as they have had a tough time in ACC play thus far. They come into this game with a record of 3-5 inside the conference.
K-VILLE 2022! ⛺️🙌👿 #StayCrazie pic.twitter.com/YtLiNivVij
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 24, 2022
The Duke Blue Devils aren’t your typical Duke team, however, they are still a very credible national title threat. Even with this being the last year of the Coach K era, he still has himself a team that can win at the highest level. The Blue Devils come into this game with a record of 15-3 on the season and a 5-2 record inside of the ACC as conference play is in full force right now. Duke already owns a win over Gonzaga and will be looking to move into first place in the conference with a win in this game. As for the result of this game, I expect that to happen as I have the Duke Blue Devils picking up the victory in this one at home over Clemson.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Duke -12.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Apart from a decent record, sitting at 11-8, I’m not sure what this Clemson team brings to the table in terms of trying to knock off Duke. They don’t have an elite win that would boost their resume, and on top of that their play has slipped as of late, as they’ve lost four of six, and just haven’t played all that well in conference play. Now, as they travel to Cameron Indoor to take on the team that is almost certainly the best in the ACC, I just think this one has a real chance to get out of hand.
Duke comes into this one ranked 9th, and while they haven’t looked as dominant as they did early in the year, they’re still one of the most talented teams in the country that has the potential to flip the switch virtually whenever they want to. They come in at 15-3, with one of the best wins of anyone in the country this year, as they knocked off Gonzaga early in the season, and in the end, talent just ends up playing a huge role here, as I think the Blue Devils pick up a relatively easy win at home.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Duke (-900)
#10 Michigan State @ #24 Illinois – 7pm ET
This ranked Big Ten Conference matchup is going to be the best game of the Tuesday slate. As the tenth-ranked Michigan State Spartans travel to Illinois to play the 24th ranked Fighting Illini. Both teams will be looking to pick up a huge victory in this one to add to their resumes.
Marko Nadin
One of the most interesting games of the night will definitely be the one in State Farm Center in Champaign. The home Illinois Fighting Illini are second in the Big-10 with a 13-5 record including 8-2 at home. Illinois is coming off back-to-back losses, first in double overtime to Purdue and most recently 81-65 at Maryland. Center Kofi Cockburn is one of the best in the country averaging 21.1 points and 11.8 rebounds while shooting 58.9% from the field but he has missed the last game and is questionable for this one due to concussion.
The Michigan State Spartans are on top of the Big-10 with a 15-3 record and 4-0 on the road. The Spartans were on a nine-game winning streak before surprisingly failing to Northwestern. They quickly bounced back in the last round with a 86-74 win at Wisconsin. The Spartans also have injury issues as point guards Steven Izzo and Dabis Smith are out of the game against Illinois. Statistically, these two teams are as close as it gets as they both allow around 66 points per game, shooting 46% from the field and recording around 16 assists per game. Illinois leads the all-time series 64-60 but with the recent form and the probable absence of Cockburn, the Spartans are closer to the W.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Michigan State +5.5 (-111)
Tony Battalio
The Michigan State Spartans come into this game with a record of 15-3 on the season. They are ranked just inside the top of the country at number ten. After being upset by Northwestern back on January 15th, they bounced back with a huge victory over the Wisconsin Badgers in their previous game. The Spartans have picked up victories in four of their last five games now on the year. Their victory over Wisconsin put them in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. So they will be looking to extend that lead with another top 25 win in this game over the Fighting Illini on the road.
The previously mentioned Illinois Fighting Illini come into this game with a record of 13-5 on the season. They are currently tied for second place in the Big Ten conference with Wisconsin as they both have identical records of 6-2 inside conference play. They are currently on a two game losing streak they will be looking to break in this one after back to back losses against the Purdue Boilermakers and the Maryland Terrapins, which was a blowout loss on the road. As for the result of this game, I don’t look for it to get much better for Illinois as I have the Michigan State Spartans picking up the victory in this one on the road.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Michigan State (+180)
Noah Dunlap
In this one, we have the best Big Ten matchup of the evening, with two Top-25 teams facing off against each other. Michigan State has somewhat quietly put together a really good year, as they come in at 15-3, with quite a few solid wins, including victories over Wisconsin, Loyola Chicago, and UConn, and only one bad loss, an upset at the hands of lowly Northwestern. Their other two losses are to Baylor and Kansas, which are both certainly acceptable, as they’re both fellow too-10 teams. I’m not here to suggest that Sparty is a title contender, but I do think they’re a team that could make its way to the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight.
Their opponent for this one, the Illinois Fighting Illini, doesn’t fall far behind, and in all honesty, quite possibly have more talent than the Spartans, they just haven’t been able to put it all together consistently yet this year. They are led by the potential national player of the year in Kofi Cockburn, who absolutely has the potential to be a difference maker anytime he steps on the floor. The biggest question is whether he gets enough help night in and night out to keep the Illini in the mix. As for this one, I’m going to take Illinois to get a huge win at home and get a much needed resume booster that could pay dividends to come tournament time.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Illinois (-220)
#1 Auburn @ Missouri – 8:30pm ET
The number one ranked team in college basketball will be featured in this game. As the Auburn Tigers are 18-1 coming into this game to play the Missouri Tigers. Missouri is having a rough year as they come into this game with a record of 8-10 on the season.
Marko Nadin
In a matchup between two Tigers teams, the top team in the country Auburn is visiting the struggling Missouri. Auburn is 18-1 for the season losing only to Connecticut in double-overtime in the second week of the season. Since then, Auburn has won 15 straight games including 80-71 over the Kentucky Wildcats in the last one. Auburn is winning by an average margin of 15 points and is allowing only 39.2% from the field to their opponents. Junior guard Lior Berman is questionable for the match against Missouri.
Missouri is underachieving this season as they are only 8-10 which puts them 10th in the SEC. They have lost three of the last four games, most recently 86-76 to Alabama. Mizzou is allowing more than 72 points per game while scoring only 67 with 42.3% shooting from the field. Auburn is a 14 point favorite coming into Tuesday’s game. They have covered the spread in their last eight games and the same is expected when they visit Missouri.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Auburn -14 (-110)
Tony Battalio
For the first time in school history, the Auburn Tigers have reached the top of the mountain. They are finally ranked #1 in the Associated Press Top 25 Polls, after putting together such a great season thus far. It was their last game, which was a big top 25 win over Kentucky that finally put them over the top and secured them the top spot in the polls this week. Now comes the even tougher part and that is defending the ranking as everyone will be looking to knock them off of their throne. They come into this game with a record of 18-1 on the season and are currently on a 15 game winning streak as they hit the road to play Missouri in this one.
No. 1️⃣
For the first time in program history, your Tigers are ranked No. 1 in the @AP_Top25!#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/knw6Cgttiw
— Auburn Basketball 🦚 (@AuburnMBB) January 24, 2022
The previously mentioned Missouri Tigers are having a rough season thus far. As they come into this game with a record of 8-10 on the year. They are currently on a one game losing streak after dropping their last game to the Alabama Crimson Tide on the road. They will be looking for a huge resume boosting victory with a win in this one. However, they will need to play a perfect 40 minutes of basketball to get the win in this game over a tough Auburn team. As for the result of this game I just can’t see that happening as I have the Auburn Tigers easily picking up the victory over the Missouri Tigers in this one.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Auburn -14 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Well, the Tigers are going to win this one. We just don’t know which set of Tigers. Okay, actually we do, as this one won’t be close.
Auburn. BIG.
They’re the number one team in the country, for the first time in school history, and while I think one group of thought is that this adds pressure that they could potentially crumble under, I think their performance Saturday, as they held off Kentucky, showed that they don’t seem to be too overly concerned with the feat. Apart from a double OT loss to UConn early in the year, they’ve been unstoppable, and I don’t think a bad Missouri team is going to be the squad to end what currently sits at a 15-game winning streak for the Tigers.
Missouri, apart from a huge upset over Alabama earlier in conference play, doesn’t have a single win that looks like a quality victory at all, and in most of their games against ranked teams, they’ve gotten absolutely destroyed. That’s not going to change in this one, as Auburn is going to roll into Columbia and walk away with a huge win.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Auburn -14 (-110)
Mississippi State @ #12 Kentucky – 9pm ET
The Mississippi State Bulldogs will have a tough task ahead of them in this one. As they travel to Lexington to take on the 12th ranked Kentucky Wildcats. Since losing to LSU, Kentucky has been playing the hottest basketball in the country. In this one they will be looking to add another win to their impressive record.
Marko Nadin
The Kentucky Wildcats are ranked 12th in the country which is not something they are very proud of but they have a decent season so far with a 15-4 record which puts them second in the SEC. The Wildcats put up a good performance against the top team in the country Auburn in the last round leading in most of the match but failed short at the end losing 80-71. The Wildcats are among the top 10 teams when it comes to points per game with 82.3 (9th) and field goal percentage with 49.8% (6th). Iowa transfer CJ Frederick will be out for Kentucky while Tyty Washington Jr. is questionable.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs are having a pretty good season with a 13-5 record which puts them right behind the Wildcats in the SEC. They are also great from the field shooting 48% and are scoring 10 points more than their opponents on average. Forward Tolu Smith who averages 13.1 points and 6.6 rebounds is questionable just like guard Rocket Watts. The Bulldogs won the last game against Kentucky 74-73 last season but the Wildcats won the previous 15. Kentucky is a 9 point favorite and the Wildcats have covered the spread only twice in their last six games.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Mississippi State +9.5 (-111)
Tony Battalio
The Mississippi State Bulldogs are heading into this huge opportunity for a top 25 upset win with a record of 13-5 on the season. However, they have yet to capture that resume defining victory, but they have the chance to do so on Tuesday evening in Lexington. The Bulldogs picked up a win in their last game as they beat their rivals Ole Miss by a score of 78-60, avenging an earlier season loss to them. They are currently in a tie for third place in the SEC as them and Texas A&M are both 4-2 through their first six conference games. A win in this game would give them possession of second place as they would jump their opponents the Kentucky Wildcats.
The previously mentioned Kentucky Wildcats may not be as strong this season as they usually are, but much like Duke, John Calipari always has his team ready to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats come into this game in second place of the SEC with a record of 5-2 through their first seven conference games. They are 15-4 overall on the season, and they enter this one after losing two of their best players against Auburn in their last game. They will need to figure out a solution quickly before the losses start to pile up. As for the result of this one, however, I think Kentucky will pick up the victory at home.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Kentucky (-490)
Noah Dunlap
Mississippi State has been a team that has surprised some people so far this season, as they come into this one at 13-5 on the year. The one problem with this Bulldogs team is that they don’t yet have a signature win so far this season, as their schedule has been a bit weak to this point. That is the one hesitancy I have with this team, and I think that could end up tearing its head in this matchup.
Kentucky comes into this one ranked 12th in the country, but I honestly think they’re more of a top-10 team. They have two almost sure first-round picks in Oscar Tshiebwe and TyTy Washington, and while I’m not convinced that they’re a team capable of winning a title, I’m absolutely certain that they have the talent to make a potential Final Four run. On top of the talent, they’ve played a relatively tough schedule to this point, meaning they’re more battle tested than their opponents in this one. As for this matchup, I’m taking the Wildcats to return home to Rupp following a tight loss on the road to Auburn this weekend, and get a big win over a decent, but not great, MSU squad.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Kentucky (-490)
#3 Arizona @ #7 UCLA – 11pm ET
This one is going to be good as two of the top ten teams in the nation are set to square off. The third-ranked Arizona Wildcats are traveling to Los Angeles to take on the seventh ranked UCLA Bruins in this one. This game is likely a preview of the PAC-12 Tournament Championship Game.
Marko Nadin
The game of the night between the top two teams in PAC-12 will take place in Los Angeles where the UCLA Bruins will host the Arizona Wildcats. UCLA is 13-2 for the season losing only to Gonzaga and Oregon. The Bruins have won the last three games, most recently 71-65 in Colorado. Their record looks even better knowing that the Bruins are recording only 78.8 points per game (36th) while shooting 45.4% from the field (123rd). Still, UCLA is holding their opponents to an even worse percentage and is especially efficient in that at home where they are 7-1. Sophomore forward Mac Etienne will not be available for Tuesday night.
The Arizona Wildcats are ranked third in the country and 16-1 so far which puts them on top of PAC-12. They suffered the only loss to Tennessee but won the next five games by at least 15 points margin. Arizona is second in the country with 88.7 points per game and fifth with 50.1% from the field. The Wildcats are recording five more rebounds, seven more assists, and almost three more blocks per game compared to the Bruins. Senior Kim Aiken Jr. will be out for the Wildcats while the Lithuanian Azuolas Tubelis is questionable. UCLA has won the last five games against Arizona but that run will come to an end on Tuesday night.
Marko’s College Basketball Pick: Arizona (-130)
Tony Battalio
The Arizona Wildcats come into this game as one of the top teams in college basketball this season. They are currently ranked 3rd in the country. They come into this game with a record of 16-1 on the season, as they have been unbeaten in the last five games they’ve played. They will be looking for a huge top 25 victory in this one, as they look to extend their lead in the Pac-12. They are 4-1 on the road so far this season, as they lost to Tennessee. They will be looking to avoid dropping another big game on Tuesday in Los Angeles.
With three home games on the schedule this week, UCLA (13-2, 5-1 Pac-12) has been ranked No. 7⃣ in the AP Poll (@AP_Top25) and No. 8⃣ in the Coaches’ Poll.
📈: https://t.co/a6fOBptPTL pic.twitter.com/8AfPtUupjm
— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) January 24, 2022
The UCLA Bruins come into this game with a record of 13-2 on the season, as they were knocked off by the Oregon Ducks last week. Since the loss to the Oregon Ducks, the Bruins have won three straight games by an average of nine points per game. They will be looking to pick up a huge victory in this one over a top ranked Arizona team. However, as for the result of this game, I look for the Arizona Wildcats to pick up the victory over the UCLA Bruins in this high profile top 25 clash on the road.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Arizona (-130)
Noah Dunlap
This is the best game of the night and a matchup that has the potential to be one of the best games we get all year long. I’ve said nearly all year that I think this Arizona team has the chance to win a title, as they’re one of the most balanced teams in the country, led by guys like Bennedict Mathurin and Christian Koloko. They have a few big wins on the year, as they come in at 16-1, and their only loss came in close fashion to a good Tennessee team. The mixture of a decent schedule, to go along with only one loss, has to at least keep the Wildcats in the conversation as the season progresses.
UCLA comes into this one in a similar fashion, with a 13-2 record, but it’s important to point out that they missed nearly a month due to their own Covid issues, as well as their opponents having Covid issues. Even with the month off, they have a few good wins, as well, with only one suspect loss, which came to Oregon last week. With Johnny Juzang leading the way for the Bruins, they also have their own playmaker that can prove to be a difference maker when needed. However, as for the result of this one, I’m going to lean Arizona by a nose, even having to go on the road to LA. I think this is one that goes down to the wire, with the ‘Cats closing it out late.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Arizona (-130)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
