Top College Basketball Picks for Wednesday, January 20th, 2021

Top College Basketball Picks for Wednesday, January 20th, 2021
Tue 19th January 2021

Providence vs Creighton 

The #11 Creighton Bluejays suffered a surprising 70-66 defeat at Butler as 7-point road favorites last weekend to put an end to a six-game winning streak. They are now 10-3 on the season and 6-2 in the Big East Conference play, and the Bluejays will look to bounce back against the Providence Friars who ride a three-game losing streak following last week’s 79-69 loss at Marquette. 

The Bluejays and Friars meet each other for the second time this season. Back on January 2, the Bluejays barely outlasted the Friars 67-65 as 4-point road favorites, nearly blowing a 13-point lead. Creighton was in front by ten or more points for most of the second half, but Providence somehow managed to cut the deficit in the last few minutes.   


The Friars shot only 33.8% from the field in that narrow loss, but they out rebounded Creighton and posted 19 offensive rebounds that kept them in the game. This time, we are looking for a much more comfortable victory by Creighton. 

The Bluejays have the top-10 offense in the country, averaging 115.7 points per 100 possessions on 49.4% shooting from the field and 38.0% from beyond the arc. They love to play at a fast pace while making the 14th-most 3-pointers per game in the country (10.5). 

On the other side, Providence prefers a slow pace, tallying just 66.4 possessions per 40 minutes. The Friars’ defensive rating of 97.8 points per 100 possessions is 103rd in the country, so we expect them to struggle mightily on the road against Creighton. 

College basketball pick – Creighton by 10. 

Clemson vs Georgia Tech 

The ACC showdown between the #20 Clemson Tigers and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets should be a pure thriller, and the Jackets opened as slight 1-point home favorites. Last season, these two schools met each other twice, and Georgia Tech won on both occasions, 68-59 and 65-62. 

Clemson is coming off a heavy 85-50 defeat to Virginia, snapping a four-game win streak. On the other side, Georgia Tech has won four straight games, but the Yellow Jackets haven’t played since a 70-54 win over Wake Forest on January 3. They’ve had to postpone three games in the conference play due to the COVID-19. 


This should be a proper low-scoring affair, so if you like betting on the totals, go grab the under. Both teams love to play at a very slow pace, averaging below 67.0 possessions per 40 minutes each, while Clemson has the sixth-best defensive rating in the country, allowing just 89.4 points per 100 possessions. 

The Jackets surrender 96.8 points per 100 possessions (84th in the country). They’ll need some time to shake off the rust and could easily struggle against the Tigers’ stout D. Georgia Tech is 2-5 straight up and 4-3 ATS in its last seven matchups with Clemson. 

College basketball pick – Clemson by 2. 

Tulsa vs Houston   

The #8 Houston Cougars will seek revenge when they welcome the Tulsa Golden Hurricane for the American Athletic Conference clash. Houston is 11-1 on the season and 6-1 in the conference play, and that lone loss came at Tulsa on December 29, as the Golden Hurricane outlasted the Cougars 65-64 as 9.5-point home underdogs. 


Tulsa has the 32nd-best defensive rating in the country (92.6), but the Golden Hurricane score only 102.6 points in a return (148th). They will struggle mightily against the Cougars, as the hosts will be fired up to make amends on the home court. 

Houston has the fourth-best defensive rating of 88.6 points allowed per 100 possessions. Also, the Cougars are fourth in the country in opponent field goal percentage (37.1%) and opponent 3-point percentage (25.6%). 

The hosts shouldn’t have any problems thrashing off Tulsa in this one. The Cougars are 5-2 SU and ATS in their last seven meetings with the Golden Hurricane while going 7-3 ATS over their previous ten games overall. 

College basketball pick – Houston by 12. 

Northwestern vs Wisconsin 

The Northwestern Wildcats are riding a five-game losing streak following a 96-73 defeat to #5 Iowa this past weekend. They started this awful run with an 87-72 loss at the Hawkeyes, and Wednesday’s clash with Wisconsin will be the Wildcats’ sixth straight against the top-25 team. 


On the other side, the #10 Wisconsin Badgers have won three of their last four games and are coming off a 60-54 victory at Rutgers. They are 6-4 ATS over the last ten outings, while Wisconsin covered in five of its previous nine outings as home as a double-digit fave. Furthermore, Wisconsin is 5-1 SU and 4-1-1 ATS in its last six encounters with Northwestern. 

The Wildcats will be keen to finally stop their slide, but that would be a tall task against fifth-ranked Wisconsin’s defense. The Badgers allow only 89.3 points per 100 possessions while scoring 113.3 in a return (16th). Wisconsin commits only 8.4 turnovers per game and should outplay Northwestern on both sides of the ball. 

College basketball pick – Wisconsin by 12.

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