Best NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions: Saturday College Hoops
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Sat Jan 10, 2026, 8:00 am ET
Read Time: 6 minutes
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Strap in, folks. We have 149 college hoops games on Saturday's slate, so let's dive right into the winners from the Up Your Units lads. Nate Hornung and Colby Marchio combined some brain power in order to give you their favorite NCAA Basketball picks for the monstrous slate. Let's jump right in.
Go check out what else I've got on my daily card, and view the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks.
Best NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions January 10
#21 Tennessee vs. Florida NCAA Basketball Picks
Thomas Haugh leads the Gators in minutes and points per game this year
Best Bet: Thomas Haugh Over 18.5 Points (-122) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Nate Hornung: Getting us started early on Saturday with a player prop at noon eastern, we are backing Thomas Haugh to continue putting the ball in the hoop. Florida is at home and runs, so we should see plenty of possessions in this game, and Haugh is their main scorer. He leads the team with 17.5 points per game and shows up when his team needs it. Haugh plays over 33 minutes per game, and has cleared this number in two straight and seven throughout the year. Plus he does it against the best competition.
Haugh scored 27 against Arizona, 24 against Duke and Mizzou and 21 against Georgia, and has double digit shot attempts in 11/15 contests. He should add another 20 point performance to his resume at home on Saturday.
DePaul vs. #4 UConn NCAA Basketball Picks
Best Bet: UConn -19.5 (-111) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Colby Marchio: UConn is coming off cruising past Marquette and an overtime win over Providence this week. Dan Hurley and his group cannot afford another slip up. They are clearly the best team in the Big East, and DePaul has already struggled to keep up with the Huskies. Haslametrics ranks DePaul at No. 268 in away versus home court metrics, and UConn holds the edge in nearly every category. The Blue Demons won't be able to keep up facing this tough Huskies team on the road.
#24 SMU vs. #6 Duke NCAA Basketball Picks
Best Bet: SMU/Duke Over 159 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Nate Hornung: Full disclosure, I was able to snag over 155.5 when this line dropped, but I still think we see 160 total points. Duke has seen at least 70 possessions in five straight games, and SMU is a speedy opponent. The Blue Devils are going to score. They are top 35 in assist rate and shoot over 35% from deep while ranking top 40 in 3P rate. Their defense is really good as well, but SMU plays fast and can put the ball in the hoop. However, I do not trust the Mustang defense to slow down their hosts on the road, leading me to think we get plenty of points in this game.
St. John's vs. Creighton NCAA Basketball Picks
Dillon Mitchell and the Johnnies face Creighton in Omaha this Saturday
Best Bet: St. John's +1 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Nate Hornung: Back the Johnnies with me on the road. Creighton is awful, I could probably end the reasoning there, but let me give you a little more. St. John's is one of the best teams at getting to the stripe, as they attack the rim every chance they get. Defensively, they are great at defending the perimeter, ranking top 30 in opponent 3P rate, holding them to just 31% from deep (top 75). This will come into play, as the Blue Jays live and die by the three, and this year it's been the latter. They shoot it from downtown nearly half of their possessions, but are just No. 154 in terms of 3P%. Look for the Johnnies to take advantage and turn missed shots into easy layups on the other end.
Oklahoma State vs. #3 Iowa State NCAA Basketball Picks
Best Bet: Iowa State -18.5 (-112) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Colby Marchio: Fade the storm. The Cowboys are coming off their biggest win of the year, beating No. 25 UCF by 11 at home, causing the Oklahoma State faithful to storm the court. Which brings us to a huge letdown spot, as they head up north to face one of the nation's elite programs at Hilton Coliseum. Oklahoma State just shot nearly 20% better from three than they have this year against top 100 teams when facing UCF, so they've got to come back down to Earth.
Iowa State is 15-0 while navigating the 103rd toughest schedule in the country. They have eight top 100 wins and have consistently forced turnovers, stayed disciplined defensively, and dominated the boards. Look for that to continue at home with their top 12 offense and top 10 defense.
#15 Arkansas vs. Auburn NCAA Basketball Picks
Darius Acuff Jr. is one of the best freshmen in the country
Best Bet: Arkansas +1.5 (-114) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Nate Hornung: I will be fading everyone's favorite CBB system: the unranked home favorite. We aren't going to overthink this one, Arkansas is the better team. Sure, Auburn just had a win taken away from them after their buzzer beater three got called back against Texas A&M (which was the correct call). I bet everyone will be using that piece of information as "extra motivation" for the Tigers, but come on people.. it's still John Calipari against Bruce Pearl's son.
The Hogs are a top 10 offense that takes care of the ball, gets to the free throw line (and keeps their opponents off of it), and shoots over 39% from deep as a team. Defensively, they are much more sound than their hosts, and I do not see Auburn being able to keep up when Arkansas speeds things up. Woo Pig Sooie.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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