Best NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions: Monday College Hoops

Nate Hornung

Written by: Nate Hornung

Published: Mon Jan 12, 2026, 2:32 pm ET

Read Time: 5 minutes

Troy Hupstead leads the Tigers in points and rebounds, averaging 14.9 and 8.8 per game - NCAA Basketball Picks

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Monday brings us a full slate of low major college basketball games. Sure, the slate is tiny with only 17 games (compared to 149 on Saturday), but the schools involved are even smaller! However, that didn't stop us from digging into the college hoops betting board and finding our favorite NCAA Basketball picks for Monday! Let's start the week off hot!

We are barely floating above water this CBB season so far.

  • NCAA Basketball YTD
  • 93-86 (52%)
  • +1.57u
  • Average Odds: -105

But we've had plenty of success to start the new year.

  • NCAA Basketball 2026
  • 18-9 (66.7%)
  • +7.2u

We dug ourselves out of a hole from the first two months of the season, now it's time to build for the rest of the year.

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Go check out what else I've got on my daily card, and view the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks.

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Best NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions January 12

Alcorn State vs. Alabama State NCAA Basketball Picks

Shane Lancaster leads the Braves with 11.4 points per game - NCAA Basketball Picks

Shane Lancaster leads the Braves with 11.4 points per game

Best Bet: Alcorn State/Alabama State Over 153.5 (-108) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook

Back the over with me tonight, as these two horrendous teams battle it out. Both ball clubs rank north of 300 overall, putting them in the bottom 65 of the country, but this game still has the potential to be entertaining. Alabama State gets to play host tonight, where they rank top 135 in terms of possessions per game. Three straight games have seen at least 73 possessions, and at home they jump up into the top 50 in pace. Now, the offense is significantly better than the defense, which it should be, considering the Hornets are VERY bad on defense.

Alabama State is bottom 25 overall defensively and in defensive rebounding, plus they are north of 300 in both 2P% and 3P% defense. Alcorn State is even faster, and even worse on defense.

Alcorn State is top 50 in terms of pace, but are fourth worst in opponent eFG% and third worst in crashing the defensive glass. Despite not shooting very many, Alcorn State ranks top 25 in terms of 3P%, shooting over 37% from deep. Ultimately, the pace in this game will be enough for these two teams to put the ball in the hoop against teams that struggle on the defensive end.

Mississippi Valley State vs. Texas Southern NCAA Basketball Picks

Can Troy Hupstead help will his Tigers to a victory tonight against the Delta Devils? NCAA Basketball Picks

Can Troy Hupstead help will his Tigers to a victory tonight against the Delta Devils?

Best Bet: Mississippi Valley State/Texas Southern Over 142.5 (-112) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook

This total has ticked up a point since I snagged it, but I still see it going over. And we are using a lot of the same logic from the pick above as well. Texas Southern hosts the Delta Devils tonight, who are the second worst team in all of college basketball. The Tigers aren't too great themselves, ranking No. 320, which is 44 spots ahead of MVSU but still not great. However, they play fast and don't pay much attention on defense.

The Tigers are top 80 and cannot keep teams off of the free throw line. Texas Southern's offense is admittedly bad, but they are still top 110 in FT rate, but rank bottom 10 in that category defensively. Plus they are sixth worst in opponent eFG%. The Delta Devils have no problem running, jumping 20 spots in tempo when they are on the road, so they speed up to their opponent's pace. However, they are really bad on defense. Mississippi Valley State is north of 340 (bottom 25) in adjusted defensive efficiency, opponent eFG% and offensive rebounds allowed, and slip inside the bottom 10 in FT rate defense. But they do shoot over 75% from the stripe.

A broken clock is right twice a day, even blind squirrels find nuts, and these terrible offenses are still going to be able to put the ball in the hoop thanks to the uptempo style of play and their defenses being even worse.

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Nate Hornung
Nate Hornung

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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