Best NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions: Thursday College Hoops

Nate Hornung

Written by: Nate Hornung

Published: Thu Jan 15, 2026, 11:10 am ET

Read Time: 5 minutes

Wichita State goes on the road tonight in the NIT Quarterfinals - NCAA Basketball Picks

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We are very quickly approaching another wonderful weekend of college hoops, and in my mind, it sort of begins tonight as we have 49 games on Thursday's NCAA Basketball slate. Now, I'll be the first to admit, these matchups do not compare to those we have on Super Tuesday or Wednesday. Tonight's board is full of mid and low major basketball teams going head to head, with No. 9 Gonzaga highlighting the whole thing. Nevertheless, we've got to get into our favorite picks, because there are still edges to be found.

We are just about breaking even so far this CBB season.

  • NCAA Basketball YTD
  • 100-94 (51.6%)
  • -0.01u
  • Average Odds: -105

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

  • NCAA Basketball 2026
  • 25-17 (66.7%)
  • +5.62u

Let's keep building the rest of the season.

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 15

UTEP Miners vs. Delaware Blue Hens NCAA Basketball Picks

Christian Bliss averages over 15 points per game for the Blue Hens and adds 6.4 assists, leading the team in both categories - NCAA Basketball Picks

Christian Bliss averages over 15 points per game for the Blue Hens and adds 6.4 assists, leading the team in both categories

Best Bet: Delaware ML (-130) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook

Two 5-11 teams meet at Bob Carpenter Center as the Delaware Blue Hens host the UTEP Miners for this Conference USA showdown. The Miners are a team that have just two wins since November, and those are the only two games they have won against Division 1 opponents this season. It goes without saying, they have not won on the road.

As for Delaware, they have five wins all against D1 schools, but admittedly, they lost to a Division II team at the beginning of the season. However, they are back at home after losing to Louisiana Tech on the road in overtime. Can 5-11 teams have bounce back spots? Of course they can.

Points will be at a premium in this game with two very slow teams, but the Blue Hens do a great job of keeping teams off the free throw line and the offensive glass. Delaware is ranked No. 272 in the nation, but they are top 100 in assist rate, top 70 in 3P Rate and top 50 in 3P%, shooting over 36.5% at home. The UTEP Miners have no offense at all, and their perimeter defense takes a massive hit away from home. If the Blue Hens get hot from deep, they could run away with this game.

The Miners let Louisiana Tech and Missouri State shoot over 40% from deep when they faced them on the road, and the Blue Hens are objectively better from downtown than those two squads. I see them getting this win at home.

Wichita State Shockers vs. Florida Atlantic Owls NCAA Basketball Picks

Karon Boyd and the Shockers are 10-6 against the spread this year and 4-1 as an underdog - NCAA Basketball Picks

Karon Boyd and the Shockers are 10-6 against the spread this year and 4-1 as an underdog

Best Bet: Wichita State +5.5 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook

Shock the Nation and back the Shockers with me tonight. This team is one of the best in the nation at offensive rebounding, ranking top 10 overall and No. 2 in the country when they are away from home. They take great care of the basketball and contest shots, ranking in the top 40 in opponent eFG%. I've had tons of success backing the Shockers on the spread, where they are 10-6 on the season but 4-1 as an underdog with two outright wins.

Florida Atlantic is probably going to try and speed this game up, but doing so won't help them. They rank north of 275 in FT Rate defense and north of 285 in 3P% defense. FAU has also covered seven of their last eight spreads, so you could certainly say they are due for some regression (although the same could be argued about the Shockers as an underdog). Regardless, FAU is coming off a big conference win against Memphis, and the Shockers are have lost just two games on the road by a combined seven points.

To me, this seems like a spot where Wichita State catches FAU sleeping. While the Shockers stay in Florida this weekend to take on the South Florida Bulls on Sunday, I see them bringing maximum effort to the first game on this road trip.

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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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