Best NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions: Friday Hoops
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Fri Jan 30, 2026, 9:53 am ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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Saturday is the biggest day of the week for college hoops, but don't let that force you to overlook Friday's slate! We've got some exciting mid major basketball on deck as the No. 21 Saint Louis Billikens host the Dayton Flyers in the A-10, and it's all highlighted by a top 10 Big Ten matchup in East Lansing. Let's get right in to our favorite NCAA Basketball picks for today!
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Best NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions January 30
Kent State Golden Flashes vs. Akron Zips NCAA Basketball Picks
Tavari Johnson leads the Zips in scoring and assists, putting up 20.6 and 5.6 per game
Best Bet: Akron -11 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Get a better number than I did with the Zips, as I jumped on 11.5 last night. Sure, it's only half a point and likely won't come into play, but I've got confidence in this Akron team staying red hot. For starters, we have an extremely high total that makes sense. These teams are projected to combine for nearly 170 points, as both are top 32 in the country in terms of pace. They will be sprinting up and down the floor.
Zips Have Been Red Hot
The Zips have won seven straight games after losing to the undefeated Miami (OH) Redhawks by three on the road, and sit in second place in the MAC at 8-1, but they are followed by the Flashes who are 7-2 in conference play this season. However, Akron has a huge offensive advantage. They rank No. 24 overall in offensive efficiency and are fifth in the nation in eFG%. Adding to it, they are top 65 in both taking care of the ball and crashing the offensive glass, plus they shoot over 40% from deep in their own gym, and do so often, ranking No. 110 in 3P Rate. To top it all off, they also shoot 63.5% from inside the arc (No. 7) and over 79% from the stripe.
Defensively they are alright, but still break the top 75 in FT Rate defense. And it's worth mentioning they are 9-0 at home this year, but have failed to cover their last three spreads in their own gym. Tonight it won't be from lack of chances, as we should see north of 75 possessions easily. In true road games, Kent State is bottom 20 in turning the ball over and bottom 35 in forcing their opponents to do the same. Both could result in easy Akron layups on the other side of the floor.
Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers vs. St. Peter's Peacocks NCAA Basketball Picks
Brent Bland does it all for the Peacocks, leading the team in minutes, scoring and steals
Best Bet: Mt. St. Mary's/St. Peter's Under 136.5 (-109) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
This number is ticking down, as I snagged under 138 last night, but I still think it's playable down to at least 135, if not even lower. We shouldn't see more than 130 total points in this game. I'll sound like a broken record, but here we go again backing a Peacock under.
For starters, we are 4-1 backing unders in St. Peter's games this year, and for good reason. They are very defensively sound and play extremely slow. Even hosting a quicker team, I have faith in the Peacocks to control the pace of this game. Earlier this year, these teams played with a total of 141.5, and stayed under as the Mountaineers were victorious by a score of 70-65, winning outright as a 1.5 point underdog. Now we see the total drop several points, and the spread move greatly in St. Peter's direction.
Peacock's Tough at Home
The Peacocks are 8-1 straight up at home this year, showcasing their dominance in their own gym. They rank north of 250 in terms of pace, and the offense struggles, ranking bottom 10 in eFG%. However, for a team ranked No. 230 overall, the Peacocks are No. 57 in opponent eFG% and break the top 20 in forcing turnovers. Mount Saint Mary's is literally dead last in the country at taking care of the basketball away from home, and they are a bottom 35 offense as well. St. Peter's ranks No. 42 in the nation in scoring defense, allowing less than 69 points per game, with that number dropping to just 64.3 at home.
The Mountaineers have had five of their last six games stay under 70 possessions, and haven't seen one reach 72 possessions in eight straight. The Peacocks have had 70 trips up and down the floor or less in eight consecutive as well. Neither team will have enough chances to push this game over the total.
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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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