Best NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions (1/31): Saturday’s College Hoops
Written by: Nate Hornung
Last Update: Sat Jan 31, 2026, 6:52 am ET
Read Time: 8 minutes
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The Up Your Units lads are back with plenty of NCAA basketball picks for Saturday's massive slate. We have 145 college hoops matchups to choose from, so here's our CBB sickos favorite bets on the board.
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 31
Cincinnati vs. #10 Houston NCAA Basketball Picks
Kelvin Sampson and the Cougars lead the country in scoring defense at home this season
Best Bet: Cincinnati TT Under 59.5 Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Colby Marchio: Cincinnati's offense has been abysmal all season, regardless of venue. Through 21 games, Bart Torvik ranks the Bearcats 280th in effective field goal percentage, 337th in three point percentage, and 346th in free throw percentage.
When isolating true road games, it gets even worse. In five true road contests, Cincinnati ranks 333rd in effective field goal percentage offense, 352nd in free throw rate offense, 338th in three point percentage, and 351st in free throw percentage.
How is this team supposed to score 60 points? The pace of this game will have your grandparents begging for it to speed up. Cincinnati ranks 284th in tempo on the road, while Houston ranks 310th at home. The team total has not dropped yet, but it should land around 57.5 or 58.5. If this number shows 60 or higher, that is a misprice. Houston should completely suffocate the Bearcats in this spot.
#11 Texas Tech vs. UCF NCAA Basketball Picks
JT Toppin and the Red Raiders head to Orlando to face the UCF Knights
Best Bet: Texas Tech/UCF Over 159 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Nate Hornung: Texas Tech is a team that is about as middle of the pack as you can get in terms of pace, but things could get sped up in this one. The Red Raiders' offense is crazy efficient and they shoot tons of threes, ranking top 40 in 3P Rate and top 10 in 3P%, shooting over 39% from deep. The Knights are already top 115 in pace, but they shoot up to No. 86 at home, averaging an extra few possessions.
They are also very offensive minded, as they rank No. 30 in overall efficiency and are top 20 at crashing the offensive glass. However, they struggle to defend the perimeter, ranking north of 200 in both 3P Rate defense and opponent 3P%. Plenty of opportunities for points to be scored.
DePaul vs. Xavier NCAA Basketball Picks
Is DePaul homer, Colby Marchio, fading his alma mater this weekend on the road?
Best Bet: Xavier -3.5 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Colby Marchio: Offensively, DePaul has struggled all season, and those issues are magnified on the road. They rank bottom three in adjusted offensive efficiency, turnover rate, offensive rebounding, free throw rate, and block percentage. Their scoring dips from around 76 points per game to 66.5 away from home.
Xavier has played some of its best basketball at home this season. Through five home conference games, the Musketeers rank third in offensive turnover rate, first in defensive rebounding, third in free throw rate defense, and third in defensive block percentage.
This feels like another spot where the Blue Demons come up short. They peaked with the Marquette win a few weeks ago and have since lost at Butler, beaten Seton Hall at home, and dropped a game at Georgetown on Wednesday in the Hoyas own revenge spot. I think Xavier gets theirs on Saturday.
#17 Virginia vs. Boston College NCAA Basketball Picks
Best Bet: Virginia/Boston College Under 137.5 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Nate Hornung: We know Virginia. They play slow, they play efficient, and they are rock solid on defense, ranking top 25 overall and eighth in the country in opponent eFG%. That won't change against Boston College even on the road. The Golden Eagles have had 8/11 home games stay under 70 total possessions, with two going over that mark in overtime. They are extremely slow and very defensive minded.
Boston College is bottom 40 in eFG%, but are top 25 in that category defensively. Overall, they rank north of 285 in offensive efficiency, while breaking the top 50 on the defensive side of the ball. They defend the perimeter with the best of them, and actually lead the country in opponent 2P% as well. Get ready for a slow, rock fight in this contest.
SMU vs. #20 Louisville NCAA Basketball Picks
Louisville has a tough home matchup against SMU this Saturday
Best Bet: SMU/Louisville Over 161.5 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Nate Hornung: Get a better number than I did, as I jumped the gun and took over 164.5. We have two very fast teams that will zip up and down the floor, plus the Cardinals shoot infinitely better in their own gym. They already post an eFG% above 55%, but that jumps to 58.1% at the KFC Yum! Center.
The Mustangs are a team that is heavily focused on the offensive side of the ball, and they should know their best shot is simply trying to keep up with the Cardinals' scoring.
#13 BYU vs. #14 Kansas NCAA Basketball Picks
Back the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. Sometimes it's that simple
Best Bet: Kansas -3.5 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Nate Hornung: It's Kansas or nothing for me in this spot, and while I didn't take the spread, I paired their ML with Arkansas for a plus money two unit play. The power of Allen Fieldhouse is legit, maybe because of the zebras, but regardless it's hard to go in there and win a game. Especially when facing a team off a full week of rest.
BYU relies too heavily on three guys for nearly 70% of their scoring, and I believe the Jayhawks have the defensive presence to make their life hell at Phog Allen. Kansas also has the advantage in the front court, and I think the deeper team with more scoring options prevails in this top 15 matchup.
Kentucky vs. #15 Arkansas NCAA Basketball Picks
Coach Cal faces his former team at Bud Walton Arena
Best Bet: Arkansas -6.5 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Nate Hornung: I didn't take this spread either, but certainly endorse it for a straight bet. The Hogs are ridiculously good at home and the Wildcats are a walking corpse at this point. Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance are both out for the season, and despite Kentucky knowing how to play without them, the Hogs are a different animal.
Plus, Coach Cal is facing his former team, so I expect he'll have the Razorbacks ready for war at Bud Walton Arena. We should see plenty of possessions giving the hosts tons of opportunities to cover this number, but because of our 2U ML Parlay with the Jayhawks, all we need is a win.
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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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