Top College Basketball Picks for Tuesday, January 4 (2022)
With conference play starting up, college basketball will get a lot more exciting. In most mid-major conferences, only the team that wins the conference championship will move on into the NCAA Tournament. So every conference game is meaningful at every level.
Here are my top three picks for tonight’s slate for Tuesday, January 4.
All odds via BettingPros consensus
Compare odds from all major sportsbooks for College Basketball >>
North Alabama vs. Lipscomb: North Alabama +4 (-118)
(8:00 PM ET tip)
The North Alabama Lions will play its first conference game against Lipscomb. North Alabama isn’t the best offense, but they’ll take on a defense that isn’t great either. Lipscomb is allowing teams to shoot 39.2 percent from long range, and the Bisons have struggled on the defensive glass, giving up 31.3 percent offensive rebounds.
While North Alabama doesn’t get to the line all that much, the Lions still shoot 78.7 percent from the stripe. In conference play, both teams could get a little more aggressive. If North Alabama can get to the line at a higher rate, they’ll be in good shape.
Meanwhile, Lipscomb has shot much better but will go up against a better defense in North Alabama. The Lions have held opponents to a 46.3 percent effective field goal percentage while producing 21 percent turnovers per game. Lipscomb has been the worst team in the nation in offensive rebounding, bringing down just 17.9 percent of offensive rebounds.
So, therefore, if North Alabama can get stops like they’ve done plenty of times this season, Lipscomb will have more one-and-dones than second chances.
Florida State vs. Wake Forest: Florida State +1.5 (-110)
(7:00 PM ET tip)
The Florida State Seminoles are just an overall consistent team. Maybe this year, they’ve fallen off slightly, but overall, there’s nothing that Florida State can’t do. On offense, the Seminoles are shooting an effective field goal percentage of 52.3 percent while grabbing 33.6 percent offensive rebounds.
Florida State can shoot from deep and inside and are above average in both categories. They’ve held opponents to 48.1 percent on two-point shots and 33.9 percent from deep. But they’ve also produced nearly 25 percent of turnovers per game. If Wake isn’t careful with the ball, Florida State will be in a great position to win this game.
Wake Forest isn’t nearly as good on the defensive end, and while the Demon Deacons shoot at a high rate inside, they don’t earn many offensive rebounds. So on misses, they’re not going to get a whole lot of second chances.
That favors Florida State.
Kent State vs. Ball State: Kent State -125
(7:00 PM ET tip)
Ball State has one of the worst defenses in the nation. Ball State has allowed teams to shoot an effective field goal percentage of 54 percent while allowing teams to hit over 39 percent from long range on the year.
I know Kent State hasn’t been particularly great from long range, but the Golden Flashes are always hoisting them up. Kent State can hit many threes and will get great looks in tonight’s game. Meanwhile, Ball State is shooting at a much higher percentage from downtown at 36.4 percent, but Kent State has held opponents to just 30 percent from long range on the year.
The one area where Kent State struggles defensively is rebounding, but Ball State isn’t much of a threat on the offensive glass.
So give me Kent State on the moneyline here.
Join the BettingPros Discord Chat for Live Betting Advice >>
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our Sports Betting Strategy and Advice page is for you. You can get started with our 101 section — including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners — or head to more advanced strategy — like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread — to learn more.
Jason Radowitz is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @Jason_Radowitz.