Top College Basketball Picks for Wednesday, January 26 (2022)
Last night there were tons of upsets and interesting results. As we approach February, we can expect these kinds of outcomes mostly every night. I’ve been eying one underdog against the spread and have two other small ATS plays for today, January 26. Let’s get right to it.
All odds via BettingPros consensus
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St. Bonaventure vs. George Mason: George Mason +2.5 (-209)
(7:00 PM ET tip)
The George Mason Patriots haven’t lost a home game since early December. Now they’ll look to finish a three-game homestand undefeated. The Patriots are shooting an effective field goal percentage of 54.5 percent while hitting 35.4 percent of threes and 55.7 percent of shots inside.
Clearly, George Mason has the better offense, but what makes the Patriots special on defense is their ability to rebound. The Patriots have held opponents top just 21.7 percent offensive rebounds on the season. That’s good for 8th in the country. Meanwhile, St. Bonaventure is shooting just 31.8 percent from three and most of those clanks will fall into a George Mason lap.
So I’ll roll with George Mason, at home, as a slight underdog, against the spread.
Army vs. Lehigh: Army -1 (-110)
(7:00 PM ET tip)
The Lehigh Mountain Hawks are currently 302nd in offensive efficiency and 305th in defensive efficiency according to KenPom. When you can’t defend or score points, it’s going to be hard to win games.
Army isn’t all that special this season, but the Black Knights have done some good. Army is averaging nearly 30 percent offensive rebounds and getting to the line at a high pace. Despite not hitting foul shots at a high rate, getting to the line will only add more points on the board.
On the other hand, Army limits fouling and should be able to force a bunch of turnovers against a careless Lehigh team that has turned the ball over 20.3 percent of the time. Lehigh also isn’t a threat on the offensive glass at all and sticks to being one-and-done.
Bet: Army -1 (-110)
Stephen F. Austin vs. Seattle: Seattle -3 (-110)
(10:00 PM ET tip)
I never thought I’d bet on Seattle this year. However, Seattle has been terrific and deserves recognition. Seattle has won six straight games in the Western Athletic Conference and now sits at the top of the conference with a 6-0 record. Most games have been won by double digits or close to it, and Seattle’s offense continues to be elite in conference play.
The Redhawks just won three straight games on the road and now will come back home for a couple of games. The defense has allowed teams to shoot just 31.8 percent from three and 48 percent from inside the arc on the season. Fouls can get high, but Seattle’s aggressive, and that comes with the territory.
But Stephen F. Austin is also aggressive and will foul a ton in this game as well. Plus, Seattle is shooting 77.1 percent from the foul line in comparison to the Lumberjacks, who are shooting 67.1 percent from the line.
So give me Seattle as a slight favorite here.
Bet: Seattle -3 (-110)
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Jason Radowitz is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @Jason_Radowitz.