NCAA Basketball Predictions, Odds & Best Bets (1/27)

A new week is upon us and Monday’s College Hoops slate is here. While it isn’t the greatest, with little else to wager on, we had to dive into tonight’s matchups and find our best bets on the NCAA Basketball board.

For all of our Expert NCAA Basketball Picks, check out our page here. But for now, let’s get right into it!

Listed below are my College Hoops best bets for today, but be sure to get all of my picks on my Twitter (@Shaggy_Bets)

NCAA Basketball Best Bets – January 27th, 2025

Nicholls vs UT Rio Grande Valley Predictions

Best Bets: Nicholls/UTRGV Over 149 (-112) BetOnline

We are backing the over as two no-name schools face off on this Monday.

The visiting Nicholls Colonels are a very fast team. They rank Top 100 in pace, but that’s really about it. Their offense is alright, but their defense certainly takes a hit away from home. Nicholls is north of 300 in offensive rebounds allowed and FT Rate defense overall and away from home, so I expect out hosts to see plenty of second chance points and trips to the free throw line.

UT Rio Grande Valley, the Vaqueros, are also a Top 100 paced team, so this game should run like a track meet. The Vaqueros take tons of threes, and even though they don’t make very many, their shooting percentage will certainly increase in their own gym. Rio Grande Valley is also a team that doesn’t really play defense, ranking 325th overall and 298th in eFG% defensively. They also give up tons of offensive rebounds, so I see plenty of second chance possessions for both of these teams tonight.

Ultimately, they are both very fast, and both offenses are better than their defenses. Give me a sloppy game that finds a way to go over tonight.

East Texas A&M vs Stephen F. Austin Predictions

Best Bets: East TAMU/SFA Under 128.5 (-105) BetOnline

Who doesn’t love a sweaty under to start the week? This total is grossly low, but I don’t think it’s quite low enough for these teams.

Stephen F. Austin’s analytics are hilarious to look at. They are SO MUCH better on defense than they are on offense, except when it comes to offensive rebounds and free throw attempts. Let me get into it.

SFA National Rankings: Offensive, Defensive

• Overall Efficiency: 360th, 70th
• eFG%: 350th, 43rd
• Turnovers: 362nd, 34th
• Offensive Rebounds: 28th, 310th
• FT Rate: 59th, 293rd

So what does all of this mean? Basically, SFA is a bottom 12 offensive while being essentially a Top 50 defense. However, they crash the offensive glass and get to the free throw line, and they allow their opponent to do the same. Now, SFA ranks 239th in possessions per game, and finds themselves on a four game losing streak. I see them locking down East TAMU and keeping this game very low scoring.

East Texas A&M (formerly Texas A&M Commerce) plays a but faster but I expect the Lumberjacks to control the pace of this game. East TAMU ranks bottom 15 in overall offensive efficiency and turnover rate, while also ranking 291st in eFG% offensively. However, defensively they have some hope, ranking 15th in turnovers forced and 166th overall, which is huge for a team rank 338th overall.

Personally I don’t see either team reach 65, and I don’t think East TAMU will even sniff 60 this game. Give me the under.

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