College Basketball Predictions, Picks and Odds for January 30: Bet Illinois (-180) to Win Outright
- Illinois (-180) is the betting pick to win at Nebraska on Wednesday.
- Bet on Memphis (-6) to cover at Tulane as the road favorite.
- Make bank with our top NCAAB picks! Join with our promo code HUDDLE125.
It wasn’t always pretty but all three top-10 teams in action on Wednesday picked up road wins. As for our Jan. 29 college basketball best bets, Creighton delivered as the home favorite. It looked like TCU was in good shape to cover as a double-digit under as the Horned Frogs trailed by seven with less than two minutes to go before fading.
There are only three ranked teams in action on Thursday. Check out the BetUS preview of the Big Ten game between No. 16 Oregon and UCLA. We’ll take a look at some other college basketball picks to consider.
Ohio State and Penn State games are must-see TV during football season. However, the Buckeyes are priced at +15000 with Penn State coming in at +25000 in the odds of winning March Madness heading into their Thursday night showdown. Duke (+400) and Auburn (+425) continue to lead the way in the championship odds.
Let’s take a look at some options from Thursday’s college basketball schedule.
Top 3 College Basketball Picks Today
1. Illinois (-180) To Win Outright
Illinois bounced back from a humbling home loss to Maryland by taking a 22-point lead by halftime in a victory over Northwestern. Kylan Boswell’s 17 points led five Fighting Illini players in double figures. Next up is a trip to face a Nebraska team that is just 2-7 in the Big Ten but 8-2 at home.
Buckle up. It’s go time.
🆚 Nebraska
⏰ 7:30 p.m. CT
📍 Lincoln, Neb.
📺 FS1 pic.twitter.com/Z178V2TRae— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 30, 2025
Boswell offers some value at +131 to score at least 15 points against Nebraska.
Illinois has won its last nine regular-season games against Nebraska. However, the Fighting Illini have covered against the college basketball spread in just one of the last four games at Nebraska.
When looking at the Illinois vs Nebraska best bets, we like Illinois at -180 to win outright.
2. Memphis (-6) To Cover As A Road Favorite
Memphis looks to move into a tie with North Texas atop the American Athletic Conference standings with a win at Tulane on Thursday.
Tulane has won its last three home matchups with Memphis. When the teams met in New Orleans in 2024, the Green Wave escaped with a 81-79 victory, per Memphis vs Tulane stats.
This will be the first game against a ranked team for Tulane this season. Tulane is coming off an 11-point win at Rice. The degree of difficulty will go up just a bit with No. 19 Memphis coming to town.
Heading south ✈️ pic.twitter.com/rbvHH6eLhg
— Memphis Basketball (@Memphis_MBB) January 29, 2025
The Tigers are one of two AAC teams with winning records on the road. Even though Memphis is just 1-3 ATS as a road favorite this season, go with Memphis to cover against the NCAA betting line as the 6-point favorite.
Bet Memphis (-6) To Cover At Tulane
3. Ohio State vs Penn State to Land Under 148.5 (-115)
Ohio State has seen 11 games land under the total this season while Penn State is tied for the Big Ten lead by having 12 games go under, per NCAAB betting trends.
The BetUS sportsbook lists Penn State as the three-point favorite against visiting Ohio State.
The Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions are both outside the top 30 in offensive efficiency according to the Pomeroy basketball database.
The Nittany Lions have six double-digit scorers, including Puff Johnson, but the senior guard has missed the last three games. Continue to monitor NCAA basketball news for updates on his playing status.
Bruce Thornton, the top scorer for Ohio State, has been pretty quiet in his last two games. He scored just three points on 1-of-9 shooting the last time he faced Penn State. Expect more production as he is a possible college basketball player prop bet option.
Even though eight of the last 10 games between Ohio State and Penn State landed over the total, take the under when making college basketball bets.
Bet Ohio State vs Penn State Under 149
Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets
Questions of the Day
Which college basketball team is the heaviest favorite at BetUS Sportsbook on Thursday?
Cal Irvine is favored by 16.5 points at Long Beach State.
Which game has the highest total on Thursday?
The Bryant vs UMBC game has a total of 168 points.
