Yesterday’s card saw our third consecutive full card sweep. Nine picks. Nine green check marks. Three straight cards ending in profit. The college hoops season doesn’t stop and neither does this column. We’ve got a slate of games today and we’re going for our fourth straight Underdog Fantasy college basketball entry win.
Keep in mind that playing all three legs of our plays in Underdog Fantasy could win you 6X your money on a single entry. Let’s dig into tonight’s plays and remember to let it ride!
Underdog Fantasy College Basketball Picks January 5
Matthew Dewoskin Underdog Fantasy College Basketball Pick Em Record (Est 11/4/2024)
All Pick Em Selections: 88-69-2
Perfect 3-0 Pick Em Entries: 12-41
Ace Baldwin Higher Than 7.5 Assists
Indiana pays a visit to Happy Valley, PA for a match up with Penn State. The Hoosiers enter this game allowing opponents to average 13.6 assists per game. That’s 191st in the nation. Penn State point guard Ace Baldwin going higher on his assists total is the play here.
Ace Baldwin enters this game averaging 8.5 assists per game overall. However, he’s averaging 9.0 assists per game at home. He’s also gone higher than 7.5 assists in seven out of 14 games.
He also played against Indiana three times last year. He racked up more than 7.5 assists in two of the three match ups, including nine at home.
Baldwin is an assists machine, and this version of the Penn State offense is better than last year’s. He should get plenty of opportunities to set up his teammates, and you’ll want to go higher on his assists total in your Underdog Fantasy college basketball entry for January 5th.
Braden Smith Higher Than 7.5 Assists
Northwestern heads to the Mackey Arena for a game against Purdue today. The Wildcats have allowed 14.7 assists to opponents per game this year. That’s 265th in the nation. Braden Smith is going to carve up the Wildcats defense in this one.
Purdue point guard Braden Smith comes into this match up averaging 8.7 assists per game. When he’s at Mackey Arena, he averages 9.2 assists per game. He’s gone higher than 7.5 assists in eight out of 14 games played this year.
We’ve got the match up, the trend and the number. Make sure you go higher on Smith’s assists total in your Underdog Fantasy college basketball entry today.
Kasparas Jakucionis Higher Than 4.5 Rebounds
The Fighting Illini pay a visit to the Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle for a game with Washington. It’s usually a good idea to fade road teams, but on a short slate like today, we have to dive into a match up we would normally avoid.
Washington allows opponents to snag 34.4 rebounds per game. That’s 153rd in the nation. The Huskies don’t clean the glass as well as they should, and teams like Illinois can make them pay for it.
Jakucionis’ game travels pretty well. Overall, he averages 5.6 rebounds per game. In five games on the road, he’s averaging….5.6 rebounds per game. He’s gone higher than 4.5 boards in two out of three road games. Jakucionis has also cleared 4.5 rebounds in nine out of 13 games.
The Illini play at the 23rd fastest pace in the nation. Washington clocks in at 130th overall in pace. This game should move, and that will likely mean a few extra possessions and a few extra opportunities for Jakucionis to snag a few extra chances.
Washington has struggled with bigger guards getting to the boards. Jakucionis should be able to get close to his season average and go higher than 4.5 rebounds in this game.
The College Basketball Experience
For more analysis on every college basketball game for the 2024-25 season, make sure you tune into The College Basketball Experience. Colby Dant, Moneyline Mac, and Noah Bieniek talk about each game on the entire slate. Listen for input on ATS and moneyline college basketball picks every night!
