Table of Contents
Thursday’s Top 25 slate delivered everything you’d expect from early-conference action—big road wins, high-scoring battles, and one monster upset. Arizona stayed perfect with a complete road win at Utah, but UCF’s late-game shot-making stunned No. 17 Kansas in the night’s headline shocker. Purdue’s Braden Smith made Big Ten history, Alabama shot the lights out against Kentucky, and Georgia outlasted Auburn in an SEC overtime thriller. With teams adjusting to conference play and road environments starting to matter more, sharp bettors had to react fast—and those who tracked depth, free throw volume, and late-game execution found key edges.
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Latest College Basketball Odds & Lines
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Nevada Wolf Pack
vs
San Diego St Aztecs
Final
vs
Jan 06, 2026 23:15 EST
68
Score
73
–
Spread
+1.50 -106
o+147.00-108
Total
u+147.00-108
–
Moneyline
–
Wyoming Cowboys
vs
UNLV Rebels
Final
vs
Jan 06, 2026 22:12 EST
98
Score
66
–
Spread
–
o+157.50-108
Total
u+157.50-108
–
Moneyline
–
San José St Spartans
vs
Fresno St Bulldogs
Final
vs
Jan 06, 2026 22:03 EST
55
Score
70
+1.00 -106
Spread
-1.00 -106
o+145.50-108
Total
u+145.50-108
–
Moneyline
–
College Basketball Picks of the Day
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Top 25 Takeaways
- UCF shocked Kansas behind clutch shooting and defensive stops down the stretch. Kansas shot just 2-of-11 in the final 4 minutes.
- Arizona looked complete again with four players in double figures and 53.6% shooting from the field.
- Braden Smith broke a Big Ten record with 12 assists, pacing Purdue’s second-half domination of Wisconsin.
- Isaiah Evans exploded for 28 to help Duke survive a dangerous test in Tallahassee. Boozer added a near double-double.
- Alabama and Georgia scored 89+, both riding hot shooting and aggressive drives to early SEC wins.
- Missouri and Iowa pulled off key covers, each jumping out early and holding late pushes from Florida and UCLA.
- Arkansas’ bench dominated, showing off key depth against Tennessee in a high-tempo SEC win.
College Basketball Game Recaps
Here’s a bettor-focused breakdown of every Top 25 game on the slate—where the momentum swung, what decided covers or totals, and which performances moved the needle.
No. 1 Arizona 97, Utah 78
Arizona kept its foot on the gas and rolled to a ninth straight double-digit win, moving to 14-0. Jaden Bradley (18), Koa Peat (17), and a monster bench outing from Tobe Akawa (18 & 12) led the way.
The Wildcats were crisp from the start, shooting over 53% and using a deep rotation to wear Utah down. The Utes stayed close in the first half, but Arizona’s length and balance blew things open after the break.
No. 5 Purdue 89, Wisconsin 73
Braden Smith had a historic night, breaking the Big Ten assist record while also scoring 14 and controlling pace. Purdue ran away in the second half behind a 20-point game from Fletcher Loyer.
Wisconsin couldn’t keep up from the arc, going just 4-of-25 from deep. Purdue covered comfortably, and the over hit thanks to both teams pushing tempo in the final 10 minutes.
No. 6 Duke 91, Florida State 87
Duke found itself in a shootout, but Isaiah Evans (28 pts, 6 threes) came up huge. Cameron Boozer added 17 and a career-high nine assists as the Blue Devils fended off a resilient FSU team.
FSU’s Chauncey Wiggins and Robert McCray V each dropped 22, but Duke controlled late possessions and hit clutch free throws. Bettors on the Blue Devils were sweating, but the line held.
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No. 8 Houston 67, Cincinnati 60
It wasn’t pretty, but Houston got it done again. Kingston Flemings (19 pts) and Milos Uzan (18 pts, 4 threes) carried the Cougars, who shot just 38% but forced turnovers and dominated the second half.
Cincinnati kept it close through Day Day Thomas’ hot first half, but the Bearcats were outscored by 10 after halftime. Emanuel Sharp had an off night, but Houston’s defense carried the cover.
No. 10 BYU 83, Kansas State 73
BYU handled the road environment behind AJ Dybantsa’s 24 points and Keba Keita’s 11-point, 16-rebound double-double. The Cougars extended their win streak to 10 and covered comfortably.
Kansas State rallied behind 24 from PJ Haggerty, but poor transition defense and rebounding gaps hurt them down the stretch.
No. 11 Vanderbilt 83, South Carolina 71
Vanderbilt kept its perfect record intact behind Tyler Tanner’s 19 points and 14 assists. With two lead guards out, Tanner played nearly the whole game and turned it over just once.
Vandy shot 51/43/83 (FG/3PT/FT splits) and out-rebounded SC 37-25. South Carolina’s 25% shooting from three sealed it. Bettors on the over got there late.
No. 14 Alabama 89, Kentucky 74
Aden Holloway tied his career high with 26 points, drilling six threes as Alabama surged past Kentucky in Tuscaloosa. Labaron Philon Jr. added 17 in his return from injury.
Kentucky shot well early but couldn’t keep pace. Bama’s spacing and second-half tempo broke the game open. Oweh (22) and Lowe (21) led UK.
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No. 15 Texas Tech 102, Oklahoma State 80
Texas Tech’s offense was humming. Five starters in double digits, 21 assists, and a 48-36 rebound edge made the difference. J.T. Toppin had 23 & 14, while Christian Anderson dropped 19 & 13 assists.
Oklahoma State scored early but couldn’t match the Red Raiders’ pace. Texas Tech controlled the entire second half.
UCF 81, No. 17 Kansas 75
The shocker of the night. Jordan Burks hit a dagger three and Riley Kugel’s and-one sealed it. UCF’s fans stormed the floor after beating Kansas at home again.
Peterson had 26 (all in the first half), but Kansas was outscored 9-3 in the final 90 seconds. Kansas bettors took the loss late as UCF’s energy finished it.
No. 18 Arkansas 86, No. 19 Tennessee 75
Arkansas rode Darius Acuff Jr.’s career-high 29 and bench scoring to a statement SEC win. Meleek Thomas added 18, and the Hogs were +10 in free throws made.
Tennessee kept it tight early, but couldn’t respond after Arkansas broke it open with a 12-2 run late. Bad beat for under bettors with free throws flying late.
No. 20 Illinois 73, Penn State 65
Kylan Boswell (18) and Keaton Wagler (16) led Illinois at The Palestra. The Illini never trailed and made enough timely stops to control cover chances.
Penn State shot just 8-of-38 from three. Rebounding and shot selection made this an easy wire-to-wire for Illinois backers.
No. 21 Virginia 76, NC State 61
Virginia jumped out early behind Sam Lewis’ 23 and never let up. The Cavaliers shot well from deep and dominated the boards in a stress-free win.
NC State couldn’t match shot quality and trailed by double digits nearly all game. It was a clean cover from start to finish for UVA bettors.
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Missouri 76, No. 22 Florida 74
Anthony Robinson II (19 pts) did a bit of everything, and Missouri held off Florida despite a strong push from Thomas Haugh (24 pts).
Jayden Stone looked healthy and sparked Missouri early. Florida cut it late, but the Tigers made enough at the line to close it out.
No. 23 Georgia 104, Auburn 100 (OT)
Jeremiah Wilkinson’s 31 and Marcus Millender’s 24 lifted Georgia in a wild OT game. Auburn forced extra time with a miracle rebound and putback with 0.7 left, but ran out of gas.
High-possession, high-variance game. Georgia hit key threes in OT and snapped a five-game skid to Auburn.
No. 25 Iowa 74, UCLA 61
Bennett Stirtz dropped 27 as Iowa dominated early and survived a furious second-half run from UCLA. The Hawkeyes’ first-half run (14-1) set the tone.
UCLA got 25 from Donovan Dent (20 in second half), but couldn’t make up for a 21-point hole. Iowa held on to cover with late FTs.
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