Best College Basketball Bets Today: NCAAB Picks for January 2

It is officially the New Year, which means the conference season is starting! There are a few marquee Big Ten matchups, including a ranked game between No. 22 Illinois Fighting Illini and No. 9 Oregon Ducks. 

Further, the Indiana Hoosiers will hope to turn their underwhelming season around when they host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Assembly Hall.

Continue reading below to find our best college basketball picks for January 2, 2025!

Odds for today's college basketball are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Place your bets at FanDuel and claim $250 in bonus bets with a $5 winning wager.

No. 22 Illinois @ No. 9 Oregon

• Date: Thursday, January 2

• Time: 10:00 pm EST

• Moneyline: Illinois +158 | Oregon -192

• Spread: Illinois +4.5 (-110) | Oregon -4.5 (-110)

• Total: Over 156.5 (-110) | Under 156.5 (-110)

All odds are available via FanDuel Sportsbook but are subject to change.

PICK: Illinois +4.5 (-110) at FanDuel

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Oregon has been one of the most impressive (and surprising) teams thus far in the 2024-25 regular season, recording eye-popping wins over Texas A&M, Alabama, and San Diego State.

A two-point loss to the now-15th-ranked UCLA Bruins has been the only blip for the Ducks.

Oregon is one of the most well-balanced teams nationally, ranking in the top 25 in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiencies, per KenPom. Only nine teams currently rank in the top 25 in both metrics.

The Ducks have five different players averaging double-digit points per game, including star big man Nate Bittle and microwave scoring guard Jackson Shelstad.

Meanwhile, Illinois has made a near-seamless transition from last year to this one despite losing most of their roster.

The Fighting Illini are led by Kasparas Jakucionis, who is one of the two (or three) best guards in the conference; he is averaging close to 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists per game on a ridiculous 49/42/86 shooting split.

Further, center Tomislav Ivisic leads the frontcourt, posting just shy of 15 points and 10 rebounds per game on 54% shooting from the field.

Illinois is a fast-paced team (28th in adjusted tempo) that puts clamps on opponents on the defensive end of the floor (fourth in opponent eFG%). 

While the Fighting Illini don’t force a ton of turnovers, they limit opponents to one shot and get out in transition quickly.

So, what can we expect from this high-profile matchup between two of the best teams in the Big Ten?

Unfortunately for Oregon, it faces a matchup nightmare in the Fighting Illini, a team that ranks fourth in total rebounding rate and fourth in opponent effective field goal percentage.

On the other hand, the Ducks are 206th in defensive rebounding percentage, and their inability to pull down opponent’s misses at a high rate could be an Achilles heel against an elite rebounding team like Illinois.

Oregon could squeak out a win at home, but 4.5 points seems too wide.

Rutgers @ Indiana

• Date: Thursday, January 2

• Time: 8:30 pm EST

• Moneyline: Rutgers N/A | Indiana N/A

• Spread: Rutgers N/A (-110) | Indiana N/A (-110)

• Total: Over N/A | Under N/A

All odds are available via FanDuel Sportsbook but are subject to change.

PICK: Indiana ATS at FanDuel

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Expectations were high for the Indiana Hoosiers entering the 2024-25 campaign after they were able to retain key talent from last year, bring in a 5-star freshman, and snag several of the top transfers in the portal.

However, the Hoosiers, relative to their talent level and expectations, could hardly be playing worse than they are right now.

Indiana sits at 57th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin metric and 68th in the NET after being ranked in the preseason.

Indifference and lack of cohesion seem to be plaguing the Hoosiers this season, along with their atrocious 3-point shooting.

In fact, the Hoosiers shot 1-for-20 from behind the arc on their home floor against a mid-major team in Winthrop. That can’t be good news ahead of conference season.

Still, despite all of their struggles and issues both on and off the floor, the Hoosiers have a huge advantage in this game: paint play.

The Hoosiers’ frontcourt duo of Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau can bully most opposing frontcourts due to their size, strength, and overall physicality.

As a result, Indiana ranks 37th in two-point percentage and 11th in points from two-pointers.

Meanwhile, Rutgers’ frontcourt play has been suspect, to say the least. This is not a typical Scarlet Knights defense this season, especially since last year’s defensive anchor, Cliff Omoruyi, left to join Alabama.

Rutgers ranks 160th in opponent two-point percentage and 115th in defensive rebounding percentage, with the latter stat plummeting on the road.

Road games are hard to win in the Big Ten, and Rutgers, as a whole, has been extremely underwhelming, especially on the defensive end of the floor. This is a bad spot to back the Scarlet Knights.