Best College Basketball Picks Today: Memphis Still in the AAC Hunt

It isn’t a loaded college basketball slate on Thursday night by any stretch of the imagination.

However, there are still two ranked matchups, including AAC conference action between Wichita State and No. 24 Memphis, as well as a Big Ten conference bout that features Maryland and No. 17 Illinois.

Keep reading below for our analysis and best college basketball picks today!

The odds for today's college basketball games are from FanDuel Sportsbook. Place a $5 bet at FanDuel and Get $300 in Bonus Bets If Your Bet Wins.

Wichita State @ No. 24 Memphis

• Date: Thursday, January 23

• Time: 7:00 pm EST

• Moneyline: Wichita State +640 | Memphis -1000

• Spread: Wichita State +12.5 (-105) | Memphis -12.5 (-115)

• Total: Over 156.5 (-115) | Under 156.5 (-105)

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

PICK: Memphis -12.5 (-115) at FanDuel

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As has been the case for several seasons, the question that bettors and fans alike are asking on game nights is which Memphis Tigers team will show up.

Predicting the Tigers’ play has become almost as challenging as predicting the weather in the midwest. 

After all, this is the team that has beaten UConn, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Clemson, and Missouri, but has lost to Temple (116th in adjusted efficiency margin) and Arkansas State (95th in adjEM).

Further, the Tigers, despite all of their talent, only beat East Carolina and North Texas by four points. Both of those games were at home, too. So even in their wins, they aren’t always as convincing as they should be, given their talent level.

So, can the Tigers handle a Wichita State team that has dropped four of their past five games?

Memphis should be able to dismantle this Shockers squad. Wichita State has actually failed to cover the spread in all five of its AAC games thus far, and it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that the Shockers are in the midst of a free fall.

And the Tigers are the eighth-best 3-point-shooting team in the country, knocking down nearly 40% of their attempts. Unsurprisingly, the Shockers have allowed their past three opponents to shoot 40% from deep, too.

While turnovers have been an Achilles heel of sorts for the Tigers, as they rank 333rd in turnovers per game, they are going up against a Wichita State team that does not force many turnovers. 

I’ll lay the points with Memphis.

Maryland @ No. 17 Illinois

• Date: Thursday, January 23

• Time: 9:00 pm EST

• Moneyline: Maryland +320 | Illinois -420

• Spread: Maryland +8.5 (-102) | Illinois -8.5 (-120)

• Total: Over 157.5 (-105) | Under 157.5 (-115)

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

PICK: Illinois -8.5 (-120) at FanDuel

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A home loss to USC and a narrow two-point loss on the road to Michigan State are undoubtedly haunting the Illinois Fighting Illini, as they are now several games back of the Spartans for first place in the Big Ten.

However, there are still a ton of conference games left for the Fighting Illini to catch up. The climb back up the Big Ten standings will start with a home game against Maryland.

Luckily, short of their blunder against USC (which can be partially explained by missing Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Kasparas Jakucionis) and a narrow loss to then-No. 1 Tennessee, the Fighting Illini have been fantastic on their home floor.

Illinois currently sits at ninth in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin and boasts a top 20 offense and defense. The Fighting Illini play at a lightning quick pace, ranking 12th in adjusted tempo; they like to get out in transition and make opponents uncomfortable.

The Maryland Terrapins also like an up-tempo pace, so that will not necessarily be a benefit for Illinois in this matchup. Maryland ranks 23rd in adjusted efficiency margin and holds a 14-5 record entering this matchup.

What makes Maryland a dangerous team offensively is its frontcourt duo of Julian Reese and Derik Queen. Those two players combine to pour in 28 points and pull down nearly 17 rebounds per game; they also help Maryland rank 55th nationally in opponent 2-point percentage.

Still, there are a few concerns for backing the Terrapins in this spot. First, their interior defense falls off a cliff on the road, as opponents shoot nearly 13% higher inside the arc when they (opponents) are on their home floor.

The Fighting Illini are one of the few teams nationally who can adequately match up with Maryland’s physical, stout, and talented interior, making the Terrapins’ avenue for putting points on the board a bit more complicated.

Maryland is a rock-solid 3-point-shooting team behind guards Selton Miguel, Rodney Rice, and Ja’Kobi Gillespie; however, the Terrapins will struggle to get clean looks against an Illinois team that ranks fourth in the country in opponent 3-point percentage.

It might be a close game for a while, but Illinois should pull away in the second half.