College Basketball Picks & Predictions Today: ATS Picks & Prop Bets (Sunday, Jan. 11)

My college basketball picks and predictions today look to finish out a profitable week strong.

My two game predictions involve contests with mid-major teams that almost exclusively play zone defense. I add two college basketball player props on two of the best point guards in action today, including a five-star play on an assists prop.

🏀 College basketball picks today: Jan. 11

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💰 College basketball game predictions today

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Merrimack vs. Saint Peter’s prediction: Under 130.5 (-105 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Merrimack just played a game against Siena on Friday night that stayed Under the projected total by 13.5 points. That marks three straight cashes for the Under, and eight in the last nine games the Warriors have played.

With both teams playing on just one day of rest, it'll become difficult to cash the Over, especially with little time to prepare for the unique brand of zone defense Merrimack deploys. 

Saint Peter’s is also not equipped to beat that zone, ranking seventh-worst in effective field-goal percentage, and among the bottom-20 in 3-point shooting.

Wright State vs. Oakland prediction: Wright State +4.5 (-105 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wright State crushed Oakland 88-73 in Dayton during late December. The Raiders scored 1.5 points per possession in zone offense, and they've been torching zones all season while posting a 96th percentile efficiency rating.

Somewhat of a concern is that Wright State lost point guard Michael Cooper in that game, as he entered on a heater after scoring 18-plus in four straight. 

While he hasn’t played since, the Raiders still won all three of their games, with the last two coming on the road). TJ Burch’s defense has helped the Raiders own the best 2-point percentage defense in the Horizon League.

⛹️ College basketball player props today

Bennett Stirtz Under 4.5 assists (-135 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz ranks 22nd in Big Ten play with a 22.8% assist rate. But Stirtz will have one of the conference’s best defenders draped all over him in Kylan Boswell, and Illinois does a great job of defending what Iowa likes to do offensively off the ball.

The Hawkeyes rank in the 98th and 99th percentile while running their offense through cuts and rollers, but Illinois allows cuts in the sixth percentile. 

Stirtz should enjoy a big day offensively while scoring against Illinois’ drop coverage, and he won't be the same facilitator as usual.

Jizzle James Over 1.5 3-pointers made (-135 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cincinnati’s Jizzle James has only played in five games this season, making eight of his 23 3-point attempts so far (34.8%).

The only game James was held without a 3-point make was against one of the best perimeter defenses in the country (Houston). But the Bearcats get 37.7% of their offense from 3-point makes (39th-most in D-I), while UCF’s defense allows opponents to shoot better than 34% from beyond the arc, ranking outside the top 200.

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