Welcome to another Big Monday in the 2025-26 college basketball season.
What Monday's slate lacks in size, it makes up for in firepower. Tonight's schedule features top-25 matchups in the Big 12 (No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 13 BYU) and ACC (No. 23 Louisville vs. No. 5 Duke).
Matt Cox of Three Man Weave broke down 3 games for Monday's slate — including both Big 12 and ACC clashes — and came through with a pick for each.
Let's dive into our college basketball best bets and NCAAB picks for the games on Monday, Jan. 26.
College Basketball Best Bets, Picks
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that Matt Cox of Three Man Weave is targeting from Monday's slate of NCAAB games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 9 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Louisville vs Duke Pick
Once you strip away Louisville’s performance against bottom-tier competition, this is not a team built to go toe-to-toe with elite talent and size.
Using BartTorvik filters that remove all Q3 and Q4 opponents, the implied spread lands at -12.
This is now a multi-year theme under Pat Kelsey, and Duke’s imposing length is a kryptonite matchup against Louisville's perimeter shooters.
Situationally, this isn’t a great spot for the Cardinals either. They played at home Saturday and now have to travel on short rest into a hostile road environment with bad weather, presumably complicating preparation and logistics.
Defensively, Duke has the X-factor in Dame Sarr, who has emerged as a bona fide shutdown glove.
Sarr had Ryan Conwell in prison last game, and likely will see some time checking Mikel Brown Jr., who many expect to fundamentally shift the paradigm of the Cardinals’ team.
That’s certainly possible, but tonight could be a harsh dose of reality, especially if Duke continues to lean heavily on Cam Boozer, who Louisville has no answer for defensively (as seen in the first meeting between these two).
Pick: Duke -8 (Play to -9)
| | |
Abilene Christian vs Tarleton State Pick
This bet is all about timing.
The mystery box that is the Texans' roster and availability makes backing them a treacherous endeavor, but this is a good matchup tonight with a dose of revenge for Tarleton, which lost to ACU in the first meeting earlier this year.
There’s a chance Freddy Hicks returns to action, but there’s no definitive intel anywhere, and the market seems to be in the dark as well.
KenPom projects this game as a 7-point Tarleton win, while the market is shaded two points lower at -5.
Extrapolating the current market price, Hicks in the lineup should drive this number, while his absence likely leaves this line unchanged. In summary, bet this one sooner rather than later.
The other unknown is whether or not head coach Billy Gillispie returns to action tonight. He’s been out the last three games with an illness, so it’s very plausible he returns to the sidelines tonight, now back at home after a much-needed break in the schedule.
Pick: Tarleton State -5 or Better
| | |
Arizona vs BYU Pick
While traveling to the Marriott Center on one day's rest to play a super-talented BYU team seems ominous, this Arizona team profiles well to shut down the Cougar offense.
The Wildcats' cadre of physical wings should form a rotating army of defenders to check AJ Dybantsa, who's coming off a dominant 40-point outing against Utah — a far less potent defensive team.
Additionally, Jaden Bradley on the ball is well-equipped to corral Robert Wright III, while the other 'Cat wings will be keyed in on chasing Richie Saunders and his non-stop movement all over the court.
Take away BYU's Big 3, and Arizona puts enormous pressure on the Cougars’ role players to step up.
The subtle wrinkle schematically is Arizona’s attack against BYU’s zone, which Kevin Young may look to play more of tonight.
Arizona hasn’t seen a ton of zone this season, but this is where Koa Peat could shine. His ability to operate in the crease of the zone as both a scorer and passer makes him a lethal zone buster, should BYU try to throw a wrench in Zona’s prolific offense.
Pick: Arizona -2 (Play to -3)
