This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series.
A 2-1 Sunday was an excellent way to start my 2025 in this space and I look to keep it going today. With conference schedules in full effect, Mondays will start to look a lot like today: a handful of major-conference games and a whole lot of SWAC and Southland action to choose from. Let's see what today yields.
Southern Jaguars at Prairie View A&M Panthers 
Southern had some early hiccups but has since turned it around with rotation tweaks. After a bad loss at KenPom No. 348 East Texas A&M in November, the Jags have taken care of business against teams outside the Top 250. At No. 322, Prairie View is in rough shape after playing a brutal schedule that included 12 straight road games. They came home to take care of No. 323 Grambling State, but Southern will pose a much more formidable threat. The value isn't great, but worth a small shot with today's slate.
College Basketball Best Bet: Southern -4.5 (universal)
Ohio State Buckeyes at Minnesota Gophers 
It isn't often I recommend a sizable major conference road favorite, but this one lines up nicely for me. OSU has crushed competition outside of the top-100 and will be hungry for a Big 10 win coming off a tough home loss to No. 15 Michigan State. Minnesota has been housed when stepping up to Big 10 competition, going 0-3 with losses of 18, 15, and 20. The Buckeyes are on a 7-3 ATS run as favorites, while the Gophers are 1-9 SU/2-7 ATS in their last 10 as underdogs. OSU should win this one by double digits.
College Basketball Best Bet: Ohio State -5.5 (@ ESPNBet)
Texas Southern Tigers vs Grambling State Tigers
In a SWAC battle of Tigers, I like the group from Texas Southern tonight. A deeper dive into the Texas Southern schedule shows non-stop opponents inside the top-250. Finally, UTS gets a reprieve at home against Grambling. Like UTS, Grambling has yet to win a lined game this year, but have had chances against teams in the 300s and are 0-2 against them with losses of 13 and 17. Texas Southern will be a team battling in the upper half of the SWAC, and I love the value on them here.
College Basketball Best Bet: Texas Southern -3.5 (@ BetRivers)
Monday College Basketball Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best college basketball bets for Monday, January 6:
- Southern -4.5 (universal)
- Ohio State -5.5 (@ ESPNBet)
- Texas Southern -3.5 (@ BetRivers)
For up-to-date information on the latest college basketball betting odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the college basketball odds page on RotoWire.
