The 2025-26 NCAA Men's College Basketball season is about to really kick into high gear now. Most of the football teams are done for the season, and in about two weeks, it will be full focus on the hardwood leading up to March Madness and beyond.
On Saturday, with the holidays in the rear-view mirror, we get a pretty full slate, with conference play also starting to take place all across the nation. We get a battle of ranked teams with Tennessee and Arkansas meeting at 3 p.m. EST on ESPN, the only game featuring Top 25 teams facing each other.
We're here to help provide a trio of picks on select days throughout the week, hopefully helping you get into the black, as hurtle into 2026. It's never too early to start squirreling away money for March Madness.
College Basketball PrizePicks Picks & Strategy
If you're unfamiliar with how to play, you must simply choose at least two players from any sport and pick more or less based on their projected statistics to win. We'll obviously be exclusively selecting college hoops players, but you can mix and match from various other sports. You can also go with a flex play, meaning you still can have a winning night even if you have one losing selection. Or, you can go big and choose the power play, which pays out higher. However, you must hit all ends to win. Let's get started.
For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, roles and overall player performance, head to RotoWire's latest college basketball news page or follow @RotoWireCBB on X.
Patrick Ngongba, C, Duke 
We've backed Ngongba in the past, and he helped us out. So, let's roll with the Dukies center again.
The Florida State defense allows 78.4 points (223rd in the nation), 44.1 percent (222nd) from the field, and 31.7 percent (129th) from behind the three-point line. The Seminoles have allowed 79 or more points in six of the past eight games, including 95 or more points in four of those outings. The Blue Devils offense should be able to take advantage of FSU, which ranks 110th in the KenPom rankings.
Ngongba has scored 10 or more points in seven of the past nine games, while going for at least four boards in all 13 of his games to date. Look for Ngongba to have a solid offensive output, while flirting with a potential double-double.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Patrick Ngongba, More 17.5 Pts+Rebs
Santiago Trouet, F, Arizona State 
The 6-foot-11 Argentinian-born sophomore is looking to build upon the momentum from his most recent game on Dec 21. Trouet went for 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting 30 minutes against Oregon State, going for three rebounds, two blocks, an assist and a steal.
The 13 points for Trouet matched a season best, as he also went for 13 points against USC in the Maui Invitational Championship on Nov. 26, while dropping 13 points against Utah Tech back on Nov. 9.
He is facing a very giving Colorado team which allows 83.9 PPG (311st), while teams are hitting 45.4 percent (281st) from the field and 38.4 percent (360th) from behind the three-point line. Look for Trouet to exceed his projections against the leaky CU defense.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Santiago Trouet, More 13.5 Pts+Rebs
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Thomas Haugh, F, Florida 
The defending national champion Gators have struggled shooting from the perimeter this season, but those struggles could be put on hold for at least one game in Missouri on Saturday.
The Tigers are pretty decent defensively, ranking 85th with just 71.5 PPG allowed, while teams are hitting just 41.7 percent from the field, which ranks 96th in the nation. Not bad. However, Mizzou's perimeter defense is horrific, as teams are hitting 36.8 percent from downtown, ranking 332nd in the nation.
For Haugh, he has hit at least one triple in eight consecutive games, while going for 16 or more points in six of the past eight outings, while going for five or more boards in five of eight games. Look for Haugh to snap back on track and exceed expectations here after just nine points against Dartmouth on Dec. 29 in a tune-up game last time out.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Thomas Haugh, More 15.5 Points
Find the latest updates in college basketball player props on RotoWire.
Saturday's College Basketball PrizePicks Picks
Here's a recap of my best college basketball selections for Saturday:
- Patrick Ngongba, Duke, More 17.5 Pts+Rebs
- Santiago Trouet, Arizona State, More 13.5 Pts+Rebs
- Thomas Haugh, Florida, Over 15.5 Points
For additional recommendations for PrizePicks and other similar sites, check out our College Basketball Picks page.
For more fantasy college hoops content, be sure to check out features like our college basketball injury report, college basketball depth charts and latest college basketball news.
