College Basketball Picks Today: Thursday's Best Bets Include Two Spread Plays [1/2/2025]

College basketball betting is back for another enticing slate on 1/2, and we're here to serve up our top picks for Thursday's NCAAM action.

Today's college basketball best bets come from a range of matchups, including Cal State Northridge vs. Cal State Fullerton and Oregon State vs. Loyola Marymount, with this article updated throughout the day to highlight the most attractive upcoming games.

Led by a standout spread play at 10:00PM ET, these picks are powered by extensive simulations and machine learning.

For unlimited access to everything Dimers has to offer on Thursday, January 2, 2025—including our full set of college basketball picks and best bets—check out Dimers Pro.

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List of College Basketball Picks Tonight [1/2, Updated: 9:31PM ET]

After crunching the numbers and conducting thousands of simulations, our leading predictive analytics model has identified the best college basketball bets for Thursday, January 2, 2025.

We sort these picks by start times, reserving the highest edges and probabilities exclusively for Dimers Pro subscribers.

Cal State Fullerton +4.5 (+100)

• Edge: 8.4%
• Probability: 58.4%
• Matchup: Cal State Northridge vs. Cal State Fullerton (10:00PM ET, Thursday)

Our model has pinpointed the next college basketball betting opportunity tonight, which comes in the Cal State Northridge vs. Cal State Fullerton matchup. We recommend a spread bet on Cal State Fullerton +4.5 at +100 odds, offering an edge of 8.4%.

Loyola Marymount +3.5 (-115)

• Edge: 4.9%
• Probability: 58.4%
• Matchup: Oregon State vs. Loyola Marymount (10:00PM ET, Thursday)

Our model has found another great college basketball bet for Thursday's NCAA action, this time in the game between Oregon State and Loyola Marymount. We suggest placing a spread wager on Loyola Marymount +3.5 at -115 odds, with our analysis showing a compelling 4.9% edge.

MORE: College Basketball Props

Cal State Fullerton ML (+176)

• Edge: 3.1%
• Probability: 39.3%
• Matchup: Cal State Northridge vs. Cal State Fullerton (10:00PM ET, Thursday)

Our next pick for today's college basketball action is from the Cal State Northridge vs. Cal State Fullerton game. We recommend a bet on Cal State Fullerton ML at +176 odds. Our model suggests a favorable 3.1% edge for this wager.

MORE: Thursday Parlay Picker

NCAAM Best Bets: Thursday, 1/2/2025

As of 9:31PM ET, here are the next three college basketball bets recommended by our model:

Matchup	Bet	Odds	Edge
Cal State Northridge vs. Cal State Fullerton	Cal State Fullerton +4.5	+100 @ BetMGM	8.4%
Oregon State vs. Loyola Marymount	Loyola Marymount +3.5	-115 @ FanDuel	4.9%
Cal State Northridge vs. Cal State Fullerton	Cal State Fullerton ML	+176 @ FanDuel	3.1%

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While the bets listed are all positive expected value (+EV) opportunities, subscribing to Dimers Pro grants you unlimited access to today's best bets across all sports, powered by our advanced model.

Join Dimers Pro now to access these picks, along with a comprehensive range of props, trends and parlays for January 2, 2025.

List of Upcoming College Basketball Games To Bet On

• Oregon State vs. Loyola Marymount (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• Santa Clara vs. San Diego (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• Pepperdine vs. Saint Mary's (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• Illinois vs. Oregon (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• San Francisco vs. Pacific (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• Cal State Northridge vs. Cal State Fullerton (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• UC Riverside vs. Long Beach State (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• UC Santa Barbara vs. Hawaii (12:00AM ET, Friday)
• Fairfield vs. Merrimack (3:00PM ET, Friday)
• Akron vs. Bowling Green (6:00PM ET, Friday)

More About CBB

This article is part of our college basketball player props and college basketball best bets series.

For more NCAAB betting content, we have college basketball betting news and the latest March Madness odds and predictions.

Conclusion

This article, enhanced by AI and automation, aims to deliver accurate college basketball insights quickly, with human oversight ensuring high editorial quality. Our predictions are sourced from current data to help you make informed decisions. For additional resources and advice on responsible gambling, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.

All odds and probabilities in this article are correct and accurate at the time of publication.