College Basketball Picks Today: Thursday's Best Bets Include Two Spread Plays [1/9/2025]

College basketball betting is back for another pulse-pounding playoffs slate on 1/9, and we're here to share our top picks for Thursday's NCAAM action.

Today's college basketball best bets come from a range of matchups, including Hawaii vs. UC Riverside and Eastern Washington vs. Portland State, with this article updated throughout the day to highlight the most attractive upcoming games.

Featuring a standout spread play at 10:00PM ET, these picks are based on cutting-edge simulations and machine learning.

For unlimited access to everything Dimers has to offer on Thursday, January 9, 2025—including our complete set of college basketball picks and best bets—check out Dimers Pro.

Sign up with code 20BASKETBALL at checkout now to get 20% off your first month of Dimers Pro! Perfect timing for the playoffs.

List of College Basketball Picks Tonight [1/9, Updated: 9:32PM ET]

After crunching the numbers and running thousands of simulations, our famous predictive analytics model has figured out the best college basketball bets for Thursday, January 9, 2025.

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

Hawaii +3 (-110)

• Edge: 6.1%
• Probability: 58.5%
• Matchup: Hawaii vs. UC Riverside (10:00PM ET, Thursday)

Our model has pinpointed the next college basketball betting opportunity tonight, which comes in the Hawaii vs. UC Riverside matchup. We recommend a spread bet on Hawaii +3 at -110 odds, offering an edge of 6.1%.

Portland State ML (-154)

• Edge: 3.3%
• Probability: 63.9%
• Matchup: Eastern Washington vs. Portland State (10:00PM ET, Thursday)

Our model has found another great college basketball bet for Thursday's NCAA action, this time in the matchup between Eastern Washington and Portland State. We suggest placing a wager on Portland State ML at -154 odds, with our analysis showing a compelling 3.3% edge.

MORE: College Basketball Props

Cal State Northridge +3.5 (-110)

• Edge: 3.1%
• Probability: 55.5%
• Matchup: UC Irvine vs. Cal State Northridge (10:00PM ET, Thursday)

Our next pick for tonight's college basketball action is from the UC Irvine vs. Cal State Northridge matchup. We recommend a spread bet on Cal State Northridge +3.5 at -110 odds. Our model suggests a favorable 3.1% edge for this wager.

MORE: Thursday Parlay Picker

NCAAM Best Bets: Thursday, 1/9/2025

As of 9:32PM ET, here are the next three college basketball bets recommended by our model:

Matchup	Bet	Odds	Edge
Hawaii vs. UC Riverside	Hawaii +3	-110 @ DraftKings	6.1%
Eastern Washington vs. Portland State	Portland State ML	-154 @ FanDuel	3.3%
UC Irvine vs. Cal State Northridge	Cal State Northridge +3.5	-110 @ BetMGM	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.

Thursday's full suite of NCAAM picks is highlighted by an over/under opportunity with a substantial 6.8% edge over the sportsbook odds.

Join Dimers Pro now to access these picks, along with a comprehensive range of props, trends and parlays for January 9, 2025.

List of Upcoming College Basketball Games To Bet On

• Oregon State vs. Santa Clara (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• Eastern Washington vs. Portland State (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• UC Irvine vs. Cal State Northridge (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• Cal State Bakersfield vs. UC Santa Barbara (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• Portland vs. San Francisco (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• Hawaii vs. UC Riverside (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• Idaho vs. Sacramento State (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• Cal Poly vs. UC San Diego (10:00PM ET, Thursday)
• Merrimack vs. Sacred Heart (11:00AM ET, Friday)
• Kent State vs. Buffalo (6:00PM ET, Friday)

More on 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 grounded in 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.