The 2025-26 NCAA Men's College Basketball season is back Tuesday with a heavier slate after a light week due to the holidays. We have some exciting games, particularly on the west coast.
We're here to help provide a trio of picks on select days throughout the week, hopefully helping you get into the black, as we head into the holidays and the New Year. 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.
Isaac McKneely, G, Louisville 
The Louisville Cardinals and Cal Golden Bears meet in Berkeley for the conference opener for both sides.
McKneely shined last time out with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting against Montana, hitting four 3-pointers on his six attempts, while adding five rebounds and a steal in 33 minutes. That's all well and good, but that was against an undersized Big Sky Conference team. In this past two games against Tennessee and Memphis, bigger teams with better defenses, he hit a combined 2-of-13 from the field, and 1-of-10 from the perimeter, averaging just 2.5 PPG.
Getting back into play against a power conference, even a mid-tier ACC team like Cal, should tamp down McKneely's totals again after his outburst against the Griz.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Isaac McKneely, Less 16.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
Paulius Murauskas, F, Saint Mary's .png)
The big man for the Gaels look to take advantage of a favorable conference matchup against Pepperdine of the West Coast Conference (WCC).
The Waves have been very giving this season, allowing 75.5 points per game (PPG), ranking 182nd in the nation, while allowing teams to hit 44.3 percent (236th) from the field, and 33.8 percent (234th) from behind the three-point line.
Murauskas fell off a bit in the last game at Loyola Marymount, but that was because of foul trouble. He had just 13 points and nine points, still nearly pulling off a double-double, despite five personal fouls in 31 minutes. In his three previous games he was averaging 20.7 PPG and 9.0 RPG. Look for Murauskas to bounce back Tuesday.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Paulius Murauskas, More 26.5 Pts+Rebs
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Reese Dixon-Waters, G, San Diego State 
The Aztecs hit the road for the Bay Area to battle the San Jose State Spartans on Tuesday evening.
The Spartans have been extremely leaky on defense this season, with San Jose State coughing up 81.8 PPG (291st), while teams are hitting 47.0 percent (320th) from the field and 34.9 percent (273rd) from behind the three-point line. It's going to be a rare strong offensive showing for the Aztecs, who can be a little more methodical at times on the offensive end.
Dixon-Waters hit double digits with 10 points last time out against a lower-level opponent, Whittier College. There isn't a lot to glean from that. However, he averaged 17.0 PPG in back-to-back games from Nov. 25-26 in Vegas against Oregon and Baylor, and when he gets on a roll, he can produce. He gained some confidence last time out, and he'll build on that momentum against a bad SJSU team.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Reese Dixon-Waters, More 15.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
Tuesday's College Basketball PrizePicks Picks
Here's a recap of my best college basketball selections for Tuesday:
- Isaac McKneely, Louisville, Less 16.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
- Paulius Murauskas, Saint Mary's, More 26.5 Pts+Rebs
- Reese Dixon-Waters, More 15.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
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.
