The 2025-26 NCAA Men's College Basketball regular season rolls on Friday with 11 ranked teams in action, including a battle between No. 5 Arizona and No. 15 UCLA in a Pac-12 reunion game at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California at 10 p.m. ET on Peacock.
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.
Isaia Howard, G, Iowa 
Howard and the Hawkeyes host Xavier at Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 7 p.m. ET on FS1.
The Musketeers have struggled so far, going 2-1 through three games, and they were punished in an 87-68 loss against Santa Clara. A lot of teams jelling, folding in new personnel in this new day and age of NIL. It's taking Xavier a little longer, and the play has been sloppy, turning it over 11 times against Marist in the opener Nov. 3, while posting 11 turnovers against Le Moyne on Nov. 6 and 12 turnovers against Santa Clara last time out on Monday.
Howard has quick hands, and he had a steal against Robert Morris in the opener Nov. 4, while going for three steals against Western Illinois last time out. This is a 'demon' play at PrizePicks, which qualifies for higher payouts. Look for Howard to get at least two steals.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Isaia Howard, Over 1.5 Steals
Tounde Yessoufou, G, Baylor 
Baylor hosts Tarleton State at Foster Pavilion in Waco, Texas at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Tarleton State has been solid in two games against mid-major opponents at home, but on the road, it has been a train wreck during the early going. The Texans allowed 96 points each in losses at SMU and LSU, and the defense is likely to be leaky against the Bears, too
Yessoufou filled up the stat sheet in the opener Nov. 3 against Texas-Rio Grande Valley, hitting 10-of-16 from the field with 24 points, including 2-of-5 from behind the 3-point line. He was less impressive against Washington last time out on Sunday, going for just 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
However, against a smallish Tarleton team, Yessoufou should perform similarly to how he did against the Vaqueros in the opener.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Tounde Yessoufou, Over 16.5 Points
Find the latest updates in college basketball player props on RotoWire.
Braden Huff, F, Gonzaga 
Over the past season or two, when writing this column, I like to be positive, rather than negative, almost always playing the Over. It's fun to cheer for players to succeed, rather than to cheer for a guy to fail.
However, sometimes it's too tempting to pass up on 'Less' play.
Huff heads into this game with tremendous consistency during the early portion of the seaosn. He scored 14 in the opener against Texas Southern on Nov. 3, while going for 13 pojnts in a game against Oklahoma last Saturday, and 14 points against Creighton on Tuesday. He exploded for nine boards against the Sooners, but he has five or fewer rebounds in the other two games, including just two against the Bluejays.
Let's go with Huff to go low on the Points + Rebounds, as he won't likely struggle on offense, but he won't go crazy offensively, either. Arizona State has allowed just 65.0 PPG in two games, and while that's against Southern Utah and Utah Tech, the perimeter defense has been suffocating.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Braden Huff Under 20.5 Pts+Rebs
Friday's College Basketball PrizePicks Picks
Here's a recap of my best college basketball selections for Friday:
- Isaia Howard, Iowa, Over 1.5 Steals
- Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor, Over 16.5 Points
- Braden Huff, Gonzaga, Under 20.5 Pts+Rebs
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.
