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Colgate vs American Picks and Predictions – Wednesday January 21, 2026
Colgate heads to Washington, DC on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, for a 7:00 PM ET Patriot League matchup with American at Bender Arena on ESPN+. This one is priced like a true pick’em with a tiny home lean, which makes sense given the splits. Both teams are 11-8, but American has been much more reliable at home (9-2), while Colgate has been steadier overall and hasn’t been afraid of road spots.
The spread is American -1.5 with the total sitting at 149.5. That number is telling you the market expects offense, but this is also a matchup where pace control and shot quality should matter more than pure volume. If both teams play their usual style, possessions can get tight, and the game often comes down to execution late.
Colgate vs American Odds
These are the current betting lines, and bettors should keep tracking the latest college basketball odds leading into tip.
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colgate | -105 | +1.5 (-115) | 149.5 (-110) |
| American | -115 | -1.5 (-105) | 149.5 (-110) |
Colgate Betting Form
Colgate is coming off a 95-76 win over Bucknell, and the offense looked sharp. Andrew Alekseyenko’s efficiency stands out, and Jalen Cox’s triple-double is the real signal that Colgate can control a game without needing a perfect shooting night. When your lead ball-handler is creating that many quality looks, your floor rises fast.
The Raiders’ offensive profile is built on shot quality. They shoot nearly 50% from the field, and that efficiency is exactly what you want in a short spread game because it reduces volatility. When the market is basically saying “one possession either way,” I’m leaning toward the team that can reliably generate good looks and convert them without relying on a single hot stretch.
Colgate has also shown it can travel. They’re not dominant away from home, but they’ve been competitive and they’ve won on the road in conference play. That’s important in this building because American’s edge is largely tied to home performance. For recent results and trend context, check Colgate stats and results.
American Betting Form
American comes in off a 78-67 win over Army, and Julen Iturbe’s 26 points on high efficiency is a good example of what the Eagles look like when they’re comfortable at home. They’re 9-2 at Bender Arena for a reason. The role players tend to shoot better, the defense travels less, and their pace control is cleaner.
Offensively, American can score in bursts because they shoot enough threes to create runs, and that’s the main threat to Colgate. If American is making shots early, it changes the tempo of the game and forces Colgate to play a little faster than it wants. That’s when totals creep over and spread games tighten.
The cover case for American is basically the home defense showing up. They’ve had games where the opponent’s offense gets stuck in the half court and the Eagles turn it into a clean 6-to-10 point win without ever needing to sprint. If they can force Colgate into tougher twos and limit clean catch-and-shoot looks, that’s how American wins this matchup. For home splits and game logs, see American schedule and stats.
Colgate vs American Matchup Breakdown
This is a pace and efficiency game. Both teams are comfortable playing slower, which usually makes short spreads tighter because there are fewer possessions to separate. That also means shot quality matters more than raw scoring averages. Colgate’s edge is their ability to generate efficient looks inside the offense, and American’s edge is home comfort plus the ability to create scoring runs from three.
The swing factor is which team dictates tempo early. If Colgate is getting clean possessions and keeping American out of transition, it becomes a late-game execution contest where +1.5 has real value. If American forces turnovers or gets early threes, the game can speed up, and the home team’s margin becomes more plausible.
For the total, 149.5 is the tricky part. The line is high for a matchup where both teams prefer control, and that usually means you’re paying for a “shots fall” script. If both teams are efficient, it can get there. If the pace stays slow and the defenses keep forcing half-court possessions, the under becomes more attractive. If you want a clean framework for totals in slower games, the Expert Betting Guide is a useful reference.
Colgate vs American Predictions and Best Bets
I lean Colgate +1.5, and I also lean Colgate on the moneyline. In a game priced this tight, I’d rather take the side with the more stable offensive efficiency and the better ability to win a possession-by-possession contest. Colgate’s recent form plus their overall balance away from home makes them live to win outright.
On the total, I lean under 149.5. Both teams can score, but the pace profile suggests fewer possessions than the number is implying. If this plays like a typical Patriot League half-court game with long possessions and a lot of late-clock shots, getting into the high 140s takes a lot of clean finishing.
Best Bet: Colgate +1.5 (-115)
NCAAB Picks and Handicappers on ScoresAndStats
If you’re betting the slate, start with the college basketball picks page to compare sides and totals, then use the NCAAB previews hub to cross-check matchup angles before you lock anything in.
For team-level scanning and conference trend work, the NCAAB teams hub helps you move quickly, and the ScoresAndStats blog is useful when you want broader betting angles beyond one matchup.
If you’re tracking results, the best handicappers page and the leaderboard show who’s beating the market. Premium selections are available through buy picks, and for comparisons and research you can also use the sportsbook reviews and handicappers sites reviews pages.
