Top 3 College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (12/6)
Tonight's slate is pretty thin compared to recent Fridays. Only one top-25 team is in action, as the Illinois Fighting Illini begin Big Ten play against the Northwestern Wildcats. Who will come away victorious in that game?
Elsewhere, who has the edge when the Georgetown Hoyas battle the West Virginia Mountaineers? What should we expect from the Indiana Hoosiers against the Miami (OH) RedHawks?
Here are the best college basketball picks for Friday, December 6.
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Friday’s Best College Basketball Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Illinois vs. Northwestern
The Fighting Illini are 6-1 with their only loss coming against the Alabama Crimson Tide. They haven't played in over a week, but that game was a 90-77 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks.
While the Wildcats have lost two of their last three, I am a little concerned about the Fighting Illini playing in their first true road game of the season. Additionally, they have back-to-back ranked matchups following this one, so they may be looking past a Wildcats team that only beat the Montana State Bobcats by three.
That said, the Wildcats simply aren't very good this year. Their last two losses were by a combined three points, but they also needed overtime to take down the Eastern Illinois Panthers. Getting this at two baskets feels like a massive overreaction to the Illini playing their first road game of the year. Take the favorite, as they cruise in this one.
Pick: Illinois -4 (-105)
Georgetown vs. West Virginia
After playing three overtime games in three days, the Mountaineers have been off for a week. During that overtime run, they knocked off the Arizona Wildcats and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. They've now won three of their last four games.
Meanwhile, the Hoyas are 7-1, with their only loss coming to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. While there's nothing wrong with losing to Notre Dame, the Hoyas aren't nearly as good as their record suggests. They have spent the entire first month of the season beating up on small schools that won't be part of the NCAA Tournament conversation unless they win their conference tournament.
Yet, this is a lot of points for the Mountaineers to be laying. They are two bad bounces away from being 3-4, and they only defeated the Massachusetts Minutemen by six in early November. The Mountaineers will win this game and I don’t expect the final result to be in doubt. I'll take the Hoyas to cover and lose by single digits.
Pick: Georgetown +9.5 (-112)
Miami (OH) vs. Indiana
The RedHawks are 5-2. In their only game against a Power 4 opponent, they were blown out 94-67 by the Michigan Wolverines. They've allowed at least 70 points in four of their seven contests. Opponents are averaging 71.1 points per game against them.
While the Hoosiers are 6-2, they have struggled against solid competition. They lost by 28 to the Louisville Cardinals and 16 to Gonzaga. When you mix the Hoosiers' struggles with the unknowns about the RedHawks, I don't feel comfortable picking a side against the spread.
However, I do love the Hoosiers to put points on the board in this game. They've scored at least 87 in four of their games this season. With how many points the RedHawks have allowed this year, there's a serious case to be made for the Hoosiers scoring 100 for the first time this season.
Pick: Indiana Team Total Over 85.5 Points (-115)
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.