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Top 3 College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (2/28)

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The VCU Rams have been rolling over Atlantic-10 competition. Can they dominate the Davidson Wildcats tonight? Will the Purdue Boilermakers end their four-game losing streak against the UCLA Bruins? Who has the advantage when the Iowa Hawkeyes battle the Northwestern Wildcats?

Here are the best college basketball picks for Friday, February 28th.

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(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Friday’s Best College Basketball Bets

Davidson vs. VCU

The VCU Rams have steamrolled Atlantic-10 competition this season. They're 13-2 in the conference and they've won three consecutive games by at least 16 points. Five of their victories during their current seven-game winning streak have been by 16+ points, with three wins of at least 29.

Things haven't gone as well for the Davidson Wildcats. They're just 6-9 in conference play and have lost three of their last four. However, they haven't lost a game by more than 10 points since January 21st, and only two of their nine conference losses are by double-digits. 

The Rams are heavily favored in this game, as they should be. They're outscoring their opponents by an average of 15.8 points per game, and they've looked unstoppable in league play at times this season. But the Wildcats are better than their record suggests. They've lost a lot of close games. If the ball had bounced their way, they could be well over .500 in conference play. The Rams win today, but the Wildcats keep this closer than anyone expects.

Pick: Davidson +15.5 (-110)

UCLA vs. Purdue

This is the only matchup that features a top-25 team tonight, but with how the Purdue Boilermakers are currently playing, I'm not sure they deserve that distinction anymore. They've lost four consecutive games. While three of those contests were against ranked opponents, it's hard to have a lot of confidence in them after their 15-point loss to the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday.

The UCLA Bruins' inconsistent season has continued, as they've gone 2-2 in their last four games. This comes after a seven-game winning streak that saw them beat three ranked teams. While the picture for the Bruins certainly points towards a tournament berth, their three-point home loss to the lowly Minnesota Golden Gophers on Tuesday is hard to overlook.

Though the Bruins have been frustrating at times this season, I'll back them to cover the spread in this game. The Boilermakers are spiraling right now, so even if they get right in tonight's game, I expect the talented Bruins to do enough to keep this close.

Pick: UCLA +5.5 (-110)

Iowa vs. Northwestern

The Iowa Hawkeyes have one of the best offenses in the country, but they're a mess defensively. They've allowed four consecutive teams to score at least 79 against them, including a 101-point performance from the Maryland Terrapins. While the Hawkeyes' offense has been consistent, it's not entirely trustworthy, especially after their most recent 61-point performance against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Meanwhile, the Northwestern Wildcats have been stuck in mediocrity all season. They're 3-6 in their last nine games, though not a single one of those losses was by more than nine points. They may be able to slow down the Hawkeyes a bit, as their defense is allowing just 69.4 points per game. However, they struggle against teams better than them, as shown by the 81- and 76-point performances from the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies, respectively.

I don't trust either of these teams enough to take one of them against the spread. Therefore, I'll bet the total. When these two teams met in December, they combined for 159 points. Look for a similar result tonight, as the Hawkeyes score as expected, but the Wildcats keep up and get into the high 70s.

Pick: Over 151.5 Points (-110)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Friday:

Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.

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