Top College Basketball Picks Friday, January 22nd (2021)
While Fridays are typically the least exciting day from a power conference standpoint, the Big Ten and Big East are whetting our appetites with two key matchups heading into the weekend. We preview the Michigan-Purdue battle as well as an under-the-radar game from the MAAC in today’s column.
Here are two picks for Friday.
YTD: 65-59-1
All odds via BettingPros consensus
Compare odds from all major sportsbooks for College Basketball >>
Michigan (-2.5) at Purdue: 7:00 PM ET
It seemed several college basketball experts and bettors alike were off of Michigan’s bandwagon after a surprising 18-point loss at Minnesota. However, after a three-day break and a 24-point home win over Maryland, the college basketball world is ready to anoint Michigan as the class of the Big Ten again. The Wolverines may very well end up winning the regular-season conference title and earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But even the Big Ten’s best will encounter numerous bumps along the road, and another one may be coming in West Lafayette tonight.
The Purdue Boilermakers have won four straight games, three of which have come on the road. Despite this winning streak, Purdue is still not given the credit they deserve since they started 2-3 in conference play. Make no mistake about it; this team is arguably playing the best basketball in the conference right now. Though they rank in the middle of the conference in many defensive rankings, the Boilermakers proved they can win games when they do not play well offensively. Purdue shot just 5-for-20 from three-point range in their last game against Ohio State but overcame an 11-point deficit and stole a game on the road. Look for Michigan freshman Hunter Dickinson to have trouble containing Purdue’s Trevion Williams on the outside, while the Boilermakers’ length on the perimeter will bother Michigan’s three-point shooters.
Purdue is 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games, and the underdog is 5-1-1 ATS in the last seven meetings between these teams. The Boilermakers are undefeated at home, while Michigan flopped in their biggest conference road test to date. This should not be considered a huge upset if Purdue beats Michigan outright.
Saint Peter’s at Siena (-5): 7:00 PM ET
Despite their season not getting started until January 3rd, the Siena Saints have looked the part of the favorites in the MAAC through their first six games. The Saints received all 11 first-place votes in the MAAC preseason coaches’ poll and have navigated through three straight back-to-backs with relative ease. They face a Saint Peter’s team playing their sixth consecutive road game and have lost three of their past five games.
Siena has played the last three games without preseason conference player of the year Jalen Pickett who has been dealing with a hamstring injury. However, they have won those three games by an average of 6.0 PPG. Freshman guard Aidan Carpenter has filled in admirably in Pickett’s absence and scored a season-high 19 points against Fairfield in the first game Pickett missed.
After being away from home for the last two weeks, the Saints will welcome the opportunity to be on campus and play at home. Siena has won five straight home games against St. Peter’s by an average of 6.8 PPG. If Pickett plays, Siena is a great value at -5. Even if he doesn’t, the Saints are the more talented team. I would always take the team with more talent in the first game of a back-to-back before the less-talented team has the second game to make adjustments.
Join the BettingPros Discord Chat for Live Betting Advice >>
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our Sports Betting Strategy and Advice page is for you. You can get started with our 101 section — including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners — or head to more advanced strategy — like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread — to learn more.
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.