Top College Basketball Picks Friday, January 8th (2020)
When 2020 came to a close, we were sitting at 44-28-1. Seven days into 2021, and our record currently stands at 48-41-1. Yesterday’s Indiana-Wisconsin game is a perfectly example of how this year has gone. After wagering on the under of 129.5, we thought it was money in the bank after 53 combined first half points. The only thing that could beat us was overtime. Well, the rest is history. We are still hitting 54% of our bets, but we need some positive momentum going our way, and we need it now.
Here are three picks for Friday.
YTD: 48-41-1
All odds via BettingPros consensus
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Ohio at Toledo: Toledo -3.5
(6:30 PM ET tip)
The Toledo Rockets have one of the best backcourts in the MAC. Marreon Jackson, Spencer Littleson, and Ryan Rollins are tough to guard off the bounce and are all shooting better than 33% from three-point range. Between them, they average 42.8 PPG and are shooting 87.1% from the free-throw line. With a game projected to be as close as this one, their ability to convert from the charity stripe is important considering how often they have the ball in their hands.
Toledo has owned this series of late, as they have won five of their last six games against Ohio. The lone loss was a one-point loss in 2016-17, while their wins have come by an average of 15.4 PPG. Toledo comes into this game on a six-game winning streak, and stellar guard play is why they will make it seven wins in a row.
Purdue at Michigan State: Purdue +5
(7:00 PM ET tip)
Purdue and Michigan State are two teams headed in opposite directions. The Boilermakers have lost three of their last four games against Big Ten competition, while the Spartans have won two games in a row by an average of 15 PPG. However, this is a great opportunity to buy low on a talented Purdue team playing in an empty Breslin Center.
Purdue has won the last two meetings against Michigan State by an average of 19.5 PPG. They are one of the few conference teams with enough depth on the front line to compete with the Spartans on the glass. The Boilermakers rank in the top 50 in the country in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency and are a better three-point shooting team than Michigan State.
Though the Spartans are just 1-7 ATS in their last eight games overall, they will surely be the more heavily bet side after their big win over Rutgers. As usual, we prefer to be on the contrarian side and will happily back the Boilermakers.
UC Irvine at UC San Diego: UC Irvine -2
(7:00 PM ET tip)
The UC Irvine Anteaters have won five Big West titles in the last seven years. They have a .786 winning percentage in league play over the last seven seasons and are led by head coach Russell Turner, one of seven coaches in league history with 200 wins. Thus, it is rare to be able to wager on UC Irvine at such short odds, so we have to take advantage when those situations present themselves.
With our Toledo pick, we liked the Rockets because of their talented backcourt. With the Anteaters, their mammoth front line of the 6’9″ Collin Welp and 6’11†Brad Greene are why they are so difficult to beat. Welp was Irvine’s leading scorer last year, and Greene was their leading rebounder. While Welp leads the team in rebounding this year, he is getting help in the scoring department from freshman Dawson Baker who is averaging 12.0 PPG and shooting 52.2% from three-point range. Baker gives this offense an added dimension they did not have last year, which is scary because they were a darned good team a year ago.
This is the first of back-to-back games against UCSD, and they will surprise the Tritons with their physicality and toughness.
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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.