Top 3 College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (1/17)

I'm looking at three college basketball games tonight, including two Big Ten matchups. How will the Ohio State Buckeyes perform against the struggling Indiana Hoosiers? Will the UCLA Bruins end their four-game losing streak against the Iowa Hawkeyes and their top-ranked scoring offense? And in A-10 play, who has the advantage when the VCU Rams take on the Saint Joseph's Hawks?

Here are the best college basketball picks for Friday, January 17th.

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Friday’s Best College Basketball Bets

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

VCU vs. Saint Joseph's

This game is a true toss-up, as amplified by the 1.5-point spread. The Rams enter this game winners of three in a row, with each of those victories by at least 12 points. Meanwhile, the Hawks have lost two of their last three. However, in their last outing, they defeated the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers 93-57.

While most of the statistics point to a Rams win, I'm taking the Hawks. Both of these teams play much differently on the road than they do at home. While the Rams rank 10th in the nation in points allowed per game, they're allowing 11 more points per game on the road than they are at home. Offensively, they're scoring 4.5 fewer points on the road than at home.

The Hawks are averaging 3.2 more points per game at home than on the road and they're allowing 5.1 fewer points per contest. Though the Hawks will have their work cut out for them with the Rams' defense, getting this matchup at home is key. Take the home underdogs at a solid price in a game in which they should probably be favored.

Pick: Saint Joseph's Moneyline (+105)

Indiana vs. Ohio State

The wheels have started to come off for both of these teams now that they've entered Big Ten play. The Hoosiers have lost two games in a row by 25 points, while the Buckeyes have lost three of their last four. While all three of their losses came by single digits, the Buckeyes are just 10-7 on the season. They're in desperate need of a win. 

While I think the spread is a little too large for this game, I'm not confident enough in the Hoosiers to take them to cover on the road. Instead, I'm going to take the Buckeyes’ team total. The Hoosiers have struggled against teams that can score this season. Their last two opponents rank in the top five in the nation in scoring and the Hoosiers gave up at least 85 to both. 

While the Buckeyes rank 47th in the nation in points per game, they're still averaging over 80 points per contest. While the Hoosiers are allowing just over 72 points per game, they’re giving up 77.8 per game against Big Ten competition. The Buckeyes have scored fewer than 71 points in three of their last four games, but they'll benefit from tonight's game being at home against a weak defense.

Pick: Ohio State Team Total Over 77.5 Points (-115)

Iowa vs. UCLA

The Bruins boast the 15th-ranked defense in college basketball, but they've lost four games in a row and allowed at least 75 in three of those contests. Tonight, they have to take on the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation, as the Hawkeyes are averaging 89.5 points per game.

Two weeks ago, I may have taken the Bruins to slow down the Hawkeyes' offense. But after seeing what the Bruins have done against Big Ten competition, there's no reason to support them in this matchup. On January 7th, they gave up 94 points at home to the Michigan Wolverines, a team ranked ninth in the nation in points per game.

But the Hawkeyes aren't the only team in this matchup that can score. The Bruins are averaging 74.6 points per game. Because of the speed the Hawkeyes like to play, they are allowing 78 points per game. Even though the Bruins are favored in this game, I still expect the Hawkeyes to score as much as they usually do, as both teams get into the 80s and clear this total.

Pick: Over 152.5 Points (-110)

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