The Dayton Flyers and St. Louis Billikens will meet in a key Atlantic 10 matchup. Will the Billikens pick up their second big win in a row? Or will the Flyers get back on track? In the Big East, the Georgetown Hoyas will look to break out of a funk against the Butler Bulldogs. In the Big 10, the Purdue Boilermakers will look to dominate another conference foe as they battle the Indiana Hoosiers.
Here are the best college basketball picks for Friday, January 31st.
- NCAA College Basketball Odds
- NCAA College Basketball Player Props
- NCAA College Basketball Picks & Predictions
- NCAA College Basketball Matchups
Go premium to view top prop bets based on Cover Probability, Expected Value & Star Rating >>
Friday’s Best College Basketball Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Dayton vs. St. Louis
The Atlantic 10 is a cluttered mess right now. Nine teams have records between 3-4 and 4-4. The Flyers are one of those nine teams, managing just a 4-4 record in league play up to this point. They just lost by 22 points to the St. Bonaventure Bonnies in a game where they scored only 53 points. However, I still like their chances to win as the road team tonight.
The Billikens are 6-2 in conference play, and they're coming off a massive 78-69 win over the VCU Rams. Yet, for as impressive as the Billikens' record may look, three of their six conference wins are over teams that rank in the bottom three in the Atlantic 10. And while the win over VCU is huge, it was the second time that the Billikens played them this season, so they succeeded by making adjustments against a familiar foe.
The Flyers have won three of their last four games, and while their last performance was very ugly, they're still the better team in this matchup. Though they're only 1-3 on the road, this is still a team that beat both the Marquette Golden Eagles and UConn Huskies earlier this season. This a letdown spot for the Billikens, and the Flyers need this game badly.
Pick: Dayton -1.5 (-110)
Butler vs. Georgetown
After starting 3-0 in Big East play, the wheels have come off for the Hoyas. They've lost six of their last seven, with their only victory coming by one point over the struggling Villanova Wildcats. The good news for the Hoyas tonight is they play the worst team they've faced in a month. The bad news is they haven't beaten anyone by more than a point since January 3rd.
Though the Bulldogs have had a rough season, they've won two of their last four. Their two losses during that span were impressive, as they took UConn to overtime and lost by just nine to Marquette. After losing eight consecutive games in December and January, this team looks like it has figured something out. Despite their record, they're playing well right now. With the Hoyas struggling, I'll take the Bulldogs to cover this spread and potentially pull off the upset.
Pick: Butler +3.5 (-115)
Indiana vs. Purdue
The Boilermakers are the only ranked team in action tonight, and oddsmakers aren't expecting them to have any trouble with the Hoosiers. They're currently favored by double-digits against a team that has lost four of their last five games. But are the Boilermakers going to have as easy of a time snagging this victory as oddsmakers expect?
The Hoosiers enter the game averaging 77.1 points per contest. They have lost their last two games by fewer than 10 points, and their most recent loss was by just one point against the Maryland Terrapins. They've scored at least 70 in each of their last three, and they haven't given up 80 in any of those contests.
And while the Boilermakers steamrolled the Michigan Wolverines in their last game, they haven't played in a week. Will the time off slow them down? Also, two of their last three wins were by 11 or fewer points, and they did lose a shocker to the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 21st.
Ultimately, I don't know if the Boilermakers can cover this spread, but I'm confident in their scoring ability. They're averaging 77.5 points per game. Against a defense giving up 73.1 points per gmae, I'd be pretty surprised if they don't get into the 80s for the second time in a row.
Pick: Purdue Team Total Over 79.5 Points (-110)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Friday:
- NFL Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
- NHL Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
- NBA Player Prop Bets, Picks & Predictions
- NBA First Basket Scorer Odds & Picks
- NBA PrizePicks Player Predictions
- NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.
