Top College Basketball Picks for Friday, January 14 (2022)
After another winning card on Thursday, we’ll look to finish off the week with a few exciting games on tonight’s card.
Friday slates are usually tiny, but there are still some exciting matchups to look at and bet. There’s no time to waste!
All odds via BettingPros consensus
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Akron vs. Kent State: Akron +105
(8:00 PM ET tip)
Akron will head out on the road to take on Kent State. The Zips are certainly the better offense than Kent State and get to the foul line at an extremely high rate. If Akron made a decent amount of foul shots, the spread would likely favor Akron.
Anyway, Akron shoots 34.7 percent from long range and 50 percent from inside the arc. The Zips should dominate the offensive glass and get more second-chance opportunities. Defensively, Akron hasn’t defended the perimeter very well, but Kent State is shooting just 26.9 percent from three.
As long as Akron keeps Kent State off the foul line, they’ll come out on top, on the road.
Davidson vs. Richmond: Davidson -110
(9:00 PM ET tip)
The Davidson Bulldogs haven’t lost a game since November 18 and now are underdogs against Richmond, on the road, in conference play. After Richmond lost two of its last three games, I simply disagree with this line.
Davidson is shooting an effective field goal percentage of 57.6 percent while hitting 41.4 percent from three and 54.6 percent from inside this season. Of course, Richmond allows teams to shoot 35.1 percent from three this season.
Neither team turns the ball over, and both will struggle to get second chances. Also, neither team gets to the line at a solid rate. But Davidson has the better percentages from the field and foul line and will use that to their advantage in this one.
Fresno State vs. UNLV: UNLV -110
(11:00 PM ET tip)
The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels just dominated New Mexico at home, winning 85-56. Now they’ll have momentum going into this game against Fresno State. Fresno State has been solid this season but also has four losses on the year.
Neither team is all that effective from three-point range, but UNLV will assist on a high number of baskets per game. They’ve got more fluent ball movement. Inside, Fresno State has the better percentage, but it looks like UNLV is starting to turn the corner.
Ultimately, this game looks like a toss-up on paper, but if UNLV can protect the ball like they’ve done all season at home, UNLV will finish the job late in this game.
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Jason Radowitz is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @Jason_Radowitz.