Only one ranked team is in action in college basketball on Friday evening (No. 16 Xavier heads on the road to Seton Hall), but that doesn't mean there isn't any betting value on the board.
In fact, Matt Cox of Three Man Weave has three mid-major affairs as part of his three best bets for Friday.
So, dive in below and get the top college basketball odds, best bets and picks for Friday, including South Alabama vs. Louisiana.
Friday's Three Man Weave College Basketball Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that Matt is targeting from Friday's slate of games. Click the team logos for one the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
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| Specific bet recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Siena vs. Rider
Friday, Feb. 24 7 p.m. ET ESPNU |
Siena +3  |
By Matt Cox
This is an enormous game tonight for both Rider and Siena, both of whom sit two games back of Iona in the regular-season MAAC standings.
With four games left, there’s still time to make a push, but the margin for error is essentially nonexistent.
Situationally, the edge here goes to Siena, which played only once last weekend and will be entering tonight with a full week off to prepare and recover.
The counterpoint here is that Siena may be looking ahead to Iona, which it'll square off with on Sunday.
However, a loss tonight would reduce the magnitude of that game substantially, so there’s little reason to be looking past the red-hot Broncs.
Despite Rider’s strong current mojo, there are early indications the Broncs are starting to come back down to earth. Rider looked out of sorts in both games last weekend against Canisius and Quinnipiac, capped off by a gut-wrenching overtime loss to the Bobcats — a game the Broncs should’ve sealed easily.
Siena beat Rider earlier this year without star Javian McCollum, who’s returned to action in the last three games.
Siena is talented enough to tread water without him, but a healthy and effective McCollum is a game-changing presence, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
The cherry on top is a strong, yet simple, data angle: Betting road teams in the geographically clustered MAAC is usually a good idea. Through Feb. 23, MAAC road teams are 55-33 against the spread against conference foes this season, per Bet Labs.
Pick: Siena +3 |
What is QuickSlip?
QuickSlip is an Action Network feature that allows users to automatically pre-load their bet slip at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Southern Miss vs. Texas State
Friday, Feb. 24 8 p.m. ET ESPN+ |
Southern Miss -2.5  |
By Matt Cox
It’s been a magical ride for Southern Miss and Jay Ladner. On the heels of a disastrous 2022 campaign, the Eagles — revitalized by a revamped roster — went full nuclear this year.
No one had USM as a Sun Belt title contender, but that’s precisely what it is with one game remaining in the regular season.
Currently, the Eagles are square with Marshall at the top of the totem pole. Coming off a tough loss to Old Dominion on Wednesday, a win tonight secures at least a share of the regular-season conference title.
A trip from Old Dominion to San Marcos, Texas, will be an adventure, but that appears to be baked into the early money this morning for the dog. The spread opened Southern Miss -4 but is down to -2.5 or -3 at most shops.
It’s a warranted concern with a tight 48-hour turnaround, but it omits the stark difference between these two teams at this particular point in time.
Texas State is quietly floundering down the stretch, and while USM has lost two of its last three, it has the clear-cut motivation advantage tonight.
Texas State is virtually a lock to finish in the bottom four of the Sun Belt standings, thus leaving little left to play for tonight.
For Southern Miss, a conference crown hangs in the balance.
Take the motivated short road favorite at the better price — though, be aware of the strong early resistance that pushed this number to the cheaper -2.5/-3.
Pick: Southern Miss -2.5 (Play to -3) |
South Alabama vs. Louisiana
Friday, Feb. 24 9 p.m. ET ESPN2 |
South Alabama +4.5  |
By Matt Cox
We’re adding another Sun Belt road team to our best bet portfolio this evening.
This time, it’s the incendiary South Alabama Jaguars.
The Jags were once 2-7 in the Belt, but a late shot of light has completely flipped the script on USA’s season. They’ve covered eight of their last nine games, including a wire-to-wire cover against Texas State on Wednesday.
Alas, this is another quick travel and turnaround for the Sun Belt road team. Here, USA will travel from San Marcos, Texas, to Lafayette, Louisiana — not exactly around the block.
However, the Jags’ pristine form makes them immune to any situational travel or motivation angle.
There's a bonus bit of value, however, in terms of anti-motivation. South Alabama’s opponent tonight, Louisiana, is already locked into the top four of the Sun Belt standings, as is its double-bye for the Sun Belt Tournament.
USA nearly beat ULL in the first matchup between these two despite playing without the services of starting big man Kevin Samuel.
The former TCU transfer is a necessary ingredient to neutralize the Cajuns’ interior fortress, headlined by Jordan Brown.
Samuel’s bookend, Isaiah Moore, is another emerging weapon for the Jaguars on the perimeter. This is where South Alabama should have an edge tonight, as ULL’s lone weakness is its backcourt stability and consistency.
USA dealt with its own guard play volatility early in the year, but Moore blossomed into a steady captain over the last month.
Again, the travel tax is no bargain here, but the Jags’ lava-hot form negates that.
