As usual, the Friday college basketball slate is rather thin, as most teams are traveling for their Saturday showcases.
However, there's still games to be played, and some of them are marquee matchups with betting value.
Read below for my college basketball picks, including backing this elite ATS team and two more bets for Friday.
College Basketball Best Bets
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
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  | 7 p.m. | |
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Specific betting 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. | ||
Green Bay vs. Oakland
Doug Gottlieb has been a fixture in the college basketball media this season, despite the fact he quit his radio show. Postgame rants have garnered him attention as his Phoenix have risen from the ashes to play competitive ball in his second year at the helm.
Gottlieb's latest rant landed him a one-game suspension, so he won’t be coaching on Friday against Oakland.
And guess what? It really doesn’t matter.
Green Bay has been the far better team over the past month, ranking nearly 100 spots higher in Bart Torvik than Oakland. If Friday's spread was set using just the past month of game data, Bart says the Phoenix would be favored by two.
Oakland has looked awful in its past three games, losing them all and failing to cover.
Meanwhile, Green Bay has continued its scrappy play, winning three in a row before blowing a big lead against Milwaukee.
The first meeting between these two teams this season was all Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies beat the brakes off Green Bay by 25, crushing the rebounding battle and scoring a whopping 1.38 points per possession.
The Phoenix aren't a bad rebounding team (top-five in the league in defensive rebound percentage) and have fared well defending the paint (No. 2 in 2-point field goal percentage allowed), so expect a bounce back in those departments in the second game.
Look for Green Bay to connect on more than 5-of-24 of its 3-point attempts against Oakland’s zone, as well. The Phoenix are an excellent outside shooting team with multiple weapons and a big, versatile perimeter.
Gottlieb’s absence means very little in this game, and it’d be great if the market cared about his suspension and bet on Oakland.
His team should rally in his absence and have more than enough offensive firepower to crack the porous Golden Grizzlies defense.
Pick: Green Bay +6.5 (Play to +4)
Indiana vs. Purdue
Purdue gets a chance for revenge in Mackey Arena and looks to bounce back from a Michigan drubbing on Tuesday.
Indiana took the first matchup against the Boilers this season, controlling the entire game. Hot shooting and keeping (most) of the Boilers' bigs at bay were keys to its success.
Expect a different story in the second game, as the angry Boilermakers take it to their bitter rival.
Trey Kaufman-Renn has a massive edge inside in this game, as evidenced by his efficient 23-point performance in the first meeting. Purdue tends to struggle with athleticism and physicality, but Indiana doesn't fit that mold. The Boilers have a huge edge inside on Friday and should win the block, free throw and glass battles.
To Indiana's credit, it does have big wings which can be a bit of a kryptonite for Purdue. Tucker DeVries, Nick Dorn and Lamar Wilkerson all have matchup edges on the perimeter, and Indiana’s 12 made 3s in the first game put it over the top.
The Hoosiers also can take advantage of Purdue in the pick-and-roll, as any sagging off by the Boilers' bigs will result in Indiana raining triples from deep.
Ultimately, the “spot” conquers all on Friday. Backing Purdue at home off a loss in a rivalry game — despite the large spread — qualifies as a good “vibe” play (though the market might agree and send the spread flying).
Expect a better performance on the glass from Purdue, better shooting and interior dominance as it cruises to a big win and continues its hunt for a two-seed in March.
Pick: Purdue -9.5 (Play to -12)
Siena vs. Merrimack
Merrimack has been the class of the MAAC this season, leading the league standings by two full games and sitting in the KenPom conference pole position.
Freshman point guard Kevair Kennedy has been an absolute stud, leading the league in usage and putting his mark on every single contest. Kennedy attacks the rim with reckless abandon and leads the MAAC in free-throw rate, which has fueled the Warriors to leading the conference in that stat.
Merrimack complements its rim attacking ability with a potent perimeter game that ranks third in league play in 3-point percentage. It’s by far the best offense Joe Gallo has had in his seven-year Division I tenure.
Of course, it’s Merrimack’s defense and Gallo’s funky sort-of-matchup zone that gives opponents headaches. Nobody forces more turnovers than the Warriors, they defend the 3-point arc better than any zone and they lock down the interior — as one would expect from a zone defense.
Siena isn't a great shooting team, but it relies on scoring in the paint and near the rim for offensive production. Merrimack has allowed plenty of looks around the cup, but it ranks ninth nationally in rim field goal percentage allowed and 32nd in paint field goal percentage allowed (CBB Analytics).
The first meeting between these two was a 54-possession slog. Merrimack led by as many as 19 at Siena before the Saints came back and made the final score more respectable. Siena took advantage of Merrimack’s primary weakness — the defensive glass — and grabbed 54.5% of its misses.
It still wasn’t enough to overcome hot shooting from the Warriors, its own cold shooting and a -3 turnover margin.
Merrimack should win the turnover battle again — as it does almost every game — and the outside shooting battle. If it puts up more of a fight on the boards, Merrimack should win this game by a few possessions.
One of the best ATS teams this season, Merrimack has covered six straight games and eight of its last nine.
Pick: Merrimack -3 (Play to -5)
