We have an unusual decently large Friday slate in the college basketball world.
And that means there's plenty of value to keep an eye on before another massive Saturday slate takes center stage.
So, read below for college basketball best bets, including three NCAAB expert picks and predictions for Friday, January 2.
College Basketball Best Bets
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
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. | ||
Marist vs. Saint Peter's
The MAAC is nuts. Any team can beat any other team on any given night. It’s nonsensical, it’s ugly, it’s mid-major college basketball at its finest.
Saint Peter’s has been an objectively worse team than Marist the past three years under Bashir Mason, but yet the Peacocks are 4-3 against the Red Foxes over that span. These games are always disgusting brickfests and always close.
Saint Peter's has been hit by injuries this season, but it’s playing much better lately in spite of it. After a 2-4 against-the-spread start to the campaign, the Peacocks have covered four in a row in impressive fashion.
They beat Canisius by 12, Niagara by 28, took Georgetown to overtime and won on the road at Fairfield.
Defense has led the way, a unit featuring the 11th-best turnover rate in the country.
Marist has been shaky with the ball this season, meaning Saint Peter's could make life hell for the Red Foxes handling it up the floor in the half-court.
Expect the Peacocks to muck it up and use their quickness and positional length to disrupt the Foxes' offense.
Saint Peter’s biggest weakness is over-fouling, but the Red Foxes are among the nation’s worst at getting to the foul line. They’re a mid-range jump shooting team that will be snuffed out by the aggressive Peacock defense.
On the other end, Saint Peter's has the guard talent to protect the rock against a stingy Marist perimeter. Scoring won't come easy, but the glass, pure hustle plays and offense derived from live-ball turnovers forced on the other end will be avenues through which the Peacocks can score.
Don’t watch this game; just bet it.
Pick: Saint Peter's +3.5 (Play to +2.5)
USC vs. Michigan
This is what’s known in the biz as a “why not” bet. I'm hereby challenging Michigan to once again prove that it might just be the best team in recent memory.
It’s staggering how dominating the Wolverines have been this season. They’ve won eight of their past nine games by over 20 points (one by just 18) and have been covering games this season by an average of 12.7 points a night.
They’re 8-1 against the spread over the past nine games and have an average margin of victory of 30.3 points per game. A top-five offense and defense in KenPom, Michigan already ranks among the all-time elite squads in the site’s 30-year history … and it’s only January.
It’s hard to see how USC consistently scores in this game. The Trojans need to get to the rim and have a limited number of capable outside shooters — one of which, Rodney Rice, is sidelined with injury.
Michigan is basically the best interior defense in the country. It leads the nation in field goal attempt rate allowed at the rim, ranks 23rd in field goal percentage allowed at the rim and is third in paint field goal percentage allowed.
Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg form an insanely elite defensive frontcourt that will swallow USC whole.
The Trojans lead the country in free-throw attempt rate, but Michigan is also elite at not fouling, ranking top 20 nationally in free-throw attempt rate allowed.
On the other end, good luck stopping the best 2-point field goal percentage offense in the country. Michigan has multiple outside shooting threats, a jack of all trades in Lendeborg and dominant bigs to post-up and clean up the glass.
USC isn't a bad team, but it's no match for the current form of Michigan.
Pick: Michigan -21.5 (Play to -24)
Oregon vs. Maryland
Former Pac-12 squads have yet to make the adjustment to traveling across the country to face off against their East Coast conference opponents.
UCLA got waxed by 18 by Maryland last season in the exact spot Oregon finds itself in right now, and the Bruins also lost to Rutgers in the very next game.
USC also went 0-2 on its East Coast road trip, losing by 17 to Maryland and 10 to Rutgers.
It’s a ridiculous ask to have these teams travel 2,800 miles to play a conference game, but that’s the current world of college sports.
Both Oregon and Maryland have been bitten by the injury bug this season, leading to slow starts out of the gate.
Maryland will likely be without big man Pharrel Payne again — which will certainly hurt its efforts defending star center Nate Bittle — but the return of Solomon Washington has been a shot in the arm over the past five games.
Look for the Terps to take advantage of the Ducks in pick-and-roll action. Per Synergy, Oregon ranks 254th in points per possession (PPP) allowed to ball-screen ball handlers and 308th in PPP allowed to ball-screen rollers.
Putting Bittle in space and forcing him to move his feet should be at the top of Buzz Williams’ game plan on Friday.
Maryland has failed in all its opportunities this season against power-conference opponents, but it can beat Oregon. The Terps had Michigan down by nine points in the second half and gave a game effort at Virginia back on December 20.
In the friendly confines of the Xfinity Center, Maryland should have enough juice to break its Big Ten losing streak and defeat a team that's 0-1 in true road games this season.
Pick: Maryland +2.5 (Play to PK)
