The game of the night in college basketball on Friday is Michigan vs. Illinois.
While I have a play for that Big Ten duel, there's also two other spots I'm eyeing for your betting card.
Read on for my college basketball picks and NCAAB best bets for Friday, February 27.
College Basketball Picks
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 6 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 8 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. | ||
Yale vs. Cornell
Yale is in the driver’s seat to capture the regular season Ivy League crown, and a win on Friday in Ithaca takes it one step closer to repeating as champs.
Meanwhile, Cornell is still fighting for its life to make the four-team Ivy League Tournament, so the Big Red certainly have plenty of motivation to beat their Ancient 8 rival.
But they don’t have the horses.
Yale dominated Cornell in the first game between these two back in January, winning by a staggering 34 points at home. Outside shooting splits favored the Elis, but Yale also simply shut down Cornell inside the arc and scored at will on the other end.
It’s not too surprising that the league’s best offense decimated the league’s worst defense, and we should see a repeat of that dominance in the second meeting.
Yale’s rim dominance, in particular, stands out in this game. The Bulldogs get to the rim at a top 25 national rate — thanks to the stellar play of forwards Nick Townsend and Samson Aletan — while Cornell is a sieve near the cup, ranking 319th in field goal attempt rate allowed and 270th in field goal percentage allowed at the rim.
If Yale can handle the rock and beat Cornell’s full-court press, it'll get easy buckets on its offensive end all night. No team in the Ivy handles the rock better than Yale, and the Bulldogs had just five turnovers in the first meeting against the Big Red's pressure.
Yale will take care of business as it looks to wrap up another Ivy League title under James Jones.
Pick: Yale -3 (Play to -4.5)
Michigan vs. Illinois
In one of the best games of the season (KenPom thrill score of 92.6!), Michigan heads to Illinois to try to shut down the Big Ten and capture an outright regular season title before March.
The Wolverines have been arguably the nation’s best team all season (yes, yes, I hear you Duke fans), but Illinois is quietly a top five team, per KenPom. We should see plenty of fireworks in Champaign on Friday.
The frontcourts take center stage in this game. Michigan's is the best and deepest in the nation, while Illinois’ is the biggest.
Look for Illinois to try to pull shot-blocking machine Aday Mara away from the hoop with its sharpshooting Ivisic twins, opening lanes for freshman phenom Keaton Wagler to go to work.
The Illini have the nation’s top offense, but they’ll face their toughest test against the country’s second-best defense. It's nearly impossible to score among the Michigan trees inside the paint, meaning Illinois will rely on its jump shooting — as it has for most of the season.
On the other end, Illinois can’t take advantage of Michigan’s one semi-weakness on offense: ball handling. The Illini rank last nationally in forcing turnovers, meaning Michigan should, at least, get a shot off every possession. The Wolverines are demons on the glass, but it'll be challenged by the stout Illini frontline.
Ultimately, Michigan should win out over a full 40 minutes. While Illinois can shoot over the top of Michigan, that's its sole avenue to scoring. The Wolverines won’t get beat on the glass, and they have a few rangy options on the wing to throw at Wagler.
Michigan has been solid in ball screens this season — especially stopping rolls and pops — and the Wolverines have shut down isolation and spot-ups as well, play types Illinois uses frequently.
Michigan wins and covers in a pro-style, popcorn-grabbing affair.
Pick: Michigan -1.5 (Play to -2)
Akron vs. Kent State
Akron has had Kent State’s number over the past few seasons, beating the Flashes six straight times, including by 17 points in 2025-26.
The Zips head to Kent on Friday in an effort to stay within one game of undefeated Miami (OH) for the MAC championship.
Both teams enter this game on a bit of a slide from an ATS perspective (Akron is 1-5 in its last six, Kent is 1-4 in its last five), but the Zips have been the better team. They've won three straight by double digits, while Kent State needed massive comebacks at home against Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan in two of its past four games.
The Flashes are pretty one dimensional on offense, relying heavily on the foul line and offensive glass to score. In the first game against Akron earlier this season, they smashed the offensive glass and shot 21 free throws, but a 1-of-23 outside shooting performance and 15 turnovers crushed them.
Akron might get beat on the boards again in this game, but its ability to force turnovers and its versatility and shooting on the offensive end should give it the edge it needs to beat its rival in the Buckeye State.
The Zips are mega efficient at the rim and from deep and take high quality shots every time down the floor. Kent is physical, but it won’t turn the Zips over and will allow them to shoot over the top.
Akron moves the ball better than any team in the league, and the Flashes can get lost on backcuts / off-ball screens when the Zips settle into their half-court offense.
Transition should also be a central source of scoring for Akron, as it ranks as one of the nation’s most efficient teams in the open floor. Meanwhile, Kent is below average in stopping fast breaks, per Synergy.
The class of the MAC (with apologies to Miami Ohio) wins out in this game.
Pick: Akron -4.5 (Play to -5)
