Friday represents the third-to-last day of the regular season, and we also have mid-major conference tournaments in action.
I'm targeting three spots for Friday's college basketball action as the March Madness continues to heat up.
Read on for my college basketball picks for Friday, March 6.
College Basketball Best Bets
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 8:30 p.m. | |
  | 9 p.m. | |
  | 9:30 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. | ||
Presbyterian vs. Radford
The Big South Tournament gets underway on Friday, and we have a good opening-round matchup in three-seed Radford versus six-seed Presbyterian.
The Highlanders are arguably the second most talented team in the conference (behind High Point), and they have the backcourt to make noise in March.
Watch the status of Jaylon Johnson, but if he’s in, the Highlanders have the best three guards on the floor alongside Dennis Parker Jr. and Del Jones.
Radford beat Presbyterian twice this season, and we’re throwing out the old “hard to beat a team three times” adage.
The Highlanders crushed the Blue Hose by 19 in the first game, shutting off the water to their interior game and getting hot from deep.
The second game was a two-overtime thriller, but the Highlanders once again pulled away thanks to their superior guard play.
Presbyterian has a massive advantage inside with Jonah Pierce, a 6-foot-10 forward who's dominated Radford in two games this season.
But the Hose are too one-dimensional on offense — if they can't bully Radford inside and on the glass, they can't score easily.
Radford will be free to double off shooters and surround Pierce all night long.
Offensively, look for Radford to beat the bigger Hose down the floor in transition and pull Pierce out to the perimeter in ball-screen action.
Its dynamic backcourt should be the difference maker as Radford covers the short spread.
Pick: Radford -2 (Play to -2.5)
St. John's vs. Seton Hall
If Seton Hall wants to keep its (very) slim at-large hopes alive, it needs to beat St. John’s on Friday in the last Big East game of the regular season.
The Pirates played the Johnnies close in the first game, losing by five after holding a 15-point second-half lead. Hall used its patented physical style of play to grab nearly half its misses (18 offensive rebounds!) and hold St. John’s to just over one point per possession.
The glass will be key again, as Hall looks to show the Johnnies — another fantastic rebounding team — that it’s the master of the boards in the Big East.
Defense will lead the way, as Hall’s long perimeter looks to pressure and bother the Johnnies and their by-committee point guard approach.
St. John’s lack of shooting will make it challenging for it to score against one of the best interior defenses in the country. Hall eats opponents in the paint and at the rim, ranking fourth nationally in field goal percentage allowed in the paint and 38th in field goal percentage allowed at the rim (CBB Analytics).
Unfortunately, the offensive end has held the Pirates back all season, and they rank second-to-last in the Big East in offensive efficiency in conference play.
Shaheen Holloway knows how to muck up a game and cover as an underdog, and he’ll need to do that on Friday against the best defense in the conference. Seton Hall is 9-1 against the spread this season as a 'dog.
St. John’s has plenty to play for with the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament on the line, but the Pirates are fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives and revenge is on their minds.
Pick: Seton Hall +5.5 (Play to +4)
Denver vs. North Dakota
Denver and North Dakota have played twice this season, and both were an offensive connoisseur’s dream.
The first matchup featured 179 total points, 23 3-pointers made and 40 free throws made. North Dakota scored 1.27 points per possession and Denver racked up 1.18 PPP.
The second game featured 177 total points, even with six fewer possessions and only 12 3s. A ridiculous 43 free throws made and an inability for either team to stop the other inside (Denver shot 74% from 2!) led to endless scoring.
While tournament formats usually come with a tightening of scoring, there’s no reason to expect this game not to be another efficient affair.
Denver and North Dakota are two of the three worst Summit defenses and both know how to score. Free throw trips will be commonplace, as both teams rank in the bottom three in free-throw attempt rate allowed, and both teams — especially Denver — can get hot from deep.
Interior scoring should once again be the foundation of easy buckets and high scoring. Denver features one of the worst rim defenses in the country, per CBB Analytics, while North Dakota ranks 346th in paint field goal perentage allowed.
This game might not pass the 70-possession threshold, but both teams should be able to score at an efficient enough clip to take the final count well above 160.
Pick: Over 160.5 (Play to 164)
