College Basketball Best Bets Friday: Matchups, Odds, Picks, and Predictions
It’s an absolutely loaded slate of college hoops to kick off the weekend. We have highlighted the odds and our college basketball best bets for Friday.
College basketball is officially back in full swing as we’re treated to our first weekend slate of the season. It tips off Friday with an extravaganza lasting late into the night.
Here are our best bets for Friday’s college basketball slate (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Friday’s College Basketball Schedule and Odds
(Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Gonzaga (-720) vs. Michigan State (+500)
- Villanova (-230) vs. Temple (+188)
- Clemson (-162) vs. South Carolina (+134)
- Bryant (-255) vs. Dartmouth (+205)
- Penn (+550) vs. Missouri (-850)
- Longwood (+270) vs. George Mason (-345)
- Mississippi State (-265) vs. Akron (+215)
- USC Upstate (+2200) vs. Duke (-8000)
Friday’s College Basketball Best Bets
- Moneyline: Bryant (-230 via DraftKings) vs. Dartmouth
- Spread: Penn +12 (-115 via DraftKings) vs. Missouri
- Total: Longwood-George Mason Under 133.5 (-114 via FanDuel)
- Upset: Mississippi State vs. Akron (+215 via FanDuel)
- Prop bet: Duke Over 88.5 points (-114 via FanDuel)
Top College Basketball Picks for Friday
Moneyline: Bryant (-230) ★★★★
Bryant enters the season with expectations to compete in the America East, finishing behind only Vermont in the preseason poll. The Bulldogs are coming off of one of the largest blowouts in Division I history after dispatching Division III Thomas College, 147-39. Though the talent disparity should be considered, such a win helps boost morale.
The Bulldogs’ scoring ability combined with their No. 15 adjusted tempo should present problems for Dartmouth as Bryant treks to New Hampshire Friday to take on the team tabbed to finish second from the bottom in the Ivy League.
The Mean Green ranks 258th in KenPom overall, 252nd in offensive efficiency, 248th in defense. Their preferred tempo is a slow one at No. 287, which presents a stylistic clash in which Bryant should have the advantage due to its more efficient offense (No. 179). Bryant is favored by six in this matchup. The Bulldogs went 5-1 outright as an away favorite last season.
Spread: Penn +12 (-115) ★★★★
Missouri looked like an improved offensive team in its season-opening win over first-time Division I program Southern Indiana in terms of ball movement and shot-making ability. However, there were clearly still kinks to be worked out for a revamped roster playing competitively together for the first time under new head coach Dennis Gates.
Another area for concern was three-point defense, as the Screaming Eagles hit 14 second-half three-pointers in a 97-91 final score. Though Penn mustered just 50 points in its opening loss to Iona, the Gaels have a KenPom top 100 team and are preseason favorites in the MAAC.
The Quakers were voted preseason favorites to win the Ivy League and will represent a huge step up in competition for the Tigers. A Missouri team that won only three games by more than this margin last season (and lost to UMKC) is still finding its footing under a new regime.
Total: Longwood-George Mason Under 133.5 (-114) ★★★
Both Longwood and George Mason took losses to ranked Alabama-based SEC programs in the season opener. The scores of those respective games indicate that a defensive battle could be in store as the Lancers visit the Patriots Friday.
George Mason came up short against Auburn, 70-52, while Longwood fell to Alabama, 75-54. Both teams held top 25 offensive efficiencies into the low-to-mid 70s with solid defensive play and a preference for a measured tempo. George Mason ranks 80th in defensive efficiency, with Longwood 151st. Both teams present stronger defensively than offensively at 151st and 196th respectively in offensive efficiency.
Both sides also run slow tempos, especially George Mason at No. 307 in adjusted tempo. After both teams had their first games go Under, I look for neither side to get to 70 in a competitive defensive game environment Friday.
Upset: Akron (+215) ★★
Mississippi State was 3-3 outright in neutral site games last season. The Bulldogs take on Akron in Philadelphia on Friday. Though it’s not a direct comparison to Friday’s situation, MSU was also 0-3 ATS as a road favorite and 1-10 outright in road contests a year ago.
Akron opened its season with a gritty 81-80 win over a South Dakota State team that won 30 games last season and beat Boise State on the road Wednesday. The Zips have the third-highest KenPom ranking among MAC schools at No. 111. They’re anchored by their balance, with offensive and defensive efficiencies at 116th and 115th, respectively.
Akron also ranks 353rd of 363 teams in adjusted tempo. Mississippi State also falls outside the top 300 in adjusted tempo. Though the Bulldogs rate better on both sides of the ball according to KenPom, they struggled to win away from home last year. Akron already has a quality win under its belt and won its only neutral-site game last season.
Prop bet: Duke Over 88.5 points (-114) ★★★★
With the No. 273 adjusted tempo in KenPom’s rankings, Duke doesn’t need to speed up to pummel you. Its opening opponent, Jacksonville, plays an even slower tempo, which allowed Duke to cruise in a 71-44 win. But the Dolphins did keep Duke from dropping a gaudy scoring total with its No. 166 defensive efficiency.
Friday night will likely differ from that script as Duke faces a USC Upstate group that ranks much higher in adjusted tempo at No. 112, but much worse in defensive efficiency at No. 327.
A number of easy buckets in transition should lead to an impressive scoring output from the Blue Devils. Duke is favored by 27.5 and has the No. 3 offensive efficiency in the country, according to KenPom.
Where to Bet on College Basketball
Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:
College basketball odds and best bets from 11/11/20222 at 2 p.m. ET.
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