Top College Basketball Picks for Friday

Mike Randle

Last Updated: November 20, 2021 4:01 AM EST • 3 min 7 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 14: Head Coach Mark Byington of the Georgia Southern Eagles reacts to a call as his team plays the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks during the Sun Belt Conference Men's Championship Semifinals at the UNO Lakefront Arena on March 14, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sean Gardner/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Sean Gardner / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

A jam-packed slate of college basketball games on Friday features an intrastate clash between James Madison and George Mason, and a rivalry matchup with Georgia and Georgia Tech squaring off. Read on for our top college basketball picks.

We are in the midst of preseason tournaments, with many battles already leading to exciting finishes and surprising upsets. Friday features several quarterfinal and semifinal matchups between squads from across the country. It's a great opportunity to see some mid-major schools that could become dangerous Cinderellas in March.

Here are my top picks for Friday’s college basketball schedule (odds via DraftKings, and pick confidence is based on a one-to-five star scale).

Top College Basketball Picks

Wichita State +9.5 vs. Arizona (-110) ????James Madison +3 vs. George Mason (-105) ????Georgia +3.5 vs. Georgia Tech (-104) ????

College Basketball Picks and Predictions

Wichita State +9.5 vs. Arizona (-110)

The Shockers returned three key starters from last year’s 16-6 team that won the AAC regular-season title. Kudos to head coach Isaac Brown, who inherited a mess from former head coach Gregg Marshall and miraculously guided his group to the NCAA Tournament in his first campaign.

Dexter Dennis, Tyson Etienne, and big man Morris Udeze all returned and provide fantastic inside-outside balance. The key to the Shockers' 3-0 start has been the development of redshirt freshman Ricky Council IV, who leads the team in scoring (12 points per game) while shooting 45.5 percent from distance.

New Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd took over the Arizona job from Sean Miller, and he's also guided the Wildcats to a fast 3-0 start. A pair of big men in 6-foot-11 Azuolas Tubelis and 7-foot-1 Christian Koloko lead Arizona's defense. They've served as the foundation for a Wildcats team that's cleaned up well on the offensive boards.

This line is too high for a game that will be played at a neutral site (the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas). These two programs battle as part of the Roman Main Event, and Arizona won't dominate against a veteran and talented Wichita State team. The line is more appropriate for a game played on Arizona’s campus, but I would take the points there too.

Both teams rank among the top 50 defensively, but the Shockers are also among the nation’s elite in forcing turnovers. This clash will be a close, low-scoring game, making the 9.5 points even more critical.

James Madison +3 vs. George Mason (-105)

A strong Virginia rivalry renews in Harrisonburg, Virginia, when James Madison hosts George Mason.

Dukes head coach Mark Byington led James Madison to last year’s CAA regular-season title in his first campaign. James Madison supplements four returning starters with a great recruiting class, and a solid transfer who's already contributing.

Junior Jalen Hodge (13 points per game) leads the team in scoring and is blistering hot from distance while shooting 50 percent. Winthrop transfer Charles Falden (12.3 points per game, 1.3 steals, and 43.8 percent from three) and Texas State product Alonzo Sule (9.7 points per game and 7.7 rebounds) have been immediately impactful, too.

George Mason is coming off a significant 71-66 upset at Maryland, making the Patriots slightly overvalued. They rely heavily on threes while generating 43 percent of their points from deep (33rd-most in the nation). George Mason torched a weak Maryland perimeter defense while going 12-of-24 shooting from beyond the arc. That performance won't be replicated against James Madison’s strong defensive unit.

This will be a fantastic battle in a surely packed Atlantic Union Bank Center. In a coin-flip game as part of our top college basketball picks, take the three points with the Dukes at home.

Georgia +3.5 v.s Georgia Tech (-104)

Head coach Tom Crean’s Bulldogs host Georgia Tech in another exciting rivalry matchup Friday.

Georgia's completely revamped roster features seven major transfers. Braelen Bridges (Illinois-Chicago), Aaron Cook (Gonzaga), and Kario Oquendo (JUCO) have combined for over 40 points and 15 rebounds per game. Cook (8.3 assists per game) has impressively filled the point guard vacancy that Sahvir Wheeler left.

Georgia has already faced a difficult road test, losing 73-68 at Cincinnati. That's much stronger competition than any team Georgia Tech has come up against, which includes a 72-69 home loss to Miami (Ohio).

Both teams generate elite defensive pressure, with Georgia Tech excelling at perimeter defense. However, the Bulldogs fail to produce substantial points from beyond the arc, preferring to attack the basket and get the opposition in foul trouble.

Cook has brought leadership and a calming presence to the offense, and he'll be comfortable at home against Georgia Tech's zone defense that doesn't force turnovers.

I grabbed this line when it was bet up to 4.5, and sharps have now brought it back to a more reasonable 3.5. I still like getting points with the Bulldogs at home as one of my top college basketball picks for Friday, especially in a rivalry game against the Yellow Jackets.