Conference tournaments are now underway in men’s college basketball, which means that sports betting enthusiasts have plenty of action to watch. Michigan gets coach Juwan Howard back from his five-game suspension for his role in a fight after the Wolverines’ loss to Wisconsin. Syracuse routed Florida State in the ACC tournament but lost Buddy Boeheim for one game after he sucker-punched an opponent during the game. Let’s take a look at the top College Basketball betting picks in Friday’s action.
NCAA News: Top Betting Games for Friday
Michigan State Spartans vs Wisconsin Badgers (6:30 pm ET, Big Ten Network)
Michigan State closed out their regular season with a 10-point win over Maryland, and then they turned around to face the Terrapins again in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans built a 20-point lead in the rematch but then almost let it all slip away before hanging on for the win. FReshman Max Christie put up 16 points, and Gabe Brown chipped in 13, as the Spartans were up 20 with 13:04 remaining in the second half after coming out of the intermission to post a 12-3 run. However, Maryland went to full-court pressure, and the Spartans struggled, with 11 second-half turnovers, seven coming in th elast 2:26. Maryland got as close as two, as Fatts Russell knocked down a three-pointer to make it 68-65 and then came back with a three-point play to bring it to 70-68.
The Spartans’ next test comes at the hands of Wisconsin, featuring Big Ten Player of the Year Johnny Davis. Both teams won the road matchup in Big Ten play, as Michigan State won by 12 at Wisconsin but lost by eight at home. The Badgers stumbled in their Big Ten finale, losing at home by one to Nebraska, but they still got a bye to the second round. In that loss to the Cornhuskers, Davis went down with a lower-body injury on a lay-up attempt thanks to a flagrant foul by Trey McGowens, who was ejected with 17:32 remaining in the second half. Davis is expected to play against Michigan State. Nebraska was down nine with 5:48 remaining but held Wisconsin without a field goal the rest of the way, as Chucky Hepburn’s two free throws with 19.8 seconds left were the Badgers’ only points. He missed a third free throw, and the Cornhuskers held on. With Davis set to return, though, I expect Wisconsin to take out some frustrations in a win.
Final Prediction:
Wisconsin 78, Michigan State 72
USC vs UCLA (11:30 pm ET, FS1)
USC and UCLA meet for the third time this season; in Pac-12 regular-season play, each team won their home game. The Trojans met Washington in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament and won a 65-61 squeaker. USC struggled with turnovers, but their defense clamped down to keep the team in it. Boogie Ellis led the Trojans with 17 points, and Isaiah Mobley had two huge stops late in the second half. The turnovers never really eased, as the Trojans coughed the ball up twice in the last 33 seconds, but Mobley blocked Terrell Brown Jr on a drive to the basket, and then he challenged Emmit Matthews Jr on a drive to the hole, leading to an air ball.
Nex up come the UCLA Bruins in the semifinals. UCLA has not lost since falling at ORegon on February 24; they closed out their regular season with three straight wins, including a 75-68 win over USC on March 5. They opened the Pac-12 Tournament with a 75-65 win over Washington State State. In that game, UCLA started slowly but then went on a 19-2 run before halftime and went into the locker room up by 12. The Bruins’ pressure defense frustrated Washington State, who could not stop Jules Bernard, who had 19 points, or Jaime Jacquez Jr, who had 23 – 17 after the intermission. Can UCLA get a better start against USC?
Final Prediction:
UCLA 77, USC 74
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