Best College Basketball Bets Today: Michigan Aims to Stay Undefeated in Big Ten Play vs. Minnesota

Only two Big Ten teams can still say that they are undefeated in conference play: Michigan and Michigan State.

On Thursday night, the 20th-ranked Michigan Wolverines will travel to Minnesota with hopes of staying undefeated in the conference.

Meanwhile, the Gonzaga Bulldogs will have to tighten things up after winning two games against substantially inferior teams (San Diego and Washington State) by merely 13 points.

Their game on Thursday will be on the road versus the Oregon State Beavers, a team with a contrasting style and strong play on their home floor.

So, what can we expect today? Find out our two best college basketball picks for these two conference battles below!

The odds for today's college basketball games are from FanDuel Sportsbook. Place a $5 bet at FanDuel and Get $300 in Bonus Bets If Your Bet Wins.

No. 20 Michigan @ Minnesota

• Date: Thursday, January 16

• Time: 7:00 pm EST

• Moneyline: Michigan -550 | Minnesota +400

• Spread: Michigan -10.5 (-102) | Minnesota +10.5 (-120)

• Total: Over 143.5 (-110) | Under 143.5 (-110)

All odds are available via FanDuel Sportsbook but are subject to change.

PICK: Michigan -10.5 (-102) at FanDuel

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It would be an understatement to say that the start of Big Ten play has been a disaster for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. 

After all, they have dropped all six of their conference games, with four ending in double-digit deficits.

Minnesota’s biggest problem has been on the offensive end of the floor, as it ranks just 156th in adjusted offensive efficiency (KenPom). 

The Golden Gophers are entirely too reliant on star forward Dawson Garcia, who has been tremendous this season despite receiving nearly all of opponents’ defensive attention.

Garcia is averaging 18.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on a 49/37/76 shooting split; however, he has not gotten any other consistent help.

Minnesota’s second-leading scorer, Mike Mitchell Jr, has been in a major shooting slump over his past four Big Ten games, knocking down just 32.4% of his field goal attempts and 29.2% of his attempts from behind the arc.

Lu’Cye Patterson is also not a super reliable form of offense, as he has shot just 32.1% from the floor over his past five outings.

Conversely, Michigan has been absolutely unbelievable in its past four games, averaging just shy of 96 points per game on roughly 54% shooting from the field and 46% shooting from behind the arc.

But this isn’t an outlier stretch. The Wolverines have the highest effective field goal percentage nationally this season.

Michigan also has a pair of 7-foot big men who can make life challenging on Garcia, throwing different looks at him and forcing other Minnesota players to beat its defense.

I love Michigan in this spot.

No. 16 Gonzaga @ Oregon State

• Date: Thursday, January 16

• Time: 11:00 pm EST

• Moneyline: Gonzaga -430 | Oregon State +330

• Spread: Gonzaga -9.5 (-102) | Oregon State +9.5 (-120)

• Total: Over 150.5 (-115) | Under 150.5 (-105)

All odds are available via FanDuel Sportsbook but are subject to change.

PICK: Oregon State +9.5 (-120) at FanDuel

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In most cases, “a win is a win, no matter how it looks” is an applicable phrase and concept in conference play; however, the Bulldogs have really been underwhelming in their past two games, winning each by 13 points.

Even worse, both games were on their home floor.

And while one of those games was against a halfway decent opponent in the Washington State Cougars, the other was versus one of the worst opponents in the WCC: San Diego.

As a matter of fact, San Diego ranks 335th in adjusted offensive efficiency, and the Toreros posted 80 points on Gonzaga on a 42/33/81 team shooting split.

The following game? San Diego lost by nearly 50 points to Saint Mary’s at home.

In short, Gonzaga has been suspect defensively in its past few games. 

The Bulldogs have let their past three opponents hit close to 45% of their field goal attempts and 35% of their 3-point attempts. 

Oregon State will be a formidable opponent, too. The Beavers are 10-1 on their home floor, with the only loss coming by three points against a ranked Oregon team.

At home, Oregon State shoots roughly 51% from the field, 39% from the 3-point line, and 79% from the free-throw line. 

Further, the Beavers’ average scoring margin at home is +20.2; they are an excellent rebounding team on their home floor, pulling down roughly 77% of opponents’ misses.

Sure, Gonzaga might win this game, but there’s no way I’m laying 9.5 points with the Bulldogs on the road against a solid opponent with the way they have been playing recently.