Best College Basketball Bets Today: Friday Features Two Big Ten Battles

Friday night’s slate does not have any ranked teams playing; however, there are two enthralling Big Ten battles to watch and bet on!

The Indiana Hoosiers will look to redeem themselves against Ohio State after dropping a home game to Illinois by 25 points.

Meanwhile, UCLA hopes to snap a four-game slide when it hosts the Iowa Hawkeyes, who have been terrific at home but have merely a 0-3 road record.

Check out our best college basketball picks for the Indiana vs. Ohio State and Iowa vs. UCLA games 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.

Indiana @ Ohio State

• Date: Friday, January 17

• Time: 8:00 pm EST

• Moneyline: Indiana +235 | Ohio State -295

• Spread: Indiana +6.5 (-102) | Ohio State -6.5 (-120)

• Total: Over 148.5 (-110) | Under 148.5 (-110)

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

PICK: Ohio State -6.5 (-120) at FanDuel

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While many people thought the lowest part of Indiana’s season would be its horrid stretch against Louisville and Gonzaga in the Bahamas, the Hoosiers’ most recent two-game slide against Iowa and Illinois (at home) has undoubtedly topped it.

Indiana lost both of those games by 25 points, allowing opponents to fire at a 46.3% clip from the floor and 39.3% from the 3-point line.

Further, the Hoosiers’ 3-point shooting struggle reared its ugly head once more, as they shot just 23.5% from deep in those two games.

This team is in a bad slump and they are unlikely to break out of it on the road against a tough Ohio State squad that is substantially better than their record indicates.

While the Buckeyes have seven losses, three of them came by one possession. They also have played the 14th-hardest schedule in the country thus far.

At home, the Buckeyes rank 35th in points per game, 24th in effective field goal percentage, and 33rd in opponent effective field goal percentage.

Frankly, Ohio State should run away with this one. The Hoosiers are in disarray and completely lack the necessary cohesion and coaching to compete with teams like Ohio State, especially on the Buckeyes’ home floor.

Iowa @ UCLA

• Date: Friday, January 17

• Time: 9:00 pm EST

• Moneyline: Iowa +235 | UCLA -295

• Spread: Iowa +6.5 (-102) | UCLA -6.5 (-120)

• Total: Over 153.5 (-110) | Under 153.5 (-110)

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

PICK: Iowa +6.5 (-102) at FanDuel

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UCLA head coach Mick Cronin recently mentioned to reporters that the team wasn’t quite used to the physicality of the Big Ten.

In fact, the Bruins’ two wins in the conference thus far have come against former Pac-12 foes, Washington and Oregon.

After winning their first two matchups in conference play, which were against the Huskies and Ducks, UCLA has since dropped four consecutive Big Ten games. Yikes.

As a result, the Bruins have dropped out of the AP Poll Top 25 and now rank merely 36th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin.

In their past three games, they have averaged 68 points per game on 24.6% shooting from behind the arc. Woof.

The game plan for Iowa should be simple. The Hawkeyes will push the tempo, as they have done all season (18th in adjusted tempo), making UCLA uncomfortable with the pace of play. 

Additionally, Iowa should pack the paint, as the Bruins’ 3-point shooting (187th in 3P%) should not be a concern. This will allow the Hawkeyes to hopefully mitigate one of their biggest weaknesses: rebounding.

UCLA also relies heavily on turning over its opponents for offense, but the Hawkeyes are 11th in turnovers per possession nationally.

The Bruins will probably find a way to squeak out a win on their home floor and get back on the right track, but 6.5 points is too rich for my blood.