Best College Basketball Picks Today: Two Big Ten Games Highlight Friday’s Slate

On Friday night, the UCLA Bruins will travel to West Lafayette, Indiana for a Big Ten matchup against the 20th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers.

Additionally, the Iowa Hawkeyes and Northwestern Wildcats will face off, with the loser potentially dropping into the bottom three of the conference.

Keep reading for our best college basketball picks today for these two Big Ten bouts!

UCLA @ No. 20 Purdue Odds

Find the latest odds for the UCLA vs Purdue NCAAM matchup in the table below. Click the odds and bet on your favorites at some of the best sportsbooks available today!

PICK: UCLA +4.5 (-102) at FanDuel

This is a tricky spot for the Boilers, who are desperate for a win after dropping four consecutive games against Big Ten opponents.

Purdue’s offense has been slightly exposed when faced with 2-3 zones and constant pressure on star point guard Braden Smith.

The Boilers become a middle-of-the-road team when opponents pressure Smith and take him out of the game offensively. The blueprint is there for opposing teams.

Conversely, UCLA’s offense has finally started to click and, paired with its elite defense, has made it a real contender. I’ll take the points.

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UCLA Prediction

The Bruins have had a successful season during their first campaign in the Big Ten, winning 11 of their 17 conference games thus far.

UCLA has relied heavily on its defense (15th nationally) to propel it to victory—the Bruins rank 10th in opponent turnovers per game and 19th in opponent points per game.

Like Purdue, the Bruins had a four-game slide earlier in the season, but they have since won nine of their past 11 outings.

During that stretch, their offense improved dramatically, as they shot roughly 48% from the field and 39% from 3-point range. 

The Bruins’ ball protection has been exceptional recently, averaging fewer than eight turnovers per game.

Purdue Prediction

After their most recent loss to in-state rival Indiana, the Purdue Boilermakers have officially entered a free fall. Purdue has dropped four consecutive games, firmly removing it from the Big Ten regular-season title race.

However, this Boilermaker squad is still dangerous and has enough time to turn things around before the conference and NCAA Tournaments.

The Boilers rank 11th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and have a trio of highly effective offensive players: Fletcher Loyer, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Braden Smith.

Iowa @ Northwestern Odds

Check out the latest odds for the Iowa vs Northwestern clash listed below. Click the odds and bet at some of the best NCAAM betting sites available today!

PICK: Northwestern -3.5 (-115) at FanDuel

Northwestern lost by one point on the road against the Hawkeyes earlier this season, but the Wildcats will be home in this one.

Further, they have shown massive improvement on both ends of the floor during their last two games.

Iowa had its hands full the first time on the glass, and I expect the Wildcats’ emphasis on the glass to be the difference in this game. 

The Hawkeyes have still shown no ability to perform adequately on the road; they have lost by a combined 46 points in their past two away games.

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Iowa Prediction

No Big Ten team has been worse on the road this season than the Iowa Hawkeyes, who have managed to log merely one win away from home in their 2024-25 campaign.

The Hawkeyes will not make the NCAA Tournament unless they run through the conference tournament like NC State.

Any success for the Hawkeyes this season has been directly correlated with their offense, which is the country’s 28th-ranked unit (KenPom). They rank ninth in points per game and tenth in team shooting percentage.

Unsurprisingly, Iowa’s defense has been porous, to say the least, ranking 172nd in adjusted defensive efficiency,

Northwestern Prediction

Early in Big Ten regular season play, Northwestern lost one of its stars, Brooks Barnhizer, to a season-ending injury.  While the loss of Barnhizer has been substantial, the Wildcats have found a way to remain competitive, holding a 3-4 record in their past seven games without him.

In fact, the Wildcats have won back-to-back road games (Ohio State and Minnesota) by double-digits, holding the Buckeyes and Golden Gophers to a combined 9-for-40 shooting (22.5%) from 3-point land. 

They also have combined to win the rebounding battle and turnover differential by a wide margin, which is undoubtedly a recipe for success.