Happy Friday fellow college hoops fans! Our college basketball best bets went 2-0-1 on Tuesday as Arkansas and Portland both won outright as underdogs! Only a Wyoming push in overtime kept us from a perfect 3-0 sweep!
College basketball slates tend to be a bit tough to navigate on Fridays, as there typically aren't many games to choose from. Nevertheless, here are four college basketball best bets for Friday, February 11. Let's keep the winning streak going!
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Oakland Golden Grizzlies @ Robert Morris Colonials
Although Oakland has lost 3 straight games, they're still in the mix for the top spot in the Horizon League. Wright State and Cleveland State are both 12-4, so at 10-4, Oakland is just barely behind them. Oakland is 82nd in the country in terms of hitting the offensive glass, which shows a certain level of toughness.
The Grizzlies are strong at getting to the foul line, where they rank 87th in the country. They're also in the top 10 nationally in free throw percentage (78.9%), which shows that they make the most of their trips to the line.
Robert Morris's latest game was a home loss to Detroit 79-62. The Colonials actually got off to a good start and led 16-9 almost midway through the 1st. However, the Titans took control late in the 1st and continued to pull away throughout the 2nd half. Detroit shot 50% from the field and outrebounded Robert Morris 35 to 22. The Colonials committed 16 turnovers and got to the foul line just 12 times the entire game. Senior forward Kahliel Spear led the Colonials with 15 points and 7 boards. Michael Green III and Kam Farris combined for 21 points on 5 of 11 from deep in the loss.
Key Betting Trends for Oakland at Robert Morris
Oakland is a solid basketball team but they've struggled on the highway this season. The Grizzlies are just 6-7 SU and 5-8 ATS on the road this season. Robert Morris has had a rough season so far, but they've been playing better of late. Here are our key betting trends for this matchup:
Oakland is 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games on the road.
Oakland is 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games.
Robert Morris is 6-3 ATS in their last 9 games.
Robert Morris is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games when playing as the underdog.
Best Bet: Robert Morris Colonials +7
This Oakland team has lost and failed to cover in three straight road games, which is concerning. Robert Morris is playing much better than they were when these two teams met back in December, and they'll be primed for this rematch. Robert Morris will be disciplined on the defensive end and limit Oaklands visits to the foul line. This one will stay close the entire way and the Colonials should get the cover.
UConn Huskies @ Xavier Musketeers
UConn is coming off a nice bounce-back win over #18 Marquette after losing back-to-back against Creighton and #12 Villanova. The Huskies have one of the most balanced teams in the Big East and potentially in the country. UConn is as efficient on offense (23rd) as they are on defense (40th).
The Huskies excel at offensive rebounding, where they rank 2nd in the whole country. However, the one weakness of this Huskies team is that they allow their opponents to get to the foul line a bit too much. They have been a bit better in conference play and will need to be much sharper tonight against a Musketeers team that can get to the line more than most teams.
Xavier is trying to avoid their first losing streak of the season. The cold snap began with a bad home loss to DePaul and was followed by a failed comeback attempt at Seton Hall. The Musketeers got killed on the glass at Seton Hall, and outside of Jack Nunge (22pts) and Paul Scruggs (21pts), the rest of the Musketeers were nonfactors.
Key Betting Trends for UConn at Xavier
This is the best matchup of the Friday college hoops card and should be a fantastic game to watch. Though these teams are evenly matched, here are a few key trends to consider:
UConn is 2-1 ATS in their last 3 games following a win.
UConn is 11-5-1 ATS in their last 17 road games vs. a team with a home winning % greater than .600.
Xavier is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning straight-up record.
Xavier is 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games as a home favorite.
Best Bet: UConn Huskies +1.5
This play is more of a fade of the Musketeers than a backing of the Huskies. Xavier is just 1-4 ATS against ranked opponents this season with all 4 losses being to Big East opponents. The Musketeers' sole win came against #19 Ohio State way back in mid-November. Xavier has lost 4 of their last 6 games, with 2 of those losses coming at home. I believe this team has hit a wall after starting out 11-1. UConn steals one here on the road and sets up a nice rematch game on the 19th.
St. Bonaventure Bonnies @ St. Louis Billikens
The Bonnies have had a rather disappointing year. They returned virtually everyone on their roster and were slated to dominate the A10. However, they are just 5-4 in the conference and sit in the middle of the A10 standings.
The Bonnies have been pretty efficient offensively, and they do a great job of limiting their turnovers. The Bonnies also play a disciplined defense that slows the majority of their opponents down and keeps them from getting to the foul line for freebies.
The Billikens are riding a 6-game win streak that vaulted them up the A10 standings after they began conference play at just 2-2. They sit slightly behind Davidson for the conference’s top spot. The Billikens are 13th in the country at hitting the offensive glass and get to the line on 35.1% of their shot attempts.
St. Louis is coming off a 75-57 dominating road win at LaSalle on Tuesday in a game that was never close. The Billikens forced 21 turnovers and outrebounded the Explorers 43-31 in that terrific performance.
Key Betting Trends for St. Bonaventure at St. Louis
Though St. Bonaventure is a respectable 13-7 on the season, they've been a money-burner ATS with a terrible 6-14 mark. St. Louis, on the other hand, is 17-6 SU and 14-8 ATS on the year. Here are some other key trends to consider:
St. Bonaventure is 3-12 ATS in their last 15 games.
St. Bonaventure is 1-4 ATS on the road this season.
St. Louis is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games.
St. Louis is 8-4 as home favorites this season.
Best Bet: St. Louis Billikens -5
We are getting the hottest team in the A10 at home facing the most underachieving team in the country on the road. The Billikens should be able to dominate the glass and force the Bonnies' offensive tempo into taking some ill-advised shots. This point spread of -5 looks at least four points too light, so we'll ride with St. Louis in this one.
Bonus Bet: St. Louis Billikens -2.5 (1st Half)
I may like the 1st Half more than the full game in this spot. There is always an inherent edge early in a game for the home team, especially at these smaller venues. On top of that, the Bonnies have been awful in the 1st halves this season.
In St. Bonaventure's 5 road games this season where they went 1-4 ATS, they also went 1-4 ATS in the 1st halves. For the Billikens, they have gone 4-1 ATS in their last 5 conference games at home in the 1st half. Give me the Billikens both at the half and the full game here!
