While love may be in the air this Valentine’s Day, basketball never takes a holiday. Though Friday’s college basketball schedule is lighter than usual, it offers some compelling matchups, including a marquee Big Ten contest between UCLA and Indiana. With just three weekends remaining in the regular season, every game counts – even on a modest Friday slate.
Coming off a profitable 2-1 Tuesday that extended our hot streak to 16-5 since January 1st, here are my top selections for Friday’s action.
Game Analysis & Best Bets
Princeton Tigers vs Brown Bears – Under 140 (-110) The previous meeting between these Ivy League rivals on February 1st saw Princeton grind out a 69-49 victory, well under the closing total of 145. While oddsmakers have adjusted downward, there’s still value on the under. Princeton operates at the Ivy League’s slowest pace with their methodical motion offense, but they’ve struggled with efficiency, shooting under 43% on two-pointers in conference play while ranking last in free throw rate.
Defensively, Princeton has been stellar, ranking second in the Ivy League in efficiency and two-point defense while generating turnovers and limiting offensive rebounds. They should create problems for a Brown offense that ranks outside the top 225 nationally in ball security and sits near the bottom of the conference in both two-point and free throw shooting.
Recommended play: Under 140, playable to 138.5
Loyola Chicago Ramblers -2.5 over Saint Louis Billikens (-110) Saint Louis enters this game in a tough stretch, playing their sixth consecutive game against an upper-echelon Atlantic 10 opponent. They’ve dropped four of their last six, struggling to generate consistent offense with just one 75+ point performance since the new year.
The Billikens’ offensive woes stem from poor three-point shooting and the conference’s worst turnover rate. This plays right into Loyola’s hands, as the Ramblers have gone 6-1 straight up against turnover-prone teams (ranked 250+ in turnover rate) this season. Loyola’s defense has been particularly sharp lately, ranking 5th in defensive momentum and exceeding expectations in six of their last seven games according to Haslametics.
While Saint Louis gets a much-needed break after this game (important for the nation’s least-deep team), they’ll likely have to endure one more difficult night in Chicago first.
Recommended play: Loyola Chicago -2.5, playable to -3