Our Friday college basketball slate is rather thin, but there’s plenty of betting value to be found in the sport.
I have three spots I’m targeting for Friday.
So, without further ado, read below for my college basketball best bets, including three NCAAB expert picks and predictions for Friday, February 28.
(A parlay isn’t my official recommendation, but there’s an option below if you so choose.)
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College Basketball Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college basketball betting staff is targeting from today’s slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| [teammatchup link=”#1″ firstfullname=”Davidson Wildcats” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/davidson.png” secondfullname=”VCU Rams” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/vcu.png”][/teammatchup] | 7 p.m. | |
| [teammatchup link=”#2″ firstfullname=”Princeton Tigers” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/prince.png” secondfullname=”Columbia Lions” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/cmbl.png”][/teammatchup] | 7 p.m. | |
| [teammatchup link=”#3″ firstfullname=”UCLA Bruins” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/ucla-bruins-logo-updated-2023.png” secondfullname=”Purdue Boilermakers” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/pur.png”][/teammatchup] | 8 p.m. | |
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Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game.
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[anchor name=”1″][/anchor]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Davidson vs. VCU”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Davidson +14.5″ league=”ncaab” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/davidson.png” awayname=”Davidson Wildcats” awayslug=”davidson-wildcats” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/vcu.png” homename=”VCU Rams” homeslug=”virginia-commonwealth-rams” date=”Friday, Feb. 28″ time=”7 p.m. ET” network=”ESPN2″ bookname=”FanDuel” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/122955_FanDuelSportsBook@1x.jpg” bookreviewslug=”fanduel”][/gameheader]
VCU is the best team in the Atlantic 10. The Rams have proven that emphatically over the last two months, winning 13 of their last 14.
They just beat regular-season title contender George Mason and arch-rival Richmond by a combined 34 points, and they remain in the thick of the at-large picture for the NCAA Tournament.
That premise is precisely why I like Davidson here. This matchup lacks the juice for VCU compared to its recent huge showdowns, and the upcoming schedule – at Duquesne, vs. Dayton, two huge tests – make this a true sandwich spot.
For its part, Davidson is still competing, having recently given Saint Louis, Loyola Chicago, George Mason and Dayton (all top-half teams) extremely competitive battles.
With a shot at the league’s top dog, I anticipate another feisty effort.
Matchup-wise, Davidson does two things well that are vital against VCU: take care of the ball and battle on the defensive glass. The Wildcats have the lowest turnover rate in the A-10, and they need to limit miscues against VCU’s pressure in a challenging road environment.
VCU is also fantastic on the offensive glass, so Davidson’s ability to compete there – top-60 nationally in defensive rebound rate – could play a major role in this one.
Without much incentive for VCU to run this one up before a huge season-ending week, I think Davidson can keep this one in range the whole way.
Pick: Davidson +14.5 (Play to +13)
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[anchor name=”2″][/anchor]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Princeton vs. Columbia”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Princeton -3.5″ league=”ncaab” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/prince.png” awayname=”Princeton Tigers” awayslug=”princeton-tigers” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/cmbl.png” homename=”Columbia Lions” homeslug=”columbia-lions” date=”Friday, Feb. 28″ time=”7 p.m. ET” network=”ESPN+” bookname=”DraftKings ” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/477013_DraftKings@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”draftkings”][/gameheader]
Two disappointing Ivy League squads meet on Friday night. Selected first and fifth, respectively, in the preseason poll, Princeton and Columbia now sit fourth and eighth (aka dead last). Neither team feels like it hit its own expectations for itself for the year.
Crucially, though, Princeton still has quite a bit still on the line. The Tigers are in the fight to make the Ivy League Tournament (only the top four do), which would give them a chance to salvage their shaky regular season.
Columbia, on the other hand, is fully eliminated from postseason contention. Perhaps that could have a freeing effect (“what do we have to lose?”), but I’m much more inclined to believe that it’ll be deflating for a core that envisioned significantly more success for this campaign.
Pairing those two situational spots – Princeton playing for its postseason life, Columbia already dead and buried – already pushes me towards the visiting Tigers. Columbia’s trajectory without key guard Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa clinches it.
Rubio De La Rosa got hurt mid-game on Jan. 21 and has missed the seven subsequent outings. Columbia is 0-8 against the spread in that span; the market simply hasn’t caught up to how much he meant to this team.
Add in the fact that home court doesn’t mean much in this league (Princeton is less than a 90-minute drive from Columbia), and I have enough evidence to bet the Tigers.
Pick: Princeton -3.5 (Play to -5)
[anchor name=”3″][/anchor]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”UCLA vs. Purdue”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Over 138″ league=”ncaab” awaylogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/ucla-bruins-logo-updated-2023.png” awayname=”UCLA Bruins” awayslug=”ucla-bruins” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/pur.png” homename=”Purdue Boilermakers” homeslug=”purdue-boilermakers” date=”Friday, Feb. 28″ time=”8 p.m. ET” network=”FOX” bookname=”Caesars” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/256064_caesars_800x200.png” bookreviewslug=”caesars-sportsbook”][/gameheader]
Mick Cronin is surely thrilled that UCLA is on another road trip across the country, the Bruins’ third such excursion of the season. He’s railed against the travel challenges of the league, perhaps justifiably so; he didn’t choose to leave the Pac-12.
A common basketball axiom is that “defense travels,” but that hasn’t really been the case for UCLA in its long road trips.
A top-15 unit nationally for the season on the whole, here are the points per possession UCLA has allowed when traveling east (per Sports Reference): 1.06, .917 (great!), 1.18, 1.11, 1.22 and 1.04.
Outside of one effort at Nebraska, teams have found ways to score when UCLA ventures far from home.
Purdue’s offense is plenty capable of taking advantage of any defensive shortcomings. Braden Smith is a wizard in pick-and-rolls, and Purdue is loaded with perimeter shooting. The Boilers shoot over 40% from deep at Mackey Arena.
Plus, Smith is coming off a nightmare performance at Indiana; the likely All-American is simply too good to not bounce back.
Of course, the Boilermakers’ defense is perhaps the over’s greatest asset here. They’re a total sieve at the rim, with Big Ten opposition shooting a staggering 58.8% from inside the arc (17th in the Big Ten).
UCLA is an extremely rim-oriented offense, either via the bounce or via post ups for Tyler Bilodeau, Eric Dailey Jr. and Aday Mara. The Bruins should feast inside.
This matchup is unlikely to be a high-possession game, as neither team really pushes hard in transition.
But considering the matchup of offenses against defenses here, I believe efficiency will be plenty high enough to push the scoring past this total.
Pick: Over 138 (Play to 142)
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