Friday’s college basketball odds board isn’t loaded with high-profile matchups, but an all-day, 29-game slate waits in the wings for hoops bettors.
Of course, handicapping a Friday slate, especially one that includes a handful of afternoon matchups, can be difficult for bettors tied up with work and other obligations.
Thankfully, Action PRO’s cutting-edge tools can do the work for us.
In this case, let’s leverage Action PRO’s college basketball projections to quickly identify the three biggest spread edges for Friday’s slate, including:
- South Dakota vs. North Dakota State (7 p.m. ET)
- No. 18 Purdue vs. Illinois (8 p.m. ET)
- Pepperdine vs. Portland (9 p.m. ET)
College Basketball Odds, Biggest Edges for Friday
*Odds, projections as of Friday morning
South Dakota vs. North Dakota State
7 p.m. ET | Summit League Network
Recreational bettors may pass over South Dakota vs. North Dakota State altogether, but that doesn’t change the fact that this game is offering the single-largest edge of Friday’s entire college basketball slate.
North Dakota State is a 2.5-point favorite as of the time of writing, but according to Action PRO’s projections, this spread is more than four points off where it should be.
Let me explain.
Action PRO projects this spread at North Dakota State -6.6, which translates to a whopping 12% edge when compared to the latest consensus line of -2.5.
PRO Pick: North Dakota State -2.5 (-110) — DraftKings
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Purdue vs. Illinois Pick
8 p.m. ET | FOX
We go from one of the lowest-profile games on Friday’s schedule to one of the highest with No. 18 Purdue taking on Illinois.
The Boilermakers are 4.5-point underdogs against the Fighting Illini, but Action PRO projects a tighter spread — Purdue +2.7, to be exact.
The difference between PRO’s projection and the current line results in a notable 4.5% edge.
PRO Pick: Purdue +4.5 (-110) — BetMGM
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Pepperdine vs. Portland Pick
9 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Friday’s second-largest spread edge comes via Pepperdine vs. Portland, where the Waves are projected at -1.7 per Action PRO’s data.
However, bettors can lock in a 5.5% edge by snagging Pepperdine as a 1.5-point underdog for Friday night’s matchup.
PRO Pick: Pepperdine +1.5 (-110) — FanDuel
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