Top College Basketball Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (1/6)

Jan 6, 2023 - 2:00 PM

Happy New All! This is where the college basketball season really takes off as we are officially in the year of March Madness. I hope that successfully betting on college basketball was part of your New Year’s resolution, as I will be providing successful plays up until the end of the season.

It’s a bit of a slow day basketball-wise, but there are still plenty of options. Here are my best bets for today’s NCAA hoops slate. 

All odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Top College Basketball Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: January 6, 2023

Akron at Ball State

In what is arguably the best game of today’s slate, two MAC teams are going after it in some Friday night action. 

What this comes down to is Ball State’s offense against Akron’s defense. Ball State is effective at executing the dribble drive with nearly a quarter of their points coming from the charity stripe – the 22nd-highest in the nation. 

When not scoring at the rim, the Cardinals are lights out from beyond the arc. Their 39.5-percent shooting from beyond the arc ranks among the top-10 in the nation. This bodes well opposite Akron’s 301st-ranked three-point defense. 

I really expected this spread to be closer to four or five points. Akron ranks 340th in playing away from home, and they are one of the more inconsistent teams in the nation. Ball State should roll.

Play: Ball State -2.0

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Penn at Cornell

In what is arguably the second-best game on the slate today, you get two Ivy foes facing off. 

Cornell has been playing well of late, ranking 56th in the nation in the momentum metric per Haslametrics. With their pace and transition offense, I expect the Big Red to overpower Penn. Cornell ranks third in the nation at executing breakaway points.

Penn does not take care of the ball all too well while Cornell forces turnovers at a high rate. The Big Red also take care of the ball well. In addition, they are top-10 in the nation at scoring from inside the arc while nearly 40 percent of their points come from deep.

Cornell is effective at scoring anywhere on the court. I don’t expect Penn’s 247th-ranked defense to be able to stop them. Home favorites for the win. 

Play: Cornell -3.5 

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Other Plays:

Iona -13.0

Yale -16.0

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