The high-major conference teams are taking Friday night off, as many programs are traveling or resting in order to be ready for their matchups over the weekend. That doesn’t mean it’s a completely blank slate, as there will be plenty of lower-conference games to keep gamblers busy.
There is one ranked team playing on Friday, as the No. 25 Buffalo Bulls hit the road to face off against Toledo. The Ivy League is full of games and many of them could be competitive matchups. There are a lot of games that are pegged around pick ‘ems or with really small spreads, which are always fun to watch.
While the big boys will be playing on the weekends, the low-major and mid-major games are often a good chance to make money because the oddsmakers don’t know these teams as well. Here is a look at some of the best bets on Friday in NCAA men’s basketball wagering.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2019 NCAA basketball season.
Odds Analysis
Buffalo has a record of 21-3 on the season and 9-2 in the MAC. The Bulls do not have an easy game next time out as they hit the road to face off against the Toledo Rockets. Toledo has won eight of its 11 conference games and is only a 2.5-point home underdog. Buffalo has to win at a high rate to remain nationally ranked and a defeat of Toledo would be a big help.
One of the most competitive games on Friday figures to be the showdown between the Northern Kentucky Norse and Wright State Raiders. Northern Kentucky has the superior record at 20-6 and has gone 10-3 in conference. Wright State is just 15-11 overall but has gone 9-4 in the Horizon League. This one couldn’t be handicapped much closer as Wright State is listed as the one-point favorite.
Another great game could be the Ivy League showdown between Brown and Cornell. Brown is 14-8 this season but just 2-4 in conference. Cornell is 12-10 overall and 4-2 in conference. The oddsmakers have made this a pick ‘em. Even though Brown is on the road, the advanced analytics have pegged it as the slight favorite, so the Bears could be the right choice.
Columbia may be a candidate to pull the biggest upset of the night. The Lions certainly wouldn’t be considered at first glance as they have only won six out of 20 games on the season and have lost three in a row. However, Columbia’s last two losses came down to the wire and the team is playing Yale at home. The Bulldogs have a record of 15-4 this season and have gone 5-1 in the Ivy League. Columbia is the nine-point underdog, but it should cover and don’t be surprised if this game comes down to the wire.
Free NCAA Basketball ATS Picks
There are a lot of intriguing wagers that can be made on Friday night, but there is one best bet that stands out above the rest. The Princeton Tigers have a big game against rival Harvard. Princeton gets the game at home, which is a big help. The Tigers are 12-7 overall on the season and have gone 4-2 in the Ivy League. Harvard has an overall mark of 11-8 and has an identical 4-2 record in conference.
Princeton has the better record and the home court. The spread would be expected to be a handful of points but instead the oddsmakers have only pegged them as 1.5-point favorites. While this game could be close, the Tigers are the clear choice to cover this spread in NCAA men’s basketball betting lines.
NCAA Basketball Pick: Princeton Tigers to cover the spread against the Harvard Crimson Tide
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
