Top College Basketball Picks of the Week – January 17th Edition

If you’re fired up about the 2017-18 college basketball season and you’re looking for value over the course of the coming week, then look no further! Better yet, if you need some expert assistance in finding a good NCAAB betting value and making some potentially bankroll-boosting picks along the way, then you’re going to love the trio of top College Basketball picks that you’re about to get! Okay, with that said, let’s get down to business.

Top College Basketball Picks of the Week – January 17th Edition

Dunks, buzzer-beaters and an emotional win are all in this week’s #NCAATop10. pic.twitter.com/lh1ZkmnQ5U

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) 16 de enero de 2018

No. 8 Texas Tech (15-2) at Texas (11-6)

• When: Wednesday, January 17, 2018, 8:00 PM ET
• Where: Frank Erwin Center, Austin, TX

Eighth-ranked Texas Tech bounced back from their humbling loss against then, No. 9 Oklahoma and Trae Young to pull off a huge upset by beating No. 2 West Virginia this past weekend. Keenan Evans scored 20 points, Brandon Francis had a career-high 17 as the Red Raiders won the first-ever Top 10 matchup on its home court by beating the Mountaineers 72-71 on Saturday. “I’ve got a great friend who this week told me, Prince today, a frog tomorrow,” Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said. “I know we’re going to be a frog again at some point. It’s the Big 12. But I want to be a prince one more day.” Texas has lost two of its last three and comes into this contest off a heartbreaking 65-64 road loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday. The Longhorns collapsed late and got outscored 15-2 over the final 5:39 of regulation. For this mid-week matchup, I’m going to advise you to back Texas Tech to get the road win over Texas simply because the Red Raiders are one of the best defensive teams in the nation and the Longhorns will find scoring the basketball very difficult. Texas Tech ranks fifth in the nation in points allowed (60.8 ppg) and has held six of their last nine opponents to 58 points or less. While Texas has been very solid defensively in limiting the opposition to just 65.8 points per contest (43rd) the Longhorns are also a bit more offensively-challenged than their Big 12 counterparts in this matchup. Texas Tech star Keenan Evans will be the best player on the floor in this matchup. Pick: Texas Tech 75 – Texas 69

Indiana (11-7) at No. 9 Michigan State (16-3)

• When: Friday, January 19, 2018, 7:00 PM ET
• Where: Breslin Center, East Lansing, MI

Unranked Indiana has won two straight and blew conference rival Northwestern out of the water in its 66-46 home win on Sunday as Robert Johnson scored a team-high 17 points and Juwan Morgan scored all eight points in the second half to lead the Hoosiers to the commanding victory, but is it enough to include them in your College Basketball Picks? Ninth-ranked Michigan State will be looking to get back to playing winning basketball after dropping two of its last three games including a humbling 82-72 home loss to Michigan on Saturday. Miles Bridges had a solid game with 19 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, but the preseason All-American also had four turnovers and Michigan scored 26 points off Michigan State’s 18 turnovers. “They just wanted it more than we did,” Bridges said. “They played harder and played tougher.” For this Saturday night showdown, I’m going to advise you to back Michigan State to get the much-needed home win against an Indiana team they’re simply much better than at both ends of the floor. The Spartans average just about 11 points per game more than the Hoosiers while allowing a half-dozen fewer points per contest defensively. If you can get Michigan State as a home favorite of somewhere around a dozen points, I say include the Spartans as one of your College Basketball picks because I expect them to win by 15! Pick: Michigan State 80 – Indiana 65

No. 3 Purdue (17-2) at Iowa (10-9)

• When: Saturday, January 20, 2018, 12:00 PM ET
• Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, IA

No. 3 Purdue has won 13 straight games including their emphatic 81-47 smackdown of overmatched Minnesota on Saturday as Vincent Edwards scored 25 points in 29 minutes to lead four players in double-digit scoring for the Boilermakers. Iowa snapped a three-game losing streak by beating Illinois 104-97 in overtime on Thursday. Jordan Bohannon scored 29 points as Iowa rallied from a 20-point deficit to get the big win! For this Saturday showdown, the pick is super easy – depending on the point spread. While I have no doubt that third-ranked Purdue will get the road win against an Iowa team that has plenty of flaws, if the spread is too high, the Hawkeyes could cover as a home underdog. With the Boilermakers giving up almost 13 fewer points per game than their conference counterparts in this matchup while also averaging almost four points per game more than the Cyclones, I’m thinking Purdue will be favored by at least 10 points. If you can get the Boilermakers as anything less than a dozen point road fave, I say take the No. 3 team in all the land to cover the chalk! Purdue has the look of a team that has some serious intentions on competing for the national championship this season while Iowa is as mediocre as their nearly .500 record suggests. This one shouldn’t be close at all, include Purdue on your College Basketball picks. Pick: Purdue 81 – Iowa 66