An abbreviated appetizer awaits bettors today before the madness of a full College Basketball Saturday. Despite the reduced number of games, a few spots stand out. Let’s dive into the odds to identify the best college basketball betting picks for Friday, Jan. 27, starting with the Saint Louis Billikens.
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College Basketball Expert Betting Picks & Odds
Saint Louis vs. Davidson: Saint Louis -1.5
After starting Atlantic 10 play with a 6-1 record, Saint Louis will look to extend its five-game winning streak against Davidson. Unlike Saint Louis, Davidson faltered to start conference play and currently has a 3-5 record. However, the struggles extend into non-conference play for Davidson as well. The Wildcats only have three top-200 wins all season, while Saint Louis checks in with seven. This includes top-40 wins over Auburn and Boise State.
Stylistically, Saint Louis also has multiple advantages over Davidson. Davidson ranks 14th in effective height and Saint Louis 307th, but the Billikens actually rank 13th in rebounding, while the Wildcats check in at 273rd. Saint Louis also is 30th in interior defense, halting one offensive advantage Davidson could have had. From there, Saint Louis runs laps around Davidson, as the Billikens are 62nd in offense and should squash Davidson’s 183rd-ranked scoring unit.
Iona vs. Siena: Iona -5.5
In perhaps the most important game in the MAAC regular season, the 7-2 (in conference play) Siena Saints face the 6-2 Iona Gaels. Iona holds almost every single efficiency advantage here, all the way down to strength of schedule. On offense, Iona checks in at 55th, while Siena is 141st. Similarly, Iona ranks 53rd in defensive efficiency and Siena is 136th.
Despite the advantage, Siena still could be a buy-low team due to injury. Specifically, Siena just returned Jayce Johnson, who started 13 games before going down midway through the year. On the other side, Iona lost big man Quinn Slazinski to a season-ending injury two games ago. However, the biggest injury question in the entire game comes from Siena. Team leader Javian McCollum left Siena’s most recent game with a back injury and was labeled day-to-day ahead of this contest. If McCollum misses this game, Iona will be able to dedicate extra resources to stopping Andrew Platek, who shoots 46% from 3. Iona already ranks 35th in 3-point defense, but removing a major contributor like McCollum only increases its advantages.
With this injury news being such a major factor in the game, Iona will only be a play if McCollum gets ruled out before tip-off.
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