Best College Basketball Bets Today: Miami Ohio Headlines Friday's Slate

Some conference tournaments are already underway, but many are still wrapping up their respective regular seasons. In my Best College Basketball Bets for the day, I’ll focus on regular-season action.

I often go with DraftKings for college basketball, but I highly recommend line shopping to make sure you get the best price.

Columbia vs. Harvard

Harvard typically struggles to score (No. 308 in the country, 70.8 ppg), but has one of the best defenses in the country (No. 27, 66.7 ppg allowed). The Crimson defense will likely put a stranglehold on the Lions offense once again. But I expect the Columbia defense will keep Harvard’s lackluster offense from running wild.

My Pick: UNDER 133.5 at -110

It’s a pretty small TOTAL; the final score from the regular season game between these two totaled 133 points. Harvard has been involved in four games with a similar total (two vs. Brown and two vs. Princeton); the UNDER was 3-1.

We know the Harvard defense can keep the Lions offense in check. I’d expect the Columbia defense to step it it up and do a better job this time, keeping the score low.

No. 19 Miami (OH) vs. Ohio

Miami (OH) has one of the best offenses in the country (No. 3, 90.3 points per game). Ohio has an adequate offense (No. 152 in the country, 77 ppg), but a lackluster defense (77.3 ppg allowed, No. 272 in the country). When these two met on Feb. 13, the RedHawks won, 90-74.

So, this is a no-brainer, right? Miami (OH) to win or cover, right? The short answer is—it should be. However, the offense has not scored more than 74 points in the last three games, and they failed to cover in the last two games.

My Pick: Miami (OH) -5.5 at -110

At this stage, they’ve gone undefeated through 30 games and covered in 19 of the 27 that had betting lines. It doesn’t make sense to go against him in the last game.

No. 18 St. John’s vs. Seton Hall

St. John’s has been on a roll, winning 15 of the last 16 games. But Seton Hall has not been too shabby either, with wins in four of their last six. When these two teams played earlier in the season, St. John’s was an 11.5-point favorite but had to overcome a 15-point second-half deficit to get the win, 65-60.

The Red Storm will try to pick up the pace by scoring quickly and often. Seton Hall would prefer to grind it out, play a half-court game that slows the pace to a crawl, effectively neutralizing the St. John’s speed advantage. They did it in the first game. Surely they can do it again….right?

My Pick: UNDER 137.5 at -112

The UNDER has gone 6-0 in St. John’s last six games and 6-3 in Seton Hall's last nine. Earlier this season, they finished UNDER this number, and I expect a similar performance tonight.