Best College Basketball Bets for Tuesday, February 17: Can Michigan Keep the Top Spot?

• For the first time in 13 years, the Michigan Wolverines are the No. 1 team in the country.

• It only lasted a week, as the Wolverines lost to then-No. 3 Indiana 81-73 and dropped back to No. 3.

• Iowa has won seven of the last ten vs. Nebraska.

With Arizona going down last week, the door to the top of the AP Poll opened, and Michigan walked right through it. However, with a challenging one right out of the gate, Michigan may not be long for the top spot. But they will make our ‘Best College Basketball Bets’ list for Tuesday, February 17.

To keep it in the Big Ten for this post, we’ll also take a look at No. 9 Nebraska vs. the Iowa Hawkeyes. On that note, let’s get right to it and talk some college basketball.

No. 1 Michigan Wolverines vs. No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers Odds & Pick

• Spread: Michigan -1.5 (-110) | Purdue -1.5 (-110)

• Moneyline: Michigan -128 | Purdue +106

• Total: OVER 156.5 (-110) | UNDER 156.5 (-110)

Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook. Join FanDuel and claim your welcome offer: Bet $5, Get $100 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins. Get more info on the FanDuel Promo Code in our detailed overview.

After starting the season 14-0, Michigan ran into a little speed bump in the form of the Wisconsin Badgers, as they handed the Wolverines their first, and as it turns out, only loss of the season. Since then, they have won ten in a row; they won their last game, Saturday vs. UCLA, by 30 points.

Take away the uncharacteristic three-game losing streak Purdue had a couple of weeks ago, and we’d probably be talking about a top-five battle. Since then, the Boilermakers won four in a row, including an overtime game vs. Nebraska, 80-77. They last played on Saturday, beating Iowa, 78-57.

On paper, this looks like it should be an incredible game. Both teams are among the best at what they do; Michigan ranks in the top five in the conference in almost 20 categories on NCAA.com, and Purdue ranks in the top five in closer to 13.

• My Pick: Michigan ML at -128 via FanDuel

Both teams are excellent, but Michigan is the better of the two (but not by much). Purdue can make a game of it if it can slow the pace down, but even then, Michigan has too much talent and too many weapons for Purdue’s defense to stop.

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No. 9 Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

• Spread: Nebraska +1.5 (-114) | Iowa -1.5 (-106)  

• Moneyline: Nebraska +104 | Iowa -126

• TOTAL: OVER 138.5 (-115) | UNDER 138.5 (-105)

Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Unsurprisingly, No. 9 Nebraska opened as a road favorite for this game, but enough money has been wagered to warrant a shift, and now Iowa is the betting favorite (-1.5 points). For some reason, a number of bettors seem to believe an unranked Iowa team can beat a top-ten Nebraska squad.

If things go their way, the Hawkeyes just might.

Nebraska prefers a slow-tempo and likes playing a physical half-court style of defense. They’ll certainly try to slow Iowa down and make the Hawkeyes grind it out (advantage Nebraska). Consequently, the Hawkeyes will try to do the opposite and play fast.

• My Pick: Nebraska ML at +104 via FanDuel

If you are thinking, “But offense wins games,” and think Iowa is the way to go, I can’t say you’re wrong. However, in this case, I think the defense will win the day for Nebraska as the Cornhuskers lock down the perimeter to keep Iowa from going off from three-point range.

As for the Cornhuskers, if Nebraska’s defense can take away three-pointers and force Iowa to rely on twos, they can control the tempo and pace of the game (advantage Cornhuskers). That’s easier said than done, of course. 

But Nebraska has the talent and depth to get physical with Iowa. If they can lock down the perimeter and force Iowa to play in the paint, the Cornhuskers will win.

It will be a close, hard-fought, physical game won by the team that can be clutch in the final moments, when the heat is on.

They will not sink a three for the win, but Nebraska will keep Iowa from making that shot.

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