Best College Basketball Bets for Friday, February 20: Saint Louis Gets Back on Track, Indiana Puts Up a Fight on the Road at Purdue

• VCU leads the all-time series vs. Saint Louis, 17-7, but the Billikens have won the last two meetings

• Purdue has dominated the all-time series vs. Indiana, but the Hoosiers have won the last two meetings

Friday’s college basketball schedule is a relatively light one, but there are still plenty of games for your viewing and betting pleasure. For my “Best College Basketball Bets” for the day, I’ve decided to focus on the two ranked teams in action today, No. 18 Saint Louis and No. 7 Purdue.

Saint Louis is coming off its first conference loss of the season, losing to Rhode Island on Tuesday, 81-76. Purdue would love to get back on the right side of the scoreboard after losing to No. 1 Michigan on Tuesday, 91-80.

VCU Rams vs. Saint Louis Billikens Odds & Pick

• Spread: VCU +8.5 (-110) | Saint Louis -8.5 (-110)

• Moneyline: VCU +360 | Saint Louis -465

• Total: OVER 165.5 (-115) | UNDER 165.5 (-105)

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With the loss on Tuesday, the Billikens (21-6, 12-2 A-10) are now in danger of losing control of the Atlantic 10 Conference, as they have only a .5-game lead over VCU (24-2, 12-1 A-10). Saint Louis won when these two teams played on January 7.

The Billikens got out to a 30-22 halftime lead before coasting in the second half to a 71-62 win. Both teams underperformed on offense, as the Billikens average 90.2 points per game and VCU averages 83.7.

Saint Louis shot 43% from the field and 30% from three-point range, below their season averages (51.7% and 40.8%), but VCU shot well below their averages (46.7% and 36.5%), hitting just 29% and 25%, respectively.

There is no value in the moneyline, and I think this game will be decided by less than 8.5 points, but either team could win. That leaves the TOTAL as the best bet for this game.

• My Pick: UNDER 165.5

Both teams are solid on offense, but it was their defenses that stood out in the first meeting, as both were held well below their season averages. But since they are capable of high-scoring games, it makes sense that they have a relatively high TOTAL.

However, in the ten games for Saint Louis where the TOTAL was 160+, the final score went UNDER in seven of them. In the six that were 165+ points, the UNDER went 5-1. When playing on the road, the UNDER is 5-2 for the Rams.

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Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers Odds & Pick

• Spread: Indiana +10.5 (-105) | Purdue -10.5 (-115)

• Moneyline: Indiana +470 | Purdue -670

• Total: OVER 147.5 (-115) | UNDER 147.5 (-105)

Odds from bet365 Sportsbook

Indiana could use a win to boost their March Madness resume. Purdue will be looking for revenge after getting upset by Indiana in Bloomington a couple of weeks ago, 72-67. They’ll also be looking to get back on the right side of the scoreboard after losing to Michigan earlier in the week.

The Hoosiers got off to a quick start in the first game and didn’t let off the gas until forced to at halftime, building a 40-29 advantage. While the Boilermakers made a few adjustments in the second half, they weren’t enough.

To win this time, Purdue will need to keep Indiana from heating up behind the arc this time. The Hoosiers went 12-33 from three-point range in the first game, while Purdue went 7-20.

• My Pick: Indiana +10.5

Indiana has not been a great road team this year, while Purdue has been solid at home, but not great against the spread (6-11). Being a rivalry game, I think we’ll see the best Indiana has to offer on the road.

Indiana could use a win over a ranked Purdue squad to give its tournament resume a much-needed boost. Because of that, I think we’ll see IU’s best road game of the year. Will it result in a win? I don’t know, but they will not lose by ten.

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