Best College Basketball Bets for Thursday, March 5: Michigan Looking to Remain Undefeated on the Road

• Michigan leads the all-time series vs. Iowa, 27-20; the Wolverines won the last game, but the Hawkeyes have won three of the last five

• Michigan State leads the all-time series vs. Rutgers, 17-3; the Scarlet Knights have never beaten the Spartans in East Lansing

It is a busy day for college basketball across the country as we take one more step towards the end of the regular season.  If you are looking for help figuring out how to bet on one or more of the men's games today, look no further. We’ve got your Best College Basketball Bets right here.

For today’s Best Bets, we are going to focus on games featuring teams from the Big Ten.

No. 3 Michigan Wolverines vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Odds & Pick

• Spread: Michigan -8.5 (-110) | Iowa +8.5 (-110)  

• Moneyline: Michigan -465 | Iowa +340

• Total: OVER 145.5 (-110) | UNDER 145.5 (-110)

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Michigan’s time atop the AP Poll was short-lived, but the Wolverines wasted no time getting back on track following the loss to Duke. They followed that game up with a 77-67 win over Minnesota at home on February 24, and followed that game with a win over No. 10 Illinois on the road on Friday, 84-70.

Iowa has had a good season but has struggled some down the stretch. They started February off with three wins but ended it with losses in four of the next six games. In their last game, the Hawkeyes faced the conference's worst team (Penn State) and lost 71-69.

Morez Johnson Jr., Aday Mara, and Yaxel Lendeborg lead the way in the front court for Michigan, giving the Wolverines a size advantage inside. However, the Hawkeyes have the advantage on the perimeter and will look to Bennett Stirtz, Tate Sage, and Tavion Banks to heat up.

Michigan is 10-0 on the road this season; Iowa is 15-2 at home.

• My Pick: UNDER 145.5 at -110 via FanDuel

Michigan is going to try to slow things down and turn it into a physical, half-court game. Iowa, on the other hand, will want to pick up the pace, make Michigan’s big boys run, and make it rain from the perimeter. 

Whoever succeeds will win the game, but either way, the score will be relatively low.

The UNDER is 4-1 for both teams in their last five games. It is 6-4 for Michigan on the road and 9-8 for Iowa at home (but 3-0 in their last three home games).

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Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. No. 8 Michigan State Spartans Odds & Pick

• Spread: Rutgers +19.5 (-110) | Michigan State -19.5 (-110)         

• Moneyline: Rutgers +1600 | Michigan State -4500

• Total: OVER 141.5 (-110) | UNDER 141.5 (-110)

Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook

Michigan State has bounced back well from a surprising loss to Wisconsin (92-71, Feb. 13) with a four-game winning streak that includes a 76-74 victory against No. 8 Purdue in West Lafayette.  They last played on Sunday, beating Indiana in Bloomington. 77-64.

As for Rutgers, the struggle has been all too real for the Scarlet Knights this season. After beating Northwestern, 77-75 in OT, on January 11, they were 9-8, 2-4, and at a turning point. But they turned in the wrong direction, losing seven in a row, including an 88-79 OT loss to Michigan State (Jan. 27).

With a 69-65 win over Maryland on Sunday, they’ve won three of their last five games.

• My Pick: Rutgers +19.5 at FanDuel

Michigan State has a decent offense (No 123 in the country, 78.3 points per game) and a solid defense (No. 24, 66.6 points per game). Rutgers struggles to put points on the board (No. 303, 70.2 points per game) and has an unimpressive defense (No. 225, 75.4 points per game allowed).

It should be an easy win for the Spartans, right? Eh, but will they cover?

In their earlier matchup this season, the Spartans were favored by 14.5 and won by nine. While Rutgers has gone 3-7 SU in its last 10, it has gone 6-4 ATS. The Spartans were 5-5 ATS over their last 10 games.

The Spartans will win, but don’t expect them to cover such a large spread even though they are playing at home.

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