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Free College Basketball Picks Friday, January 10 and Opening Line Report


by Jason Radowitz - 1/9/2020

Maryland Terrapins forward Jalen Smith

Although there are only two ranked matchups for Friday's College Basketball slate, with conference play beginning, there are three more games on top of the two ranked games that will catch bettors' eyes on tomorrow. You can start your March Madness studying on Friday with conference favorites squaring off in some exciting matchups. Here are the early leans for the five best games on the college basketball slate for January 10.

(12) Maryland @ Iowa (+1, 148.5)

Iowa had two pretty bad losses in their last two conference games against Penn State and Nebraska. Iowa lost to Penn State at home and then took a loss to Nebraska on the road. Maryland, on the other hand, has won three straight games after taking their first two losses of the season back-to-back to Penn State and Seton Hall on the road. Iowa is known for their scoring, while Maryland has done a fantastic job on defense all season. Iowa shoots at a higher percentage than Maryland, and being at home can only hope. I'll take the home underdogs in Iowa to bounce back after two really bad losses. They're better than that.

Key trends: Iowa Hawkeyes are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS loss.

Early lean: Iowa, Over

(6) Butler @ Providence (+3, 126)

This Butler at Providence game is easily the game of the night in college basketball. Butler has won five straight while Providence has won four straight. Earlier in the season, expectations for Providence were high, but the Friars were struggling. Since Providence's loss to Florida, 83-51, Providence has turned around to defeat Texas, Georgetown, DePaul and Marquette. Butler is 14-1 on the year and have played tremendous defense, allowing teams to just 54.1 points against per game. Providence scores 73 points per game, however only shoots 41.7 percent from the floor. As long as Butler limits turnovers on the road, Butler should escape with a victory. This will be a fun one.

Key trends: Butler Bulldogs are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games.

Early lean: Butler, Under

Wright State @ IUPUI (+10, 155)

Wright State is 14-3 on the year and has won seven consecutive games and have started conference play 4-0 thus far. Wright State is the clear favorite to win the Horizon League. With a small slate of games in college basketball, fans will want to tune in to see if Wright State's is worth potentially penciling in when March rolls around. IUPUI won their last game against Green Bay scoring 93 points. This will be a fast-paced game, which is the type of game Wright State strives in with 82.3 points per game, shooting 46.2 percent from the field and averaging 41.4 rebounds per game.

Key trends: IUPUI Jaguars are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 home games.

Early lean: Wright State, Over

Pennsylvania @ Princeton (-1, 148)

Everyone loves some Ivy League action on a Friday night! Penn and Princeton just recently played each other at Penn, where Princeton ran away with a 78-64 win. Ivy League play is so weird that these two teams will be facing off again, back-to-back. This time, Penn will travel to Princeton. You know the saying that it's hard to beat a team twice back-to-back? It's true. Princeton started the season very poor but have now won four of their last five games. Princeton's record is currently 5-8. So, four of those five wins have come in their last five games. Penn played Villanova on December 4 and lost by 11. Both teams can hang around. But looking at averages, it's clear that Penn is the better team and you can't expect Penn to come out with a new game plan to get this win.


Key trends: Pennsylvania Quakers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up loss.

Early lean: Penn, Over

Ball State @ Akron (-4, 135.5)

Did you know Akron was 12-3? And Ball State is 9-6. The Mid-American is wide open this season with some fantastic teams battling for a spot in March Madness. Ball State has won their last three games and have started 2-0 in the Mid-American West, while Akron has started 2-0 in the Mid-American East. Both of these teams are on three-game winning streaks. Akron averages 76.9 points per game, while Ball State averages 72.4 points per game. With homecourt for Akron, you'd expect better shooting performances from the Zips. Akron also rebounds better. Akron should pull this one out towards the end. Seriously though, this game is going to be good.

Key trends: Akron Zips are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 home games.

Early lean: Akron, Over

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