
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
OHIO STATE @ ILLINOIS (ILL -6.5, 155.5)
KASPARAS JAKUCIUNIS OVER 17.5 POINTS
Ohio State has won three straight games. The defense has really stepped it up for the Buckeyes, who beat Purdue on the road before blowing out Iowa and Penn State last week. Illinois has won just 2 of its last 6 games. They are coming off a tough 80-75 overtime loss to Nebraska on Thursday night.
Illinois has played each of its last three games without starting C Tomislav Ivisic. The 7-footer has mono and is listed as a game-time decision for today. Head coach Brad Underwood has hinted that his big guy will probably be out a little longer.
If he is out, I do like the Buckeyes to cover, but officially here I'll take the Illini's other star, Kasparas Jakuciunis to go Over his points prop. He averages 16 ppg and he's gone Over today's number in 10 of his last 14 games.
LLEGE BASKETBALL
BRADLEY @ NORTHERN IOWA ( UNI -1.5, 139)
NORTHERN IOWA -1.5
These are two of the best teams in the Missouri Valley Conference. Both are coming off blowout losses in their last game. I like Northern Iowa to rebound at home today. Bradley is actually the nation's leader in 3PT FG percentage. The Braves shoot 39.9 percent from behind the arc, but in their last two games combined Bradley has only hit 10 threes.
Northern Iowa is a solid defense. The Panthers have held 4 of their past 5 opponents to fewer than 70 points. UNI Is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games and 9-2 SU in its 11 home games this season. The Panthers are also 8-1 ATS in their last nine games at home, the place where they beat Bradley 74-63 last season. On this Groundhog Day, I like a repeat of that performance.
Ylose expert Coach Rick Bowe delivers his daily Quick Picks. The Coach continues to roll up big wins in college basketball, college football, the NFL, MLB and much more. Coach Rick offers a unique perspective to handicapping. Check out his daily free picks right here and jump on his daily Best Bets, which you can find right here at Ylose.com/coach.