Two Takes For College Basketball On Friday

College basketball has treated us well this season and I'm looking to continue that trend here tonight with a couple of plays. While most of the bigger games and more interesting matchups are tomorrow, that doesn't really mean anything when it comes to betting because sometimes it makes more sense to focus on the games most people aren't watching. Tonight, I'm locking in on a couple of games between teams you wouldn't normally look to bet on.

James Madison vs. Morgan State, 1:00 ET

The magical run of James Madison continues! This is an early game so I am hopeful the majority of you can get this bet in. On the season, the Dukes are 11-0 and scoring at a great clip with almost 93 points per game. They are an efficient offense as well scoring on about 50% of their field goal attempts. They've scored at least 81 points in the past seven games and have a good chance to get there again today against a team that allows almost 79 points per game to opponents. They don't just outscore people though, they are an effective defensive team that works together to make the other team take bad shots. Sure, they haven't played anyone overly impressive in the last four or five games, but they have held opponents to 71 or fewer points in those last seven games as well. The spread is high today at 21 points, but over the past seven games, two of which were on the road, and two on a neutral court, they would've covered 21 points in just three of them. That isn't always reflective of what will happen today, because Morgan State is different than anyone they've already played. Is Morgan State any good? Not really. They are just 4-9 on the season and have lost eight of their last 10 games. They do have a variety of high scorers which is good because it means they don't have just one option, although the statistics indicate that most of the offense revolves around guard Wynston Tabbs. They've only had three losses this season where they didn't cover 21 points. I think James Madison can cover this one. They certainly have the better team and they are playing to keep their national ranking.

COLLEGE PARK, MD - DECEMBER 14: Head coach Kevin Willard of the Maryland Terrapins looks on during a college basketball game against the UCLA Bruins at Xfinity Center on December 14, 2022 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Maryland vs. UCLA, 9:00 ET

In the first game, I talked about two schools that you probably aren't familiar with unless you went there, are a basketball junkie, or have followed me in the past. In this play, you are certainly familiar with Maryland and UCLA. Both of these schools have a solid history of basketball but neither has done much lately. Maryland is off to a better start with a 7-4 record for the season but has lost both of their away games. They have been playing better basketball lately, however with a 4-1 record. I wouldn't really consider any of those games against good opponents aside from the game they lost. That one was against Indiana. They did beat Penn State, but they are an average team and it took Maryland until overtime to pull away finally. UCLA is just 5-5 on the season, and coming off one of the worst losses I've seen from a good program this year. They've lost five of their past seven games. One of the wins was a blowout against Chaminade, a school no one knows of, and then against UC Riverside - a game that they only won by one point. Since that game against UC Riverside, they have had three straight losses: Villanova, Ohio State, and Cal State Northridge. The other losses were against Marquette and Gonzaga. I can make an argument for four of those five losses making sense. UCLA has four players that average in double figures and Maryland only has two. They do have another couple that are averaging eight or more points per game. I think the UCLA backcourt is better and the frontcourt should at least match up well with the Maryland forwards. I'm going to take UCLA to win this one and cover the -3.5 at home.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on Twitter: @futureprez2024