betJACK Best Bets: NCAA Basketball February 9

With only about four weeks left until ‘Selection Sunday’, lets take a look at tonight’s three best bets for Men’s College Basketball.

Purdue (-8) vs. Iowa

The #1 ranked Purdue Boilermakers host the Iowa Hawkeyes tonight in a Big Ten matchup that will feature plenty of offense. Led by Player of the Year favorite, Zach Edey, Purdue is coming off a tough loss on the road at Indiana and are positioned for a great bounce back spot at home.

 The Hawkeyes are riding a three game winning streak, but have struggled losing four of their last five road games. This sets up perfect for not only a Purdue victory, but for the cover as well. I expect Iowa will get theirs on the offensive end but will not be able to slow down the high-flying Boilermaker offense. I like Purdue by double digits at home.

Give me Purdue -8. (Purdue 82, Iowa 70)    

🏀 Looking to enter for a chance at a $1,000 bonus bet? Visit betJACK today to learn more! 🏀

Northern Arizona vs. Sacramento State Over 131

These two teams squared off back in January and combined to score a measly 115 points, prompting tonight’s low total of 131. However, a deeper dive into the numbers suggest this was an outlier and that these two teams are poised to put up much better offensive numbers in tonight’s contest. Ken Pom has Northern Arizona ranked #197 in offensive efficiency, but only #316 in defensive efficiency. Similarly, Sacramento State is situated at #166 / #269. 

The trick to hitting this over will come down to whether Northern Arizona can speed up Sac State and force them to play at their tempo. If they can manage to do that, I expect this total to be crushed.

Give me the over 131. (Northern Arizona 68, Sacramento State 73)

Saint Mary’s (-4) 1st Half vs. Loyola Marymount

Saint Mary’s has quietly been one of the best teams in the country this season, having won 12 straight including a big OT victory against Gonzaga last Saturday. Tonight, they face a Loyola Marymount squad that played the Gaels tough in the second half back in January but got off to a slow start and found themselves down 14 at half against Saint Mary’s. I expect more of the same tonight as Loyola Marymount has had a difficult time getting going in the first half in their last few matchups. Give me the Gaels in the first half tonight.

Give me Saint Mary’s -4 1H. (Saint Mary’s 34, Loyola Marymount 27)