The Thursday college basketball odds slate features six matchups involving Top 25 squads, half of which are pivotal late-season battles in the Big Ten, a conference that is looking to squeeze as many as nine members into the NCAA Tournament’s field of 68.
Two of the three Big Ten contests are expected to be competitive, as Michigan State visits No. 23 Ohio State, while Michigan hosts No. 24 Iowa. All four squads, which have had issues with consistency of late, are looking to regain their mojo ahead of next week’s conference tournament.
Meanwhile, there’s also a quick-turnaround rematch in the Big 12, where 48 hours after a stunning 10-point upset loss at TCU, Kansas will welcome the suddenly surging Horned Frogs to Allen Fieldhouse. In addition to delivering some payback, the Jayhawks need a win to climb back into a tie with Baylor atop the conference standings.
Props.com previews the Thursday college basketball odds for Iowa-Michigan, Michigan State-Ohio State, and TCU-Kansas.
Odds via DraftKings and updated as of 5:15 p.m. ET on March 3.
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No. 24 Iowa Vs Michigan
Tipoff/TV: 9 p.m. ET/FS1
Iowa: 21-8 SU (11-7 Big Ten)/17-12 ATS
Michigan: 16-12 SU (10-8 Big Ten)/12-16 ATS
Spread/Total: Michigan -2.5 (-105)/155
Last meeting: On Feb. 17, Michigan tallied 47 second-half points on the way to an 84-79 upset victory as a 5-point road underdog
Did you know: Prior to this season, the home team had won five straight regular-season meetings, and the favorite had covered five straight meetings overall (including the Big Ten Tournament)
About Iowa: The surging Hawkeyes have won seven of their last eight games, including Monday’s 82-61 thumping of Northwestern as a 10-point home favorite. Iowa’s last nine victories dating to Jan. 16 have been double-digit blowouts, with four of those wins coming on the road. The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in scoring offense (83.7 ppg, 5th nationally) and steals (7.5 per game), and within the league they rank second in assists (16.0 per contest) and third in rebounds (37.9 per game).
About Michigan: The Wolverines are coming off Tuesday’s 87-70 beatdown of Michigan State, cashing as a 5-point home chalk. Michigan has been spinning its wheels lately both on the scoreboard and at the betting window, alternating SU wins and losses in the last seven contests and alternating spread-covers in the last 10. The Wolverines have won consecutive games just once since a three-game winning streak from January 18-26. Michigan ranks second in the Big Ten in field-goal shooting (47.3%) but 10th in three-point shooting (33.8%). However, the Wolverines did connect on 7 of 12 attempts from beyond the arc against Michigan State on Tuesday.
What’s At Stake: Iowa, which is tied with Ohio State for fourth place in the Big Ten standings, needs a victory to move closer to securing a top-four seed (and first-round bye) in next week’s league tournament. Michigan (10-8) also has an outside shot at a top-four seed, but the greater focus lies with finishing strong and cementing a spot in the NCAA Tournament. While Iowa is No. 18 in the NCAA’s NET rankings — and thus seemingly a shoo-in for the Big Dance — the Wolverines (No. 32 NET ranking) remains on the proverbial NCAA Tournament “bubble”.
Players To Watch
Iowa forward Keegan Murray exploded for 26 points and 18 rebounds in Monday’s rout of Northwestern. The 6-foot-8 sophomore and national Player of the Year candidate leads all Power 5 players — and ranks fourth nationally — in scoring at 23.3 points per game. Murray has poured in at least 20 points in eight of his last nine contests, and he leads the Hawkeyes in rebounds (8.6 per game), field goal shooting (56.1%), and double-doubles (eight).
Michigan center Hunter Dickinson tallied a career-high 33 points and added nine rebounds in Tuesday’s blowout win over Michigan State. The 7-foot-1 sophomore leads the Wolverines in scoring (18.3 ppg), rebounds (8.4 per game) and blocks (1.4 per game), and ranks second in field-goal shooting (55.8%) and free-throw shooting (80.4%).
Notable Trends
- Iowa is 5-2 ATS in its last seven overall
- Michigan is 0-6 ATS as a favorite of less than 5 points this season
- Over is 5-2 in Iowa’s last seven road games
- Over is 4-1 in Michigan’s last five overall
- Michigan is 7-2 SU/6-3 ATS in its last nine vs. Iowa
- The last five meetings have produced a combined scoring average of 154.3 points — fractionally lower than tonight’s total
Iowa Vs Michigan Odds and Action
UPDATE 5:15 P.M. ET: Michigan opened -1 in DraftKings’ Thursday college basketball betting market, advanced to -2 late Wednesday night, returned to -1 this morning. But the line has since made a couple treks up to Wolverines -2.5 (-105), where it sits now. Ticket count is almost dead even, but money is just shy of 2/1 on Michigan. The total opened at 156.5 and got as low as 154.5 multiple times, then rebounded to 156. It’s now at 155, with 58% of bets/64% of money on the Under.
Michigan State Vs No. 23 Ohio State
Tipoff/TV: 7 p.m. ET/ESPN
Michigan State: 19-10 SU (10-8 Big Ten)/14-15 ATS
Ohio State: 18-9 SU (11-7 Big Ten)/14-13 ATS
Spread/Total: Ohio State -5 (-115)/139
Last meeting: On Feb. 25, 2021, Michigan State knocked off Ohio State 71-67 as a 4-point home underdog
Did you know: The home team has won 13 of the last 15 regular-season meetings, going 10-4-1 ATS. Also, the SU winner is 13-1 ATS in the last 14 series clashes
About Michigan State-Ohio State: The Spartans have dropped four of their last five games, including Tuesday’s 87-70 loss to Michigan, falling well short as a 5-point road ‘dog. The Buckeyes have been similarly shaky, dropping three of their last five outings, including Tuesday’s stunning 78-70 loss to last-place Nebraska as a hefty 15-point home favorite. Both Ohio State (No. 22 NET ranking) and Michigan State (38th) are expected to receive NCAA Tournament bids regardless of how they do in the Big Ten tournament. Within the league, the Buckeyes (74.0 ppg) and Spartans (72.1 ppg) rank fourth and eighth, respectively, in scoring offense. Ohio State is also third in field-goal shooting (47.2%) and blocks (4.9 per game), while Michigan State leads the league in blocks (5.3 per game) and ranks second in 3-point shooting (38.0%) and assists (16.0 per contest).
Notable Trends
- Michigan State is 2-7 ATS in its last nine overall (0-5 ATS on the road)
- Michigan State is 0-3 ATS as an underdog of 5 points or more this season
- Ohio State is 6-2 ATS in its last eight following a SU loss
- Under is 6-2 in Ohio State’s last eight overall
- Under is 5-2 in the Buckeyes’ last seven at home
- Favorite is 11-3 ATS in the last 14 series meetings
Michigan State Vs Ohio State Odds and Action
UPDATE 5:15 P.M. ET: DraftKings’ line toggled between Ohio State -6 and -5.5 a couple of times, then peaked briefly at -6.5 (-105) early this afternoon. However, the Buckeyes are now down to -5 (-115), while the Spartans are taking 54% of spread bets and 60% of spread cash. The total is down to 139 from a 142.5 opener, with 68% of bets on the Over/53% of cash on the Under.
TCU Vs No. 6 Kansas
Tipoff/TV: 8 p.m. ET/ESPN+
TCU: 19-9 SU (8-8 Big 12)/16-9-3 ATS
Kansas: 23-6 SU (12-4 Big 12)/13-16 ATS
Spread/Total: Kansas -12 (even)/142.5
Last meeting: On Tuesday, TCU outscored the Jayhawks 40-29 in the second half en route to a 74-64 upset victory as a 6.5-point home underdog
Did you know: Prior to this week, Kansas had won eight in a row against the Horned Frogs (5-2-1 ATS). Eight of the last 10 meetings have been decided by single digits
About TCU-Kansas: Kansas has followed a four-game winning streak (3-1 ATS) with back-to-back 10-point losses at Baylor and TCU. Still, with a victory Thursday, the Jayhawks can force a first-place tie with Baylor (13-4) heading into the final weekend of the regular season. The Horned Frogs have followed a 1-4 SU slump with consecutive upsets of Top 10 opponents, having also taken down then-No. 9 Texas Tech 69-66 on Saturday. Kansas leads the Big 12 in scoring offense (79.1 ppg, 22nd nationally), field-goal shooting (48.7%) and 3-point shooting (36.3%), while ranking second in rebounding (37.3 per game) and assists (15.8 per contest). TCU is No. 1 in the conference in rebounding (39.4 per game) but just seventh in scoring offense (68.6 ppg). While the Jayhawks (No. 8 NET ranking) are in position for top-2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, TCU (46th) is sitting on the bubble despite the two wins over Kansas and Texas Tech.
Notable Trends
- TCU is 15-5-1 ATS in its last 20 overall (4-0 ATS last four)
- TCU is 8-1-1 ATS in its last 10 road/neutral site games
- Kansas is 2-6 ATS in its last eight road games (all vs. Big 12 teams)
- Over is 9-3 in TCU’s last 12 overall
- TCU is 4-2-1 ATS in its last seven visits to Kansas
- Road team is 5-1 ATS in the last six series meetings
TCU Vs Kansas Odds and Action
UPDATE 5:15 P.M. ET: Kansas is at its peak of -12 (even) at DraftKings, after opening -10.5 in the Thursday college basketball odds market. Texas Christian is drawing 62% of spread bets, but Kansas is netting 68% of spread dollars. The total fell from 144 to 142.5, with ticket count 2/1 on the Under, but money 3/1 on the Over.
