Per usual, Thursday night showed us some really interesting matchups, however, it was extremely mid-major heavy!

Iowa State dominates Colorado. The Cyclones move up on the 2 line.

Illinois controlled Washington, winning big. Illinois remains a 2.

Furman beat Samford in a key Socon battle!

LIU dominates Le Moyne to continue to control the NEC

Vermont beat UMBC. The Catamounts remain the top of the conference!

Elon best William & Mary in a fun one!

Charleston survived a tough test @ Hofstra!

Morehead State beats SIUE by 2 in a key OVC matchup!

Memphis beat FAU in a key American result!

North Dakota upsets St. Thomas on the road!

App State beat Coastal in a Fun Belt matchup!

Tennessee State beat Little Rock in a key OVC matchup

Portland State suffered their first conference loss of the year to Montana!

Hawaii & UC Irvine played an OT thriller with Irvine prevailing!

Friday:

Tonight is headlined by a top 10 matchup in East Lansing!

Reminder for how I choose these gems and what I’m looking for to make it on the page:

• Any tournament team immediately gets placed here.
• Conference leaders playing games where it’s expected to be close, or it’s two teams at the top of the conference I want to highlight. I try to really keep it to games that are of true intrigue and higher impact!

Princeton @ Cornell | 6:00, ESPN+

Ivy League matchups rarely disappoint, and this one should keep that trend going! Cornell is favored by 5.5 and this should be a high scoring matchup.

Kent State @ Akron | 6:00, CBSSN

Akron is favored by 11 here, and is looking to keep pace with Miami (OH) in the MAC race. However, Kent state is just 1 game back in the standings!

Fairfield @ Iona | 7:00, ESPN+

This is a key MAAC matchup! Fairfield is 5-6 and Iona is 6-5. Iona is favored by 3.5 in New Rochelle!

Providence @ Villanova | 7:00, FS1

Important matchup at the Finn! Nova is riding along as a 5 seed right now. A loss to the Friars would damage that seed line a good bit. Nova is favored by 8.5 at this time.

Northern Kentucky @ Detroit Mercy | 7:00, ESPN+

Find the pregame breakdown on Valhalla Voice!

Michigan @ Michigan State | 8:00, FOX

The Wolverines are rolling after a comeback win over Nebraska, firmly holding a 1 seed line. Meanwhile, Sparty has climbed to a 2 seed and is eyeing a top spot if they can defend the Breslin Center. This is the highest-ranked matchup in the history of this rivalry!

Dayton @ Saint Louis | 8:00, CBSSN

Even with Dayton having a down year, the atmosphere at Chaifetz will be electric. The Billikens are favored by 11.5 and looking to protect their ranking.

Wright State @ Milwaukee | 8:00, ESPN+

This is a key matchup in the Horizon League regular season. Wright State is leading the conference, but Milwaukee is solid and Oakland is right on the heels of WSU! Wright State is favored by 1.5.

Boise State @ Grand Canyon | 9:00, FS1

The Lopes’ first season in the Mountain West has been a ride. At 6-3 in the MWC, GCU needs this to stay on the at-large radar. Boise State (the MWC’s best rebounding team) looks to play spoiler. GCU favored by 1.5.

UNLV @ Nevada | 10:00, CBSSN

UNLV is not a tournament level team, however, Nevada is right on the fringe of the bubble and is looking to make a push. The Wolfpack are favored by 7.5 here.