The Northern Kentucky Norse (0-1) take on the Purdue Boilermakers (1-0) in West Lafayette, Indiana. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on Big Ten Plus.
In this particular matchup, the Boilermakers are favored by 19.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -5000. The total is also set at 148.5 points.
Here’s my Northern Kentucky vs Purdue predictions and college basketball picks for Friday.
Northern Kentucky vs Purdue Prediction
My Pick: Purdue -19.5
My Northern Kentucky vs Purdue best bet is on the Boilermakers spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Northern Kentucky vs Purdue Odds
| Northern Kentucky Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+19.5 -108 | 148.5 108o/112u | +1800 |
| Purdue Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-19.5 -112 | 148.5 108o/112u | -5000 |
- Northern Kentucky vs Purdue spread: Purdue -19.5
- Northern Kentucky vs Purdue over/under: 148.5
- Northern Kentucky vs Purdue moneyline: Purdue -5000, Northern Kentucky +1800
- Northern Kentucky vs Purdue best bet: Purdue -19.5
Spread
I'm targeting Purdue on the spread.
Moneyline
I'm passing on the moneyline.
Over/Under
There's no value on the total, in my opinion.
My Pick: Purdue -19.5
Northern Kentucky vs Purdue College Basketball Betting Preview
Northern Kentucky Basketball
Darrin Horn and Northern Kentucky won 20+ games in back-to-back seasons and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2022-23. Last year, they only posted 18 wins (four-of-six to end the season), but somehow, that's progress for a roster that was nipped by the injury bug.
While leading scorer Marques Warrick is gone, Sam Vinson — who suffered a torn ACL last season — is back to lead the Norse. Vinson averaged 13.3 points per game before going down and should be the top option offensively for NKU.
But the difference in the Norse's season will come down to their two Division II transfers — Dan Gherezgher Jr. and Josh Dilling. Gherezgher only played 13 minutes in the Norse's opener against Florida State; however, Dilling scored 18 points in 34 minutes.
Purdue Basketball
When Purdue lost to Fairleigh Dickinson in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, a lot of the blame — and rightfully so — went to Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. The two guards struggled against pressure defense all season and combined to shoot 6-of-20 from the field in the shocking loss.
Two years later, the tide has turned. Smith and Loyer helped lead Purdue to the National Championship game last season after finishing as the team's second and fourth-leading scorers, respectively.
Fast forward to 2024-25, and Smith is a First Team All-American candidate (especially after dropping 12/15/8 in the opening game) and Loyer is looking like the second option offensively.
Zach Edey isn't walking through the doors of Mackey Arena, but the Boilers still have plenty of size and experience up front. Junior Trey Kaufman-Renn, 7-foot-4 Daniel Jacobsen, 7-foot-2 Will Berg and senior Caleb Hurst is a nice group to work with.
Northern Kentucky vs Purdue Betting Analysis
Northern Kentucky has a shot at winning a wide-open Horizon League, and the size it has in the backcourt (6-foot-5, 6-foot-4, 6-foot-4) can fluster low-to-mid-major opponents. But this is what Purdue was talking about.
Smith and Loyer have taken massive steps forward and have much more big-game experience and talent than the Vinson/Dilling/Gherezgher trio. Vinson is still getting his feet under him after his knee injury and remember, Dilling and Gherezgher have played in one Division I game.
Plus, Northern Kentucky has no shot of stopping Purdue on the interior, especially with Jacobsen's size and Kaufman-Renn's skill set.
And the best part for the Boilermakers is if the Norse try to double the interior, they can more than count on their guards — which is something they couldn't have said two years ago.
Expect a blowout.
