Penn State vs Purdue Odds, Pick
| Penn State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+18.5 -105 | 151.5 -110o / -110u | +1050 |
| Purdue Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-18.5 -115 | 151.5 -110o / -110u | -2500 |
The Purdue Boilermakers are currently atop the AP rankings, but an upset loss by Nebraska will likely push them from the No. 1 overall spot.
They'll look to bounce back at home against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Penn State has gone through a roller-coaster ride in Big Ten play with a 2-3 mark, although both wins came in comeback fashion.
Here's NCAAB odds and a pick for Penn State vs. Purdue.
Penn State Nittany Lions
It’s been an adjustment period in Happy Valley for Penn State, who have started 8-8 in Mike Rhoades’ first season as head coach. The Nittany Lions are currently ranked 113th in KenPom, the worst of any Big Ten team.
Penn State suffered a five-game losing streak in non-conference action, including losses to Texas A&M, Butler, and VCU. The Nittany Lions have two overtime losses to Maryland and Georgia Tech, so a couple of bounces, and maybe they are at 10 wins.
But on the flip side, PSU erased an 18-point deficit in an 83-80 home win over Ohio State while rallying past Michigan from an early 14-point hole at the Palestra in Philadelphia in a 79-73 triumph last Sunday.
Penn State fell to 2-3 in league play after a 76-72 home loss to Northwestern on Wednesday. This time, the Nittany Lions couldn’t hold a double-digit advantage as Penn State converted on only 3-of-17 3-point attempts.
Long-range shooting has not been a positive for Penn State this season, ranking 313th nationally at 29.7%. The Lions have shot just 26% from deep in Big Ten play.
Kanye Clary has been Penn State’s most consistent scorer this season at 18.8 points per game, while former VCU standout Ace Baldwin, Jr. has been inconsistent lately. Baldwin scored two points against Michigan State but bounced back with 25 points in the Michigan win, followed by a six-point effort in the Northwestern loss.
Penn State owns an underwhelming 6-10 ATS record this season, but many of those defeats are in the favorite role. The Nittany Lions are 3-3 ATS as an underdog with all covers in that role against Big Ten counterparts.
Purdue Boilermakers
The expectations are sky-high in West Lafayette after last season’s shocking upset to 16th-seed FDU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Boilermakers boast last season’s Wooden Award winner in center Zach Edey, averaging 21.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
However, Edey has scored a combined 25 points in the last two games, including 15 points in Tuesday’s 88-72 setback at Nebraska as seven-point favorites.
All the fault in the Nebraska loss does not fall on Edey, as the Huskers drilled 14-of-23 shots from 3-point range. Also, past Edey shooting 6-of-10 on 2-point attempts, the rest of the Purdue squad converted on 5-of-14 shots inside the 3-point line.
The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for Matt Painter’s team, which included victories over Arizona, Alabama, and Illinois, all top-10 KenPom-ranked teams.
Purdue began the season with a solid 9-2-1 ATS record before dropping to 1-3 ATS in the last four games. The Boilermakers have failed to cover in their last two home games but have posted a 4-1 ATS mark this season as a 20-point favorite or higher.
Last season, Purdue captured all three matchups with Penn State, capped off by a 67-65 win in the Big Ten tournament as 7.5-point favorites.
Guard Braden Smith exploded against Alabama and Arizona, scoring 53 points across those two wins last month. However, Smith has scored a combined 47 points in his past five games, but the assist numbers have been consistent by dishing out 6.6 helpers in the past five contests.
Penn State vs. Purdue
Betting Pick & Prediction
Although Purdue is the top-ranked KenPom team in the Big Ten and Penn State is the lowest-ranked, it's hard to lay this amount of points with the Boilermakers.
Penn State was blown out in its lone opportunity as a double-digit underdog at Michigan State, but the Nittany Lions have been competitive in four of five conference games.
Let's grab the massive points with Penn State on the road against Purdue.
Pick: Penn State +20.5 (Play to +19)
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