Tuesday night sees the Nebraska Cornhuskers clash with the Purdue Boilermakers in a Big Ten showdown at the Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska are looking to bounce straight back from their defeat at Wisconsin on Saturday, while the Boilermakers are looking for an eighth successive win. In our latest NCAAB betting picks, we tell you who will come out on top and what the best bets to place are.
- What; 2023/24 NCAA Men’s Basketball
- Who; Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Purdue Boilermakers
- Where; Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska
- When; Tuesday, January 9th 2024
- Tip-Off; 9 pm ET
This will be Nebraska’s second successive match against a ranked team. On Saturday the Cornhuskers faced the then-ranked 21 Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Centre. The Badgers blew the Cornhuskers away in the first period, storming into a 51-38 lead. Nebraska made a better fist of things in the second period. But despite an improved performance, the Cornhuskers still went down 88-72.
As for the Boilermakers, well, they have been in superb form this season. Their only defeat was away at Northwestern (92-88) at the start of December. Since then, Purdue has gone on a seven-match winning streak, with their latest win coming against the Illinois Fighting Illini on Friday.
The 83-78 win over the Fighting Illini wasn’t without incident. Purdue was 47-32 up at the halfway point, and at one stage, held a 21-point lead. So to only win by five points shows they didn’t have things all their way.
NO. 1 PURDUE GRABS ANOTHER RANKED WIN 🚂
The Boilermakers defeat No. 9 Illinois to win their 7th straight game 7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/vxGHKzhwku
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 6, 2024
Despite a troubled second half, a season-best 23-point haul from Trey Kaufman-Renn was the main driving force behind the latest win for the favorites to win the 2024 NCAA Basketball championship.
Latest betting to win the Big Ten
Speaking of the bookmakers’ favorites, let’s take a look at the latest betting to win the Big Ten Conference. According to the best college basketball betting sites, only two teams have a realistic chance of topping the Big Ten Conference table. The teams are Purdue, who lead the way on -225, and Wisconsin, who are second in the betting at +550.
Outside the leading two candidates, Michigan State is +1100, with Ohio State at +1200 and Illinois at +1800. Nebraska is down at +4000.
Betting to win the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship
Last week, Purdue was +900 with BetOnline to win the 2024 NCAA Basketball Championship. This week, the Boilermakers have been trimmed into +850. Behind Purdue in the betting are the Arizona Wildcats and Houston Cougars at +1100, with UConn at +1400.
The Arizona Wildcats are slightly on the drift. They were +1000 this time last week. Heading in the opposite direction is the Cougars at +1100, who have been trimmed from +1200. UConn has also dropped down a couple of clicks in the betting. The Huskies have seen their odds drift from +1200 to +1400.
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Purdue Boilermakers Match Betting
Now let’s check out the latest NCAAB betting lines for the Big Ten showdown.
On the handicap spread, Nebraska has a 7.5-point advantage. To win with the spread, the Cornhuskers are -110. To win and cover the spread, Purdue is -110.
The total points spread is 150.5. Over and under are both -110. More betting options are available on our college basketball odds table. For our odds, we only use the top-rated NCAA basketball betting sites.
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Purdue Boilermakers; Latest Form
Despite the difference in the betting odds, Nebraska isn’t having a bad season. The Cornhuskers are 12-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten. Defeats have come against Wisconsin (88-72), Minnesota (76-65), and Creighton (89-60).
After the loss to Minnesota, the Cornhuskers went on a five-match winning streak. The streak was only broken by the Wisconsin loss last weekend. And it was an impressive run, including wins against MI State (77-70), Kansas State (62-46), and Indiana (86-70).
As for Purdue, they are 14-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers have only tasted defeat once this season. They are not only the betting favorites to win the Championship. But also the No.1 ranked team in the NCAA.
In recent weeks star center Zach Edey has led the way with some impressive performances. But Matt Painter’s team is more than a one-man show. And even when Edey has an off day (like he did against Illinois), big names like Kaufman-Renn can step up to the plate and deliver the goods. All-in-all, Purdue looks in very good shape.
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Purdue Boilermakers Betting Picks
The Boilermakers have won four in a row against the Cornhuskers and hold the upper hand over their Big Ten rivals – that said, they nearly came unstuck at this venue last year when they let a 14-point lead slip and needed overtime to see off the Cornhuskers.
Expect Zach Edey to come good again in this matchup. He is behind everything positive the Boilermakers do. So far this season, Edey is averaging 22.3 points a game. He also has an average of 10.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. And after struggling slightly in his last match, he will be keen to remind everyone he is Purdue’s main man when it comes to getting the job done.
We expect Edey and his Purdue team to have too much for Nebraska. Not only will they make it eight in a row. We also believe that the Purdue Boilermakers will cover the 7.5-point spread – and that is our betting pick for this matchup.
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