College Basketball Picks: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Purdue Boilermakers
DeShaun Thomas is leading the Big Ten Conference in scoring this season, as the Ohio State Buckeyes (11-3) prepare to take on the Purdue Boilermakers (7-7) at Mackey Arena Tuesday night, with the opening tip scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
Sports bettors will find that the Buckeyes are 8.5-point road favorites in the college basketball odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total has moved up three points from its opening number to settle in at 135.5.
Thomas is averaging 20.2 points through 14 games this season, but the Buckeyes are shooting just 33.6 percent from the field on the road.
Let's take a closer look at this conference rivalry from a betting perspective, while offering a prediction on the total along the way.
Ohio State Buckeyes
1 of 3The Ohio State Buckeyes will look to bounce back from a 74-55 setback to the Illinois Fighting Illini as three-point road favorites Saturday, while going UNDER the total for a third consecutive contest.
Sports bettors will find that the Buckeyes are 2-2 against the spread (ATS) as road favorites of 6.5 to 9 points over the last two-plus seasons.
Purdue Boilermakers
2 of 3The Purdue Boilermakers had their three-game win streak snapped in suffering a 84-61 defeat to the Michigan State Spartans as 11.5-point road underdogs last time out, but they did manage to score a win in their Big Ten Conference opener against the Illinois Fighting Illini on Dec. 2.
Sports bettors will find that the Boilermakers are 9-0-1 ATS at home when the total is between 135 to 139.5 since 2010, with the UNDER cashing in all three opportunities this year.
Prediction
3 of 3I'm going to recommend that readers play the total as one of their NCAA basketball picks Tuesday, as the UNDER is 4-1 in the Boilermakers last five home games.
College Basketball Pick: Under 135.5
