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College Basketball

Thursday’s Tip Sheet

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
4 minute read
Thursday night’s college basketball in the Big Ten features a double-header of betting action on the Big Ten Network wrapped around a featured matchup on ESPN including the top-ranked team in the conference.

Iowa will be on the road against Purdue at the same time that Penn State gets things started against Michigan. Later Thursday night, Minnesota will wrap things up in the Big Ten with a trip to Madison to face off against Wisconsin.



No. 25 Iowa Hawkeyes at Purdue Boilermakers (BTN, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Purdue -7, Total 150 ½

Betting Matchup

The Hawkeyes are one of seven Big Ten teams ranked in the AP’s latest Top 25. They closed out the nonconference portion of their schedule with a SU five-game winning streak after losing to Wisconsin and Michigan State in early conference play. One of Iowa’s biggest wins came against Iowa State in a 98-84 victory as a two-point home underdog on Dec. 6.

Purdue opened play in the Big Ten with a 76-57 loss against Michigan as a six-point road underdog on Dec. 1. It followed this up with a tight 62-60 victory against Maryland at home, but it could not cover as a 8 ½-point favorite. The Boilermakers have gone just 1-5 ATS over their last six games with the total going OVER in three of their last four outings.

Betting Trends

-- The Hawkeyes are 7-15-1 ATS in their last 23 conference games and the total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in their last six Big Ten games.

-- The Boilermakers have failed to cover in 14 of their last 19 home games and the total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in 16 of their last 22 games against the conference.

-- Head-to-head, the home team is 13-4 ATS in the last 17 meetings and the total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in the last four meetings at Purdue.

Penn State Nittany Lions at No. 2 Michigan Wolverines (ESPN, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Michigan -12, Total 126 ½

Betting Matchup

Penn State lost both of its first two conference games (SU and ATS) early in December to Maryland on the road and to Indiana at home as a three-point favorite. Going back to the 66-59 loss to the Terrapins as 6 ½-point underdogs, the Lions are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games. Junior forward Lamar Stevens leads the team in scoring with 18.8 points. He is also the top rebounder with an average of 8.2 boards a game.

The Wolverines are coming off a SU 11-0 run through the nonconference portion of the schedule plus a pair of conference wins against Purdue and Northwestern early in December. Including that tight 62-60 road win against the Wildcats on Dec. 4 as five-point favorites, they have failed to cover in their last five games. Michigan is only giving up an average of 55.1 points per game to help keep the total UNDER in nine of those first 13 games.

Betting Trends

-- The Nittany Lions are 0-5 ATS in their last five games coming off a SU win and the total has stayed UNDER in five of their last six games following a win SU.

-- The Wolverines have failed to cover in their last four home games and the total has stayed UNDER in five of their last six games following a SU victory.

-- Michigan has gone 11-3 ATS in its last 14 home games against the Nittany Lions and the total has gone OVER in its last seven games at home against Penn State.

Minnesota Golden Gophers at No. 22 Wisconsin Badgers (BTN, 9:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Wisconsin -10 ½, Total 137 ½

Betting Matchup

Minnesota has failed to cover in its last four games closing as heavy double-digit favorites in all four contests. Bouncing back from a 79-59 loss to Ohio State on Dec. 2 as 8 ½-point road underdogs, the Golden Gophers did knockoff Nebraska 85-78 as four-point underdogs at home in their first two Big Ten games. Senior forward Jordan Murphy has topped his team-high 15.7-point scoring average in three of his last five starts.

The Badgers are 10-3 SU following Saturday’s 83-76 road loss to Western Kentucky as 6 ½-point favorites. The total went OVER 135 points in that game and it has gone OVER in four of their last five games. They beat Iowa on the road and Rutgers at home in their first two conference games. Wisconsin has gotten a strong effort from senior forward Ethan Happ. He has led the way in scoring with 19.2 PPG while shooting 56.9 percent from the field.

Betting Trends

-- The Golden Gophers have failed to cover in 11 of their last 14 conference games and the total has stayed UNDER in five of their last seven games on the road.

-- The Badgers are 7-1 ATS in their last eight conference games and the total has stayed UNDER in five of their last seven games following a SU loss.

-- The favorite in this matchup is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings and the total has stayed UNDER in five of the last seven meetings in Wisconsin.


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