College Basketball Picks and Predictions for Sunday, December 4

Early December play in the Big Ten Conference this Sunday centers around Minnesota at Purdue and Northwestern at Michigan State.

Sunday, Dec. 4

Updated on 03/19/2024
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Minnesota vs. Purdue

• Venue: Mackey Arena
• Location: Lafayette, Indiana
• TV-Time: BTN, 5:00 p.m. ET
Matchup
Expert Picks

Minnesota lost its last two games to UNLV (71-62) and to Virginia Tech (67-57). The total has stayed UNDER in six of the first seven games this season. Purdue is 7-0 SU in its first seven games this season and 4-3 ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in five of the Boilermakers’ first seven outings.

The Golden Gophers has a trio of players averaging 10 points or more led by forward Dawson Garcia with 14.3 points. Purdue center Zach Edey is averaging 22.1 points and 11.4 rebounds to lead the way.  The Boilermakers’ guards Fletcher Loyer (11.3) and Braden Smith (10.3) are second and third in scoring.

Minnesota lost its last nine conference road games SU and went 3-6 ATS. The total stayed under in five of the last seven conference games on the road. Purdue won its last SU eight home conference games the previous season and the Boilermakers beat the Golden Gophers 88-73 the last time they played.

Score Prediction: Purdue 78, Minnesota 64
Best Bet: Purdue

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Northwestern vs. Michigan State

• Venue: Breslin Center
• Location: East Lansing, Michigan
• TV-Time: BTN, 7:00 p.m. ET
Matchup
Expert Picks

The Wildcats won five games SU to begin the season but a loss to Auburn and Pittsburgh has the losing streak up to two games. Northwestern is 4-3 ATS in the first seven matchups. Michigan State is 5-3 SU and 3-5 ATS in its first eight games this season. The highs were wins over Kentucky and Villanova in mid-November.

Northwestern only scored 42 points against Auburn and 58 points against Pittsburgh in its last two games. Guard Tyson Walker and forward Joey Hauser led the Spartans with a combined 28.7 points this season. Michigan State lost to Notre Dame 70-52 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

The Wildcats went 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS in their last four conference games on the road and the total stayed UNDER in three of the last four outings. Michigan State managed a split against Northwestern last season, winning (SU and ATS) on the road and losing at home.

Score Prediction: Michigan State 74, Northwestern 63
Best Bet: Michigan State