Thursday college basketball cards are usually reserved for the mid-majors.
Not this one, as VSiN.com managing editor Adam Burke points out.
Michigan State (+7.5) visits Purdue (8 ET, Peacock) in the only Big Ten game on the board — and the only matchup featuring two ranked teams. Both sit at 12-4 in conference play with seeding implications for the Big Ten Tournament and potentially the NCAA bracket path.
The surface handicap says Purdue at home. The Boilermakers are elite offensively — top-20 nationally in both 2-point and 3-point percentage — and they protect the basketball. Michigan State, meanwhile, ranks outside the top 100 in both categories offensively. On paper, laying points with the better offense in a tough building makes sense.
👉 But Adam digs deeper into the numbers and comes up with this Best Bet.
In mid-major action, the Big West has a big game, too: UC Irvine (+1.5) vs. CSUN (10 ET, ESPN+) for first place.
Greg “Hoops” Peterson has an opinion on the Michigan State-Purdue game among his Best Bets for tonight.
Look for more plays from Adam later this morning on our college basketball page. You’ll also find picks from Tyler Shoemaker and Josh Appelbaum.
Quick Hits
NBA: Zach Cohen‘s Best Bets and Steve Makinen‘s Analytics Report will hit around mid-morning on our NBA page.
NHL: Jonathan Davis will have his Best Bets later today on our NHL page. JD is off to a nice post-Olympics start, hitting three first players to score last night. ICYMI: Steve Makinen‘s 30 situational trends for the remainder of the regular season.
Horse Racing: DRF’s Mary Rampellini has plays for today’s Oaklawn card.
Tennis: Zach Cohen is gearing up for the Indian Wells tournament with picks from the lead-in events.
