Nebraska vs Purdue Odds, Picks and Predictions: Scary Defenses Thrive on Friday the 13th

Two Big Ten rivals will meet for the second time this season on Friday night as the Nebraska Cornhuskers will look to get revenge on the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena.

The Cornhuskers took the Boilermakers to overtime at home in early December, but fell just short in a 65-62 loss. They currently sit at 9-8 on the season and 2-4 in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers recently took their first loss of the season at home to Rutgers, but they still sit at 15-1 overall, 4-1 in the Big Ten, and ranked third in the nation. Will Nebraska be able to give Purdue another tough game? 

Check out our college basketball picks and predictions for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Purdue Boilermakers on Friday, January 13 to find out.

Nebraska vs Purdue best odds

Nebraska vs Purdue picks and predictions

It’s now year four for Fred Hoiberg in Nebraska, and after three terrible seasons, he finally seems to have found some footing with this team. 9-8 is not a great record, but a massive improvement, and it has been competitive in big games. The Cornhuskers upset then-seventh-ranked Creighton on the road and took Purdue to overtime. 

The Boilermakers have rebounded nicely from losing four of their top five scorers from last season’s Sweet 16 team and look like one of the best teams in the country thus far. The return of Zach Edey and the emergence of true freshmen Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith are major reasons why. Edey is in the conversation for National Player of the Year averaging 21.9 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. 

However, both teams have some similarities in their playing style despite their contrast in talent. They like to play slow and rely on rebounding, defense, and efficiency. Nebraska holds their opponents to 66.8 points per game and Purdue holds theirs to 61.5 per contest. 

Offensively, Purdue averages 75.9 points per game, but not because it’s a quick-tempo team. It relies solely on efficiency to get these points. The Boilermakers rank 325th in the country with only 67.2 possessions per game. However, they rank fourth in the country at 53.2% floor percentage. They also get a large portion of their scoring by getting to the free throw line, averaging 21.8 attempts per game, which ranks 35th in the nation.

On the other end, Nebraska only allows its opponents to attempt 11.6 free throws per game, which ranks third in the country. Also, do not expect a ton of threes in this game. Nebraska shoots 29.4% from downtown and Purdue shoots 32.2% from deep. They also both are great at defending the three. In their first matchup, the teams combined to shoot 16-for-61 from 3-point land. 

There were only 127 points scored in the December contest despite the game going to overtime. I expect a similar game that may be a little more lopsided. The Cornhuskers will be without a key piece in Juwan Gary that will only help this Under. I love a low-scoring game here. 

My best bet: Under 132.5 (-114 at FanDuel)

Nebraska vs Purdue spread analysis

Neither team has been great against the spread this season. Purdue is 6-9-1 ATS and Nebraska is 6-11 ATS on the year. The big issue for Purdue has been that it was overly favored with inflated spreads after its big start beating Gonzaga and Duke in November. 

After their big win over Duke, Purdue failed to cover in eight consecutive games with an average point spread of 19.5 points. This spread may not be inflated thanks to the overtime performance in the first matchup at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers have been double-digit underdogs three times, failing to cover twice.

The loss of Gary will be huge for Nebraska, as he’s started all 17 games and averages 9.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. He had six points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block in the first game against Purdue. The Boilermakers will make it that much harder for the Cornhuskers to score points without Gary in the lineup.

The home team has covered five of the last six matchups between these two. Nebraska has failed to cover four consecutive road games and Purdue will likely make it five. Give me the Boilermakers here to shut down Nebraska and score enough to cover the spread. 

Nebraska vs Purdue Over/Under analysis

The Under has been a strong bet for both teams this season, going 10-6 in Purdue games and 13-3-1 in Nebraska games. The Cornhuskers have reached 70 points in only seven games this year and Purdue has allowed 70 points only twice and has not yet allowed 71 points in a game. 

The Under has hit in six consecutive Nebraska games against a team with a winning percentage above .600. It’s also 9-1 in the last 10 Cornhuskers game following an ATS loss. The Under has hit in four consecutive Purdue home games against a team with a losing road record and is 5-1 in the last six Boilermakers games following a straight-up win. 

With minimal possessions and bad 3-point shooting, it’s extremely unlikely this game reaches the 130-point mark. Add in that both teams are strong at not allowing their opponents to get points from the free-throw line and this just seems like a lock. I don’t think this game gets close to the total. 

Nebraska vs Purdue betting trend to know

The Under is 15-5-1 in the Cornhuskers’ last 21 games overall. Find more College basketball betting trends for Nebraska vs. Nebraska State.

Nebraska vs Purdue game info

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