The Penn State Nittany Lions (+200,000 to win the nation title) pulled off one of the biggest upsets this week by beating the conference leading Michigan Wolverines at home, but can they perform another underdog miracle against the No. 17 Purdue Boilermakers? Or will Purdue (+3,000) beat Penn State for the second time this season?
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Betting Preview for the Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Purdue Boilermakers College Basketball Game on February 16, 2019
Where: Mackey Arena, West Lafayette
When: Saturday, February 16, 2019, 4:00 PM ET
Line: Penn State Nittany Lions (odds) vs. Purdue Boilermakers (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Penn State Nittany Lions (10-13 Overall / 3-9 Conference)
How about them Nittany Lions? Penn State are among the cellar-dwelling teams in the Big Ten, but somehow managed to take down a giant in the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines at home on Tuesday, 75-69. The Nittany Lions needed a hell of a big dosage of junior forward Lamar Stevens, who had 26 points to go with 12 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks, with zero turnovers in 39 minutes of action. It was his second game in a row with a double-double and the 10th of overall of his career. He is certainly going to play a huge role in the rematch with the Boilermakers, against whom he had 24 points, six rebounds, and four assists in a 99-90 overtime loss at home on Jan. 31. Stevens is averaging 19.2 points per game for a team that is also having success of late defensively. The Boilermakers are allowing 68.9 points per game this season, but have surrendered just 65.0 in their last three.
Penn State is 4-0 against the spread (ATS) in its last four road games.
Betting on the Purdue Boilermakers (16-10 Overall / 7-6 Conference)
A cold spell in the second half of Tuesday’s road game against the Maryland Terrapins doomed Purdue’s chances of extending its winning streak to eight games. The Boilermakers took an eight-point lead into the half, but were outscored by the Terps by 22 points in the second half. Purdue’s production in the final 20 minutes of that game was a far cry from the Boilermakers’ average of 35.3 second-half points per contest. Purdue shot just 28.2 percent from the field against Maryland, but other than that salty shooting performance, the Boilermakers have been fantastic offensively in conference play. In fact, the Boilermakers are tops in offensive efficiency in the Big Ten, fourth in effective field goal percentage, and fourth in 3-point shooting percentage. In their overtime win over Penn State last month, the Boilermakers shot 55.2 percent from the floor with a ridiculous 16-for-29 shooting line from deep. Purdue will look to rebound from the loss to Maryland this weekend at home, where the Boilermaker are 8-4 ATS in 12 games there this season.
Purdue is also 3-3 ATS in six games after a loss.
Writer’s Prediction
Purdue wins, 76-64.
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