The Thursday college basketball betting slate offers a pair of top-five teams — No. 3 Purdue and No. 4 Arizona — embarking on sneaky-tough trips to Michigan and Washington State, respectively.
Arizona currently is all alone in first place in the Pac-12, while the Boilermakers sit in a three-way tie atop the Big Ten standings. But will both squads be able to hold their lofty positions by night’s end?
When it comes to the Thursday college basketball betting action, Purdue and Arizona are playing for more than conference pride. Each squad has one more shot to impress the NCAA Selection Committee before it releases a preview of the top 16 seeds for the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
Props.com breaks down the Thursday college basketball betting odds for Purdue-Michigan and Arizona-Washington State.
Odds via PointsBet USA and updated as of 2 p.m. ET on Feb. 10.
No. 3 Purdue Vs Michigan
Tipoff/TV: 9 p.m. ET/ESPN
Purdue: 21-3 SU (10-3 Big Ten)/13-11 ATS
Michigan: 12-9 SU (6-5 Big Ten)/8-13 ATS
Spread/Total: Purdue -3.5 (-115)/145
Last meeting: Purdue held off Michigan 82-76 on Saturday, but failed to cover as a 9.5-point home chalk (Feb. 9)
Did you know: Michigan is 10-0-1 ATS in its last 11 meetings with Purdue, including 6-0 ATS as an underdog
About Purdue: The surging Boilermakers have won six straight games, while scoring at least 80 points in each outing. Purdue cashed in four of those victories, including Tuesday’s 84-68 win over No. 13 Illinois as a 5.5-point home favorite. The Boilermakers boast the nation’s No. 4 scoring offense (84.5 points per game). Among Big Ten schools, Purdue also ranks first in field-goal shooting (50.8%), 3-point proficiency (41.1%), 3-pointers made (9.7 per game), and assists (18.1), and is second in rebounds (39.6).
About Michigan: The Wolverines have turned their conference season around with four wins in their last six games. On Tuesday, Michigan overcame a double-digit first-half deficit at Penn State and eked out a 58-57 victory, but failed to cover as a 2-point road favorite. Despite their recent surge, the Wolverines still possess underwhelming per-game Big Ten rankings in scoring offense (8th, 72.4 ppg), 3-point proficiency (8th, 34.3%), rebounding (9th, 36.3), blocks (13th, 2.9), and steals (14th, 4.4). The only major bright spot: Michigan ranks third in the league in field-goal shooting (47.0%).
What’s At Stake: Illinois, Wisconsin, and Purdue (10-3) are all deadlocked atop the Big Ten standings. However, the Boilermakers are the highest-rated Big Ten team in the NCAA’s NET rankings, a key tool that the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee relies on when putting together the bracket. Michigan (6-5) is in seventh place, three games back of Purdue and Co. With a NET ranking of 47, the Wolverines could use a signature win Thursday to bolster its shaky NCAA résumé.
Players To Watch
Purdue guard Jaden Ivey erupted for 26 points — one shy of his season high — in Tuesday’s victory over Illinois. The 6-foot-4 sophomore has scored more than 20 points in four consecutive games, and he continues to pace the Boilermakers with 17.7 points per contest. Ivey also ranks second on the team in assists (3.3) and third in rebounding (5.1).
Michigan sophomore Hunter Dickinson had 19 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks in Tuesday’s narrow victory at Penn State. Prior to that, the 7-foot-1 center had tallied 25-plus points in three straight games, including a season-high 28 at Purdue. Dickinson leads the Wolverines in scoring (18.1 ppg), rebounding (8.3), blocks (1.2), and field-goal shooting (57.9%).
Notable Trends
- Purdue is 6-3 ATS in its last nine overall, including 3-1 ATS on the road
- Michigan is 1-4 ATS in its last five overall
- Michigan is 1-3 ATS in Big Ten home games
- Over is 10-2 in Purdue’s last 12 overall (5-0 last five)
- Over is 4-1 in Purdue’s last five on the road
- Over is 11-3 in Michigan’s last 14 overall, including 5-1 at home
- The underdog is 6-2-1 ATS in the last eight head-to-head battles
- Over is 3-1 in the last four series meetings. Saturday’s matchup at Purdue (156 combined points) easily topped the 145-point total
Purdue Vs Michigan Odds and Action
UPDATE 5 P.M. ET: Purdue landed on DraftKing’s Thursday college basketball betting board as a 3-point chalk and made a couple of trips to -4, where the line sits now. And it’s practically all Boilermakers on the spread, at 93% of tickets/92% of money. The total opened at 150.5 Wednesday evening and a few hours later went straight to 147. From there, the number bottomed out at 145 early this morning, briefly rose to 146 late this morning, and it’s been at 145 all afternoon. Contrary to the move, however, 80% of tickets/69% of dollars are on the Over.
No. 4 Arizona Vs Washington State
Tipoff/TV: 9 p.m. ET/FS1
Arizona: 20-2 SU (10-1 Pac-12)/12-8-2 ATS
Washington State: 14-7 SU (7-3 Pac-12)/10-11 ATS
Spread/Total: Arizona -7/144.5
Last meeting: Arizona rolled over Wazzu 69-53 as an eight-point home favorite (Feb. 25, 2021)
Did you know: Going back to the 2010-11 season, the Wildcats are 17-1 SU and 15-3 ATS against Washington State
About Arizona-Washington State: Seventeen of Arizona’s 20 wins have been double-digit triumphs, including Monday’s 91-79 rout of archrival Arizona State. The Wildcats cashed as a 12-point road favorite, just their second spread-cover in their last five outings. Washington State is riding a five-game winning streak, capped by Saturday’s 68-64 victory over Cal, falling short as a 7.5-point road favorite. Arizona leads all Pac-12 comers in scoring offense (85.1 ppg, 3rd nationally), field-goal shooting (48.4%), rebounds (43.8 per game), assists (20.1), and blocks (6.4). Within the league, WSU ranks third in rebounding (37.7 per contest), fifth in blocks (4.4), and sixth in steals (6.4).
Notable Trends
- Since starting the season 8-1-1 ATS, Arizona is 5-7 ATS
- Arizona is 6-2 ATS in its last eight road/neutral-site games
- Washington State had been on a 3-0 ATS prior to Saturday’s non-cover versus Cal
- Under is 7-2 in Arizona’s last nine overall and 8-0 in its last eight on Thursday
- Under is 13-3 in Washington State’s last 16 overall
- Under is 10-1 in Washington State’s last 11 at home
- Favorite is 17-5 ATS in the last 22 series battles
Arizona Vs Washington State Odds and Action
UPDATE 5 P.M. ET: Arizona opened -6.5 and initially backtracked to -6 for several hours, where it remained overnight. This morning, the Wildcats returned to -6.5 and by lunchtime were at -7. Four hours before tipoff, Arizona is collecting 89% of spread bets and 78% of spread dollars. The total opened at 142.5, peaked briefly at 145.5 late this morning and spent all afternoon at 144.5. The Over is landing 57% of bets and 82% of cash.
