Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Purdue Boilermakers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/15/2024

Game Time: 8:30 pm ET, Thursday, February 15, 2024

Venue:  Mackey Complex, West Lafayette, IN

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Minnesota +17, Purdue -17; Over/Under:  146.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Minnesota +17, Purdue -17; Over/Under:  146.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Minnesota +17, Purdue -17; Over/Under:  146.5 points

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  15-8 (6-6) (7th place, Big Ten)

Purdue Boilermakers:  22-2 (11-2) (1st place, Big Ten)

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Minnesota Golden Gophers:  3-2  last 5

Purdue Boilermakers:  5-0  last 5

Minnesota is entering this game with a 15-8 record overall, a 6-6 record in conference games, and they are 2-4 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Iowa Hawkeyes in their last game. Dawson Garcia and Braeden Carrington each led the team in points per game in that game with 18 while Mike Mitchell Jr. was next on the team with 17. Elijah Hawkins led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Dawson Garcia led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 46.9% from the field, 46.2% from 3-point range, and 68.4% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 76.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.6 PPG against them. Minnesota has an ATS record of 20-3 this season and their O/U record is 12-11.

Purdue is entering this game with a 22-2 record overall, an 11-2 conference record, and they are 12-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Indiana Hoosiers in their last game. Zach Edey led the team in points in that game with 26 while Braden Smith was next on the team with 19. Zach Edey and Braden Smith each led the team in assists with 4 in that game while Zach Edey led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 42.4% from the field, 38.1% from 3-point range, and 63.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 85.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 69.5 PPG against them. Purdue has an ATS record of 14-8-2 this season and their O/U record is 16-8.

The current betting odds have Purdue listed as a 17 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Purdue has looked great in their games this season with their 22-2 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country and also ranked as the 2nd best in the nation right now. They have looked great in their conference games with their 11-2 conference record that is leading the Big Ten right now, and they have also looked great on their home court all year with their 12-0 home record. Meanwhile, Minnesota has also looked good in their games this season with their 15-8 record overall but they haven't been as strong in the Big Ten. They are only 6-6 in their conference games this season which has them in the middle of the pack and they have looked terrible in their road games with their 2-4 road record. They don't have much momentum on their side either as they are just 3-2 in their last 5 games and coming off a loss in their last one. Purdue is 5-0 in their last 5 games though and they have been rolling over teams lately as they look to take control of the Big Ten now and start running away with it with the end of the regular season nearing. Purdue is one of the best teams in the country right now and they have been blowing out conference opponents at home all season as they look to prove a point after what happened to them in the NCAA Tournament last season. The best way to place a bet here is on Purdue to cover the spread in this game. 

Minnesota Purdue Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, February 15, 2024 (8:30 pm ET start time) is Purdue 86 Minnesota 61.

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Minnesota Golden Gophers: 20-3 ATS in all games. 10-2 ATS against conference opponents. 17-2 ATS after a game where they covered the spread. 32-21 OVER against conference opponents. 14-7 OVER off a road loss. 26-18 OVER after 1 or more consecutive losses.

Purdue Boilermakers: 22-34 ATS against conference opponents. 15-24 ATS off a home win. 6-15 ATS after allowing 60 points or less. 1-8 ATS after 8 or more consecutive wins. 16-8 OVER in all games. 7-2 OVER after successfully covering the spread in 2 or more consecutive games. 10-4 OVER after playing 5 consecutive games as favorite.

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  D. Garcia (F) Ques Thurs - Lower Body. E. Reader (F) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed.

Purdue Boilermakers:  None.

"We'll see how he looks, feels and responds by game day. We won't know until then." - Ben Johnson on the injury to Dawson Garcia.

“I'm the best shooter in the country. It was big. We owed them after last year. Me and the seniors all really felt that this was our last time to come out with that fire and that's what we did.” - Zach Edey after their win against Indiana in their last game on Saturday.

B. Carrington 

D. Garcia 

E. Hawkins 

I. Ihnen 

J. Ola-Joseph

Z. Edey 

L. Jones 

T. Kaufman-Renn 

F. Loyer 

B. Smith

PPG: D. Garcia (17.3)

APG: E. Hawkins (7.6)

Reb/G: D. Garcia (6.6)

PPG: Z. Edey (23.3)

APG: B. Smith (7.1)

Reb/G: Z. Edey (11.7)

Coaches:

Minnesota Golden Gophers: Ben Johnson (2nd season)

Purdue Boilermakers: Matt Painter (19th season)