Big 10 Conference Showdown
The Purdue Boilermakers will host the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday with an opening tip time slate for 7:30 PM ET. Current college basketball betting odds at Bookmaker indicate that Purdue is a 2.5-point favorite.
Golden Gophers Shiny Resume
Minnesota has surely come up with some outstanding wins this season. The Golden Gophers have beaten #22 St. Louis, #4 Michigan, #7 Iowa, and #13 Ohio State. However, all those victories took place on their home floor. Conversely, Minnesota is a terrible 0-4 SU&ATS in true away games and they lost by a decisive margin of 15.8 points per contest.
Purdue Looking to Rebound
Purdue is coming off a disheartening 15-point home loss to #4 Michigan in their previous game. Despite that defeat, the Boilermakers are still 7-1 on their home floor in West Lafayette, Indiana. It also must be noted, Purdue is 4-1 this season following a loss. Additionally, Purdue is 3-0 at home versus Minnesota during the past 3 seasons.
Final Analysis and Pick
Minnesota's last time out resulted in a terrible 63-49 home loss to Maryland as a 5.5-point favorite. They have now dropped three of their last four games and all those losses came by 14 points or greater. Couple that with their immense struggles on the road and it produces a team to fade on Saturday. My free pick on this contest further validates that previous statement.
Pick: Purdue -2.5
Ross Benjamin is a top sports analyst and one of the sports industry's most respected handicappers. Follow him on Twitter: @RossBenjamin1 or visit his website at RBWins.com