Purdue Has Just Enough To Cover In Maryland On Tuesday

Chris Wassel
By , Updated on: Jan 1, 2024 07:00 PM
Purdue Has Just Enough To Cover In Maryland On Tuesday

The conference schedule gets moving and so does the college basketball season on Tuesday night! Teams finally dig into the meat of their conference schedules. Guess what this week brings us? That's right. Let's head to the state of Maryland. At Online Sports Betting, we look at a matchup which might be a good one. Yes, we look at NCAA Basketball Tuesday Picks featuring the Purdue Boilermakers. They rumble with a stubborn Maryland team who has a solid 9-4 record.

  • WHAT: Purdue Boilermakers versus Maryland Terrapins
  • WHEN: Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024, 7:00 pm ET on BTN or streamed on FUBO TV
  • WHERE: XFINITY Center, College Park, Maryland
  • WHY: Big 10 Tuesday Matchup

The bettors get cranked up for the first game off the New Year's weekend break. The NCAA Basketball Tuesday Picks examine the Boilermakers who happens to be number one in the nation again.When betting on the NCAA College Men's basketball futures, know that the pitfalls are many. After all, Purdue shortened again to under +1000 (+900 on Bovada). Here is a quick table for the Boilermakers this Tuesday night, thanks to Bovada Online Sportsbook.

NCAAM Tuesday NumbersBovadaBetOnlineMyBookie
Purdue (-7.5)-110-112-110
Maryland-110-108-110

NCAA Basketball Tuesday Picks Get Concerned With Purdue

NCAA Basketball Tuesday Picks get concerned with Purdue. So, what happened with Purdue in the last week? Honestly, that answer is the Boilermakers kept rolling along. Now, the problem is that Maryland is a much better teams at home this year. They are 8-0 at XFINITY Center. However, they have not faced the team like Purdue. As a matter of fact, they have not beaten a team with an SRS greater than 10. Maryland even beat a down UCLA team on the road. That raised a few eyebrows.

Despite that, the Boilermakers remain 7.5-point favorites on Tuesday night. Yes, conference play is different but Purdue rebounded from an early-season OT loss and promptly routed Iowa the next time out. This is a young Terrapins team under Kevin Willard that can cause some matchup problems.

Let's grapple with this Tuesday night game. Also, we dig a bit deeper into both teams. Is there something we are missing? Who may win or cover unexpectedly? It is body of work time.

Matt Painter Learned From The Northwestern Loss

The NCAA Basketball Tuesday Picks like Purdue. Matt Painter learned from the Northwestern loss. Purdue gets into the meat of its "Big 10 Schedule" beginning with Maryland. At 9-4, Painter knows Maryland can be a threat especially with that home mark. Early on, the Terrapins lost three of their first four games then rebounded to win eight of their previous nine contests. Their latest winning streak was sparked by a dramatic overtime win over Penn State.

The other thing Purdue knows is that any Big 10 team can be a threat. That gets headlined because of the loss at Northwestern. Even in spite of four wins against top-15 opponents (including three consecutive triumphs), Purdue and Painter must be wary. Yes, the top team in the nation expects to be hunted like the big game prey they are.

Those are two things Painter can rely on this Tuesday. Purdue and Zach Edey keep steadily improving. Edey, a Senior now, plays like it is his last game every night. He may not rack up rebounds as often, but his overall defense is smarter and more responsive now. Edey is up to 2.4 blocks per game and his personal fouls are at only 1.6 a contest. He stays on the court and figures to play 30+ minutes a night the rest of the way.

Again, Purdue features three guards that can put up double figures any given night or better. Lance Jones is the most experienced but Braden Smith possesses the most talent. Also, Smith can distribute the basketball quicker than any Purdue guard in the last decade. The Boilermakers' biggest asset is that pace. Guard play helps move the ball and get players better opportunities at offense. That offense lets the defense play downhill more often.

NCAA Basketball Tuesday Picks Laying 7.5 Points?

So, what about NCAA basketball Tuesday picks laying 7.5 points? The dilemma is how far does one go here? Maryland can either pull off the upset or completely fall apart. They have flirted with disaster at home. However, Jahmir Young and Julian Reese are quite the 1-2 punch. Without Purdue's guard play, one would be apt to even consider wagering on Maryland outright. However, Purdue's trio can help them pull away in the second half.

The Terrapins will try to slow things down. Maryland ranks 26th in the nation allowing 63.4 points a contest. Despite not being ranked, Maryland can play giant killer. Though they lost to Villanova, they held them to 57 points. It was their offense which went south and produced a mere 40 points. Now, that will not happen in College Park on Tuesday night. Will Maryland go ice cold on the big stage like they did at Finneran Pavillion?

There is a fact that Purdue knows the business at hand here. Yes, the Boilermakers play on four consecutive Tuesdays in conference with three on the road. It is about to get very real for them. This first test sees them being up to the task.

Purdue To win by at least eight points or more versus Maryland
-110
Bovada

What About The Over For Tonight?

Lastly, NCAA Basketball Tuesday Picks looks at the over for tonight. This game moved several times but inched down to 143 heading into very early Tuesday morning. Hey, that was encouraging and could be something which serves us well here. Expect this to be close. Again, Maryland plays good defense but Purdue executes better offensively. The Boilermakers figure to draw the Terrapins more into their own pace. That is good enough for the over to connect.

Purdue and Maryland To score less than 143 points
-110
Bovada

Check Out Those Online Sportsbook Reviews e

Please check out those online sportsbook reviews where that Purdue game versus Maryland is just the beginning of a fun week of conference basketball:

Meet the author

Chris Wassel

Chris Wassel is a veteran sports writer with over 20 years of experience publishing thoughtful analysis and insightful perspectives on everything from hockey to basketball, football, and more. As a seasoned journalist, Chris has established himself as a leading voice o...

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