Dean Etheridge
Number 3 ranked Purdue hosts the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday night and here we look ahead to the match in our latest NCAAB betting picks.
- What; NCAAB
- Who; Purdue Boilermakers vs Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Where; Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Indiana
- When; Friday, January 13th, 2023
- Start Time; 7 pm ET
The Boilermakers were previously ranked one, but lost that spot at the start of the week. This followed their first defeat of the season. The setback came at the hands of Rutgers, who pulled off a remarkable 65-64 win at the Mackey Arena just a couple of days into the new year.
For the second season in a row, unranked Rutgers stuns No. 1 Purdue! 😳 pic.twitter.com/y10iOdUBtF
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 3, 2023
The Scarlet Knights raced into a 34-24 points lead at the halfway stage. Purdue, as expected, fought back gallantly in the second period, but ultimately fell agonizingly short, going down by just one point.
As a result of the defeat, in the new rankings issued at the start of the week, Purdue were replaced at the top by Houston, with Kansas also overtaking the Boilermakers, climbing to second spot.
2023 NCAAB Championship Winners Betting
As well as topping the rankings, Houston is also the top rated side by the best college basketball betting sites. The Cougars are the favorites to win the 2023 Championship at a best price of +650.
Following behind the Cougars is second ranked Kansas, along with Tennessee, who are both at +1200. The next two teams are Alabama and Connecticut at +1400, with Arizona and UCLA both at +1600. Then comes Purdue at +1800.
In the betting market to reach the final four, Houston are again the favorites, this time at just +175. Also in the running in this market is Kansas (+325), Connecticut (+350), Alabama (+350), and Tennessee (+350). Texas, Arizona, and UCLA are all at +375, with Purdue again eighth favorites, this time at +400.
The above odds are brought to you from Bovada. More can be found out about this bookmaker in our Bovada sportsbook review. You will also find plenty more odds on the NCAAB Championship in our odds table below.
| NCAAB Tournament Winner Betting 2023 |  |  |  |
| Houston Cougars | +650 | +650 | +650 |
| Kansas | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Tennessee | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Alabama | +1400 | +1200 | +1400 |
| Connecticut | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Arizona | +1600 | +1300 | +1600 |
| UCLA | +1600 | +1550 | +1600 |
| Purdue | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Gonzaga | +2200 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Virginia | +2800 | +2800 | +2500 |
| Baylor | +3000 | +3000 | +3300 |
| Texas | +2800 | +2800 | +2500 |
| North Carolina | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Arkansas | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
Boilermakers on a winning streak of two
Following their 65-64 defeat to Rutgers, the Boilermakers have bounced back with two successive wins. Since the defeat, Purdue have beaten Ohio State 71-69, and Penn State 76-63. Both wins came on the road.
The win over Ohio was also a close run thing. Purdue were 36-33 down at the halfway point and needed a strong second half showing to win a close encounter.
As for the win over Penn State, that was more comfortable. But even in that match, Purdue were six points behind at the halfway stage. They did put things right in the second period in spectacular style, pounding the Nittany Lions with 45 points, eventually winning out by 13.
There seems to be a theme of slow starts developing here with the Boilermakers. They might get away with this against the inferior sides in the NCAA. But when it comes to the top ranked teams, it could be something that might hurt them if they can’t put a stop to it.
This may also be one of the reasons, that despite being ranked 3, they are eighth in the betting with the best March Madness betting sites.
Nebraska have had a disappointing season to date
As for the Cornhuskers, they’re finding life uncomfortable at the moment. They’re 12th in the Big Ten, and have lost two of their last three. Overall this season, Nebraska has a 9-8 record.
Highlights of Illinois' 76-50 road win at Nebraska.#Illini | #HTTO | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/y4o91UDkFT
— Illinois Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 11, 2023
In their last outing they took a bit of a beating at home to Illinois, losing 76-50. It was a comprehensive defeat, with the Fighting Illini outscoring Nebraska by 11 points in the first period, and 15 points in the second.
It’s been a really disappointing season so far for Nebraska. And it’s hard to see at the moment where that change in form and luck is going to come from.
Purdue vs Nebraska Betting Picks
Earlier this season these two sides met at the Pinnacle Bank Arena, with the Boilermakers running out 65-62 winners. Overtime was needed to separate the two sides, as the match finished 56 each in regulation time.
Purdue men's basketball survived its closest contest yet, defeating Nebraska 65-62 in overtime.https://t.co/SzqOEBio2s pic.twitter.com/Dcrg8fUwxG
— Exponent Sports Desk (@Exponent_Sports) December 10, 2022
At that stage of the season it left Purdue with a 10-0 record and Nebraska with a 6-5 record. Really, the fortunes of the two sides haven’t changed too much since that night. Purdue have kept on winning since, although they have lost one. Whilst in the case of Nebraska, they’ve still nearly lost as many as they’ve won.
And this is reflected in the betting odds where Purdue are giving away a massive 15 points on the handicap. Starting from -15 points, Purdue are -110 with both BetOnline and Bovada. Nebraska are also -110 with both sportsbooks with a +15 points start.
There is little dispute that it looks set to be a Purdue win, and given the form of Nebraska (they’ve just lost by 26 points to Illinois), I have to make a Purdue win on the handicap my betting pick.
Onto total points betting, and the mark is set at 131, with both under and over priced at -110. In the last five matches involving Purdue, under 131 would have won on two occasions, over on three. As for Nebraska, under would have won on three occasions, over twice. In one of those matches there were 130 points, so it was almost there.
I’m expecting Purdue to be the dominant team in this match, and their matches are having more points scored in them, so I’m going for over 131 for my betting pick.
