Free Pick | NCAA | Friday | March 13

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#809 Purdue -3.5 over Nebraska 5:30 PM CT

Purdue slumped down the stretch, losing four of the final six regular season games to slide to 7th place in the Big Ten standings. All eight Purdue losses this season came against quality teams, mostly in very competitive games. Purdue won the only head-to-head meeting at Nebraska with an 80-77 overtime result, and the underdog Cornhuskers will attract some attention Friday with many expecting another close game in Chicago Friday. Purdue played yesterday and getting a comfortable win against Northwestern could serve the Boilermakers well to get some momentum back. While the final score featured a modest 13-point advantage, Purdue coasted the in the second half leading by as many as 26 points as it wasn’t a taxing result. Nebraska is just 5-5 in the past 10 games since a 20-0 start to the season and the Cornhuskers don’t have a win away from home vs. a likely NCAA Tournament team in more than two months. Purdue only won by three in overtime when these teams met in Lincoln, but Nebraska trailed by as many as 22 points in that game before a furious comeback bid. Purdue missed nine free throws in that game and missed 33 3-point attempts but completely dominated the offensive glass. In the season numbers rebounding is a clear area of advantage for the Boilermakers and in a tournament setting in a less familiar venue neither team can be expected to match its season shooting rates, as rebounding will be an impactful factor. With a five-game ATS losing streak, Purdue is catching an appealing price in this opportunity as a proven postseason performer against a popular underdog.