NCAAB Pick: Hunter Dickinson Over 8.5 Rebounds (-107) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Big Ten Conference games highlight tonight’s college basketball schedule, with a pair of intriguing rematches supplying us with plenty of player prop bets to watch:
- Purdue vs. Minnesota
- Michigan vs. Maryland
Minnesota is in last place in the conference at 1-5, 7-9 overall. They host first place Purdue, who is 6-1, 17-1 and one of the top teams in the nation. They met at Purdue in early December, and the Golden Gophers got hammered, losing by 19.
Michigan hosted Maryland on January 1 in what turned out to be a New Year’s Day massacre. The Wolverines routed the Terrapins, 81-46. This time, Maryland will try to do better hosting the game in College Park.
Purdue Boilermakers vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Thursday, January 19, 2023 – 07:00 PM EST at Williams Arena
Bigs Battle in Minnesota
Things didn’t go well for Minnesota in their December trip to Purdue. The Boilermakers had five players in double figures and cruised in the Big Ten opener, 89-70.
The game should be closer this time around as the teams run it back in Minnesota on Thursday. The line is 13.5 points at the NCAAB odds boards, and most analytics projections have it within a point of that cutoff.
The big question is whether the battle of big men will be closer than it was in that first game. Purdue’s 7-foot-4 Zach Edey had a huge day, achieving career highs in scoring and rebounds. He ended up with 32 points and 22 boards. “I don’t think there’s a team in the country that has an answer for him,” Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson said after the carnage was complete.
Can Minnesota Contain Edey This Time Around?
Dawson Garcia certainly didn’t. At 6-foot-11, he’s the biggest player on Minnesota’s front line and had the task of trying to contain Edey. He fouled out in 24 minutes and finished with 6 points and just one rebound.
Purdue was also down a frontcourt player in that game, with forward Mason Gillis missing the game with a back injury. He’s returned to the lineup and will be an additional threat inside for Minnesota to stop.
Minnesota will try to find some way to even up that matchup, but the only real options are 7-foot bench player Treyton Thompson, and 6-foot-9 freshman Pharrel Payne, neither of which seem like the answer. The Gophers can’t even try to slow the pace to keep things close, since Purdue plays at the No. 330 tempo in the nation.
Zach Edey (Purdue Boilermakers)
Edey may not get career highs in the rematch, but taking the overs on points (20.5) and rebounds (13.5) seem like good betting picks.
NCAAB Pick: Zach Edey Over 20.5 Points (-113) at BetOnline
NCAAB Pick: Zach Edey Over 12.5 Rebounds (-124) at BetOnline
Dawson Garcia (Minnesota Golden Gophers)
And Garcia may find a way to stay out of foul trouble for longer, but the unders on his points (15.5) and rebounds (6.5) also seem pretty secure.
NCAAB Pick: Dawson Garcia Under 14.5 Points (-113) at BetOnline
NCAAB Pick: Dawson Garcia Under 6.5 Rebounds (-145) at BetOnline
Michigan Wolverines vs. Maryland Terrapins
Thursday, January 19, 2023 - 07:00 PM EST at Xfinity Center
Bouncing Back from Ugly Loss
Maryland had its worst outing of the year on January 1st, when it was overwhelmed by Michigan. The Terrapins are 2-4 in the Big Ten, a game out of last place, and 11-6 overall. They enter the rematch having lost three of the last four and six of the last nine.
Michigan is a game and a half out of first at 4-2, 10-7 overall, but the Wolverines have lost two of the last three. This road contest will be a Quad I game for Michigan, and the Wolverines are 0-6 against Quad I foes so far this year. So there are indications that this will be more of a dogfight than the first game between the two teams. The line and analytics indicate that there should be about a 2.5 point difference between the two teams.
A big question will be the battle inside. Of the 10 Terrapins that see the most minutes this season, none are taller than 6-foot-9, and Maryland had no answer for 7-foot-1 Michigan big man Hunter Dickinson in the first game. Dickinson had 18 points and five rebounds in the first half and finished with 32 points and 12 boards.
Hunter Dickinson (Michigan Wolverines)
Dickinson may not hit his over for points in the first half, like he did last game, but over 16.5 for the game seems well within his range.
And over 8.5 rebounds seems like a no-brainer.
NCAAB Pick: Hunter Dickinson Over 8.5 Rebounds (-107) at BetOnline
NCAAB Pick: Hunter Dickinson Over 16.5 Points (-117) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
