Purdue vs Iowa -4.5 O/U 142.5
Revenge is something that we shouldn’t rely on too much in our handicaps. All teams really want to win all games and revenge is just a motivational factor. In saying that, there are some situations that warrant revenge more than others and embarrassment is one of the big ones. Iowa faced Purdue earlier this year and couldn’t do anything against the Boilermakers at Mackey Arena . Purdue shot over 65% the first half and didn’t even let off the gas at the end of the game and thus destroyed Iowa 104-68. Purdue would have beaten Gonzaga and Kansas on that day. Due to the embarrassment, Iowa should be extra motivated here to return the favor. The thing that really screams out to me in this handicap is that Purdue is only 37.4% shooting on the road. That is one of the worst road percentages in the whole NCAA. Iowa shoots very well at home at 47%. One might say that Purdue is a bubble team and should also be extra motivated here but Iowa is vying for a shot to win the Big 10 regular season title which they haven’t won since 1979. Iowa is also 8-1-1 ATS at home their last 10 games. I think Iowa will step up their defense this game and come through with the big win by a decent margin.
Iowa -4.5 – 2.5 star premium shared play
Utah State +350 to win the Mountain West:
San Diego state may be the best team in this conference but Utah State is the most motivated because they will not get in as an at large team this year. Sam Merrill is one of the best guards in basketball and I think he can bring this team to win the Mountain West Championship while San Diego State will still be a coveted 1 or 2 seed in the Big dance.
