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Purdue vs. Marquette: College Basketball Odds & Picks (Wednesday)

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It's been a solid start to the season and is only getting more exciting with Feast Week upon us. Tonight features an excellent slate as the Maui Invitational features the championship game, and the Battle 4 Atlantis begins along with multiple other in-season tournaments.

We are starting to get some valuable data and seeing where some of the elite teams sit. As always, be sure to shop around for the best odds. It may not be Thanksgiving yet, but let's eat early with some winning bets, shall we? 

Here are my best bets for Wednesday’s slate. Below we dive into Purdue vs. Marquette.

Wednesday’s College Basketball Best Bets: Purdue vs. Marquette

Last Time: 1-2 | Season: 11-6

Purdue vs. Marquette 

Marquette sent Kansas home with their tail between their legs with a 73-59 victory over the Jayhawks. We now have our Maui Invitational championship game lined up, as Purdue defeated Tennessee in a stellar boxing match against the Volunteers. 

If I am playing the narrative game here, Purdue really is coming from a rock fight, attempting 48 free throws yesterday against Tennessee. That game took two hours and 24 minutes. I don't want to say Marquette walked away with the victory over Kansas, but I imagine the Golden Eagles might be a bit better rested heading into tonight's game.

Still, this should be an awesome game. The frontcourts of both teams stepped up yesterday with Zach Edey doing his thing - 23 points in only 26 minutes - and Oso Ighodaro doing his for Marquette with 21 points and nine boards to go with a pair of blocks. When these two teams faced one another last year, Marquette grabbed 34% of their misses, one of the highest clips Purdue allowed all season. With nine of the 10 starters returning between the two teams, I see the rebound battle being another potential crux for tonight's game.

Last year, Purdue still pulled out the victory in West Lafayette. Tonight's matchup may bode well for the Boilermakers with Marquette struggling so far on both ends of the floor to grab rebounds at a higher-than-average clip. What has been surprising for Shaka Smart and Co. is their defense, ranking 17th highest in near-proximity percentage, limiting Hunter Dickinson to 13 points.

But Purdue is more than just Edey, don't forget. Ranking 10th in perimeter shooting, this team has weapons, with Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, Mason Gills and Myles Colvin all being able to sling it. After yesterday's game, I imagine Purdue will gladly take the open perimeter look instead of ending up on the floor constantly with fouls called in the paint. 

Purdue has the ever-slight upper hand here. They got their charity stripe practice yesterday, and Marquette ranked 311th in free-throw percentage this year, so a close game late favors the Boilermakers. Purdue is the best team in the nation, and tonight will be confirmation of that.

Bet: Purdue -3.5 (-110 via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday:


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