The Kent State Golden Flashes vs. Purdue Boilermakers NCAA Basketball Betting Predictions, Picks and Parlays December 29, 2020

Mackey Magic vs. The Mid-Major Menace: Purdue and Kent State

The Kent State Golden Flashes are walking into the furnace tonight at Mackey Arena to take on the #5 Purdue Boilermakers in what looks like a classic "David vs. Goliath" scenario. But don't let the rankings fool you into thinking this is a cupcake game. Kent State is 10-2 and they're scoring the ball at an elite clip—nearly 94 points per game. 

They feature Delrecco Gillespie, a walking double-double who is putting up numbers that would make most Big Ten bigs blush. He’s the engine of a Golden Flashes squad that loves to get to the free-throw line and shoot the lights out from deep. They haven't played a Power Four team yet this year, so this is their Super Bowl.

Purdue, meanwhile, is still that relentless machine we’ve come to expect. Even after the graduation of some familiar faces, Trey Kaufman-Renn has stepped into the spotlight, averaging 14 and 10. Braden Smith is still the floor general, dishing out almost 10 assists a game. They’re 11-1 and still stinging a bit from that Iowa State loss earlier in the month, so they aren't in the mood to be nice hosts. 

The Boilermakers have been dominant at home, and their size inside with Daniel Jacobsen and Kaufman-Renn usually wears down mid-major frontcourts by the ten-minute mark of the second half. It’s going to be a track meet if Kent State gets their way.

Betting Picks & Predictions

The spread is astronomical, with Purdue favored by a whopping 27 points and the total set at a lofty 160.5. That’s a lot of points to give a team as disciplined as Kent State. While Purdue will almost certainly win the game, covering 27 against the 8th-highest scoring offense in the country is a tall task. 

Kent State’s ability to draw fouls and hit threes should keep them within shouting distance, even if the atmosphere in West Lafayette gets rowdy. Take Kent State to cover that massive spread, but expect Purdue to pull away late for a 92-74 victory. Prediction: Kent State covers, but Purdue wins.