Big 10 Basketball Plays for Thursday Night

College basketball hasn't been going great for me - I'm not saying it has been terrible either, it just hasn't been very profitable in these articles. In the words of Michael Scott, "I'm not superstitious, but I'm a little stitious." Maybe it is me writing the articles, maybe I'm just making bad picks those days. I never recommend anyone blindly follow anyone - free or paid picks - get information and evaluate it. Then, because it is your money, make your own decision on how to play it.

Purdue vs. Maryland, 6:30 ET

It has been a tough go of it lately for the Boilermakers. They have dropped two of their past three games as they have lost to Indiana, and, surprisingly, Northwestern, on the road. Is this a bigger concern than just a blip or is this a matter of teams figuring them out and exposing their team. I think it could be a bit of both, but this is a game that Purdue will want to reestablish themselves. They are now 6-2 in official road games. Zach Edey is still playing really well for Purdue, but they need to get more out of their role players. Most role players do better at home than on the road. With only a few games left, I think they need to get back on their winning ways. Maryland has played well lately too. They've won five of their past six games. They seem to be getting a more consistent team approach and having team basketball work to their advantage. They are still led by guard Jahmir Young who can give Purdue's defense some fits. He played very poorly in their first game at Purdue when he shot just 4-18 from the field. I think the way Maryland is playing, the way Purdue is playing, and the home-court advantage for the Terrapins comes into play tonight. I'm taking Maryland +1.

Ohio State vs. Iowa, 9:00 ET

Ohio State has had a disappointing season this year and I'm not sure that it will get much better tonight. They have to travel into Iowa on a six-game losing streak and losers of 11 of their past 12 contests. It's like as soon as they started against the Big 10 they decided it was time to not be a good basketball team any longer. Some of them have been close games, but some of these other ones have been blowouts - they just lost to Michigan State by 21 points at home. They aren't getting much production from their players - their highest scorer in the past 15 games has only gotten over 20 points seven times. In three of those games, the high scorer didn't even get to 15 points. On Iowa's side, they haven't been amazing, but they certainly have avoided the lengthy losing streaks that Ohio State has suffered. They've won four of their past five games and seven of their past ten. I made a big deal about high scorers for Ohio State, for comparison sake, Iowa has had their highest scorer score over 20 points in 11 of their past 12 games. They were absolutely destroyed by Ohio State last time they played in January. I'm going to take Iowa in this one -7. I think the teams are somewhat in different states and I think that Iowa is still the better team. They probably want some revenge against Ohio State.

Those are my two main plays for today. I do have a small sprinkle on the under in the Ohio State/Iowa game (152.5), and the over in the Troy vs. Arkansas State game - over 129.5.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on Twitter: @futureprez2024