Free College Basketball Picks Today: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Purdue Boilermakers 1/19/23

Expect a slow-paced game when the Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-9, 1-5 Big 10) welcome the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers (17-1, 6-1 Big 10) on Thursday.

Purdue narrowly defeated the Michigan State Spartans 64-63 at Jack Breslin Student Events Center on Monday, their fourth straight win. Zach Edey had a standout performance with 32 points and 17 rebounds.

The Boilermakers are first in the Big Ten Conference. Minnesota lost in blowout fashion on Monday at Williams Arena, falling to the Illinois Fighting Illini 78-60. Dawson Garcia had 17 points in the loss to lead the team. The Golden Gophers remain 14th in the Big Ten Conference.

The teams are meeting for the final time this season. Purdue will be pursuing a season sweep against Minnesota after getting the win in the only prior matchup 89-70 at Mackey Arena in December 2022. Edey led the Boilermakers with 31 points and 22 rebounds. Jamison Battle had 21 points in the losing effort.

Edey is averaging 20.7 points per game to lead the Boilermakers in scoring this season. Edey also has grabbed 12.7 rebounds per game, most in the NCAA. Meanwhile, Braden Smith is dishing 4.1 assists. Garcia (15.6 ppg) has been the primary provider for the Golden Gophers on offense.

Garcia also has posted 6.6 rebounds per game. Ta’Lon Cooper has recorded 6.1 assists per game. Half-court execution will be of utmost importance in this matchup that showcases a pair of the NCAA’s slowest-paced teams, as the Boilermakers and the Golden Gophers rank 354th and 310th, respectively, in possessions per game.

Purdue is 9-1 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +11.7 (72.3-60.6). Minnesota has a 3-7 record over the last 10, allowing 71.5 points per game on average while scoring only 65.2 (-6.3 margin).

BOILERMAKERS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Trey Kaufman-Renn: 2.4 | 8.6 | -6.2
Points per game:
Brandon Newman: 2.8 | 6.6 | -3.8
Rebounds per game:
Braden Smith: 3.4 | 4.8 | -1.4
Assists per game:
Braden Smith: 5.4 | 4.1 | +1.3
Ethan Morton: 2.0 | 3.1 | -1.1

GOLDEN GOPHERS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jamison Battle: 19.0 | 13.9 | +5.1
Braeden Carrington: 6.6 | 9.6 | -3.0
Points per game:
Jamison Battle: 13.2 | 9.7 | +3.5
Rebounds per game:
Dawson Garcia: 9.0 | 6.6 | +2.4
Pharrel Payne: 3.6 | 4.8 | -1.2