NCAA Basketball Best Bets for November 28: Purdue, Ole Miss Headline Rady Invitational
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Willie Bee
- November 28, 2024
Top NCAAB Pick: Ole Miss +4 (-108) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
If you think there was only football to watch – and bet – on Thanksgiving Day, then it is my pleasure to tell you that is a mistake, and the opening day of a quick 4-team bracket for the Rady Children’s Invitational is proof.
In just its second year among the early multi-team events, this year’s Rady bracket is built to deliver a finals matchup between Purdue and Mississippi. Can NC State and BYU spoil those plans in the opening round?
And if you’re looking for more value picks, make sure to take a look at our YouTube channel for more daily betting advice. Today, our expert has advice on the Washington vs. Colorado State and Kennesaw State vs. UC Irvine games.
Purdue Boilermakers vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack Odds
Thursday, November 28, 2024 – 03:00 PM ET at LionTree Arena
Television money killed the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, but it didn’t stop my fondness for seeing the two leagues compete on the hardwood. Instead, every clash like NC State and Purdue becomes my own ACC-Big Ten Challenge, it just takes place on another channel.
That channel would be FS1 for Thursday afternoon’s battle between the Boilermakers and Wolfpack in the opening game of this year’s Rady Children’s Invitational. BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review) is listing Purdue -7.5 with a 146-point total priced evenly high and low.
Dominating the Paint
After being manhandled by Marquette in Milwaukee, the Boilermakers regrouped last Saturday at home for an 80-45 rout of overmatched Marshall. Purdue never trailed in the contest and used a 21-8 run early in the first half to leave the Thundering Herd in its dust.
Matt Painter’s troops shot 50% for the game and dominated Marshall in the paint, but the Boilermakers also dealt with their own stretches of scoring issues and benefitted from a Thundering Herd group that connected on just 4-of-32 from beyond the arc.
Wolfpack’s Streak
Kevin Keatts has his club off to a 5-0 start, though that unbeaten mark must be toned down a bit with by the fact the Wolfpack’s toughest opponent so far was William & Mary, which sits 198 in the latest Pomeroy rankings.
North Carolina State did take care of business against William & Mary, covering the 16-points on NCAAB odds boards with the 84-61 triumph and absolutely dominating the Tribe in the paint.
Wolfpack Leave Home for 1st Time
We only have to travel back to the Final Four this past April to find the last meeting between Purdue and NC State. Zach Edey’s double-double helped the Boilermakers cover with a 63-50 decision that was a wire-to-wire victory for Purdue.
The Boilermakers also won the previous two meetings, an 82-72 overtime triumph in December 2021 in Brooklyn at the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational and a 66-61 final in West Lafayette during the 2014 ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
This will be the first game NC State doesn’t play in front of the home fans, and the Wolfpack had all sorts of travel delays in their cross-country trip to San Diego.
I like Purdue, but I love the ‘under’ even more.
NCAAB Pick: Purdue/North Carolina Under 146 (-110) at BetOnline
Ole Miss Rebels vs. BYU Cougars Odds
Thursday, November 28, 2024 – 05:30 PM ET at LionTree Arena
Each boasting 5-0 records to begin the season, the BYU Cougars and Ole Miss Rebels will go at it about 30 minutes after the Boilermakers and Wolfpack finish.
This is an interesting contest between teams that were listed in the second tier of NCAA basketball futures to win their respective conferences, and the Cougars are chalked in the 3.5-4.5 range with 152 set as the scoreboard target.
Rebels Roaring, Cougars Wounded
Maybe the scare Grambling gave them a few weeks ago was a good thing, because the Rebels have definitely played better and closer to their potential since.
Ole Miss really poured it on Oral Roberts last week, playing stronger down low and on the glass in addition to shooting better than 53% in the 100-68 win as 21.5-point chalk at top-rated sportsbooks.
Cougars Without Top Rebounder
Brigham Young has played one of the softest schedules so far, with the shortest spread the Cougars asked to cover being 21.5 against UC-Riverside in the second game of the season.
Ranked fourth in the country averaging 91 points per game, this will definitely be the first real test for BYU’s offense. The Cougars will likely be without reserve forward Keba Keita for a second game due to injury; Keita leads BYU with a 10.3 rebounding clip.
Rebels Earn the Nod
This will be just the second meeting between the Cougars and Rebels.
They met in the 2015 First Four as a pair of 11-seeds, and Mississippi rallied for a 94-90 win after BYU led by 17 at the half. The final got past the total with more than 30 points to spare.
This one should play tight to the very end, so give me Ole Miss plus the points for my college basketball pick.
NCAAB Pick: Ole Miss +4 (-108) at Heritage Sports
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
