College basketball picks: Purdue-Penn State prediction, odds, spread for January 8

The top team in the country will hit the court on Sunday evening as the No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers hit the road to meet the Penn State Nittany Lions at 6 p.m. ET. This game will take place at The Palestra in Philadelphia and will air on the Big Ten Network.

Let's take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

Purdue vs. Penn State odds

Spread: Purdue -5.5
Over/Under: 135.5
Moneyline: Purdue -205, Penn State +175

Purdue (13-1, 3-1 Big Ten) narrowly avoided a second straight loss when toppling Ohio State in a 71-69 nailbiter on Thirsday. The teams traded blows all throughout the evening and the Boilermakers got the last laugh when Fletcher Loyer buried the go-ahead three with 12 seconds remaining. Braden Smith had a big night with 16 points and six assists in the win.

Penn State (11-4, 2-2 Big Ten) suffered a tough setback this week when falling to Michigan 79-69 on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions played from behind for most of the contest and could never quite get within an arm's length of the Wolverines. Jalen Pickett had a big 26 point and nine rebound outing in the loss.

The Pick: Penn State +5.5

I'll go with PSU to scrap and make this game a tight contest. The Nittany Lions can use the unique atmosphere of playing in Philly to its advantage and could use the sold-out, in-state partisan crowd to its advantage. Pickett had a nice showing in the loss to Michigan this week and could potentially do the same against the top team in the country. Give me Penn State to cover here.

  
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