Best College Basketball Bets for Thursday, February 26: Purdue Takes on Michigan State in Big Ten Clash

• Michigan State leads the all-time series vs. Purdue, 26-21; the Spartans won the last time they played (Feb. 18, 2025) but lost the previous five

• High Point leads the all-time series vs. Presbyterian, 25-8; the Panthers have won nine of the last 10 meetings

Thursdays are often quieter days for college basketball, with the schedule typically full of small school teams you’ve never heard of. That is not entirely the case today, as we do have one marquee matchup from the Big Ten: No. 13 Michigan State vs. No. 8 Purdue.

I’m also going to cover in this article a game between two teams not on the national radar: High Point Panthers vs. Presbyterian Blue Hose.

No. 13 Michigan State Spartans vs. No. 8 Purdue Boilermakers Odds & Pick

• Spread: Michigan State +7.5 (-114) | Purdue -7.5 (-106)

• Moneyline: Michigan State +285 | Purdue -365

• Total: OVER 142.5 (-110) | UNDER 142.5 (-110)

Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook. Join FanDuel and claim your welcome offer: Bet $5, Get $100 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins. Get more info on the FanDuel Promo Code in our detailed overview.

Michigan State comes into this game off a win over Ohio State, their last game (Feb. 22), but they have had some problems in the last few weeks. Yes, they’ve won their last two, and that’s great, but they lost three of the previous four (3-3 in their last six).

As for Purdue, the Boilermakers hit their rough patch a few weeks ago. Following their win over USC, Purdue was 17-1 and 7-0 in conference and looked like a national title contender. But then they lost by two to UCLA, got beaten by Illinois, and followed that with a 72-67 loss to Indiana.

They have since gotten back on track with wins in five of their last six games, including a 93-64 romp over in-state rival Indiana. The one loss in that stretch was to then-No. 1 Michigan, 91-80.

Purdue’s offense is efficient and productive, whether they’re shooting from the perimeter or in the paint. If they can heat up early, they can put away a Spartans team built to play hard-nosed defense, not to overcome deficits.

But if Michigan State’s defense can disrupt Purdue's offense and not give them any easy looks, they can turn this into a low-possession game (advantage Spartans).

• My Pick: Purdue -7.5 at FanDuel

Too many things will have to go the Spartans' way for them to pull off an upset win in this game. Their ball movement is good, they play solid defense, and they are one of the better rebounding teams in the country (No. 2 in offensive and defensive rebounding in the Big Ten).

Purdue also moves the ball well, but is also a much better shooting team than Michigan State. The Spartans are good enough to keep this one close through the first half, but the Boilermakers will slowly take over in the second half and cover the spread.

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High Point Panthers vs. Presbyterian Blue Hose Odds & Pick

• Spread: High Point -11 (-110) | Presbyterian +11 (-110) 

• Moneyline: High Point -750 | Presbyterian +525

• Total: OVER 150.5 (-110) | UNDER 150.5 (-110)

Odds from bet365 Sportsbook

High Point is one of those teams you’ll need to look out for come Tournament time. As the likely winner of the Big South’s automatic bid, they’ll undoubtedly face a higher-seeded team in the first round—and that team should be on immediate upset alert.

The Panthers have the second-best offense in the nation, averaging 91.8 points per game. But unlike many offensive-minded teams, they also play solid defense (No. 82 in the country, 70.1 points per game allowed). They are an easy team to sleep on, but the last team that should be.

They finish off their regular season schedule tonight against a Presbyterian team that is 14-15, 7-7, which has lost five of its last eight games. However, one of those losses was a narrow defeat at the hands of High Point, 84-81.

• My Pick: High Point -11.5 at FanDuel

Presbyterian can’t be counted on to produce enough offense (71.8 points per game) to help send the final score OVER the TOTAL. While the first meeting was close, High Point will have an eye on the Tournament and wants to send a message to whoever they face.

We’ll get a much cleaner, more efficient, and productive game out of High Point this time vs. Presbyterian.

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