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Thursday’s college slate delivered decisive second-half adjustments, dominant defensive stretches and several double-digit wins across neutral sites and home courts. Freshman standouts drove pace in multiple games, while veteran guards closed out tight finishes as bettors tracked tempo and efficiency trends through Odds & Scores. Momentum swings late in halves defined almost every matchup.
No. 1 Purdue 80, Memphis 71
Purdue remained unbeaten behind Fletcher Loyer’s 20 points, including 18 in the second half.
C.J. Cox added 18 points, and Trey Kaufman-Renn delivered 12 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out. Braden Smith anchored the offense with 11 assists as Purdue moved to 5–0 for the fourth time in five seasons.
Memphis led 64–61 with just over seven minutes to play after Purdue went almost five minutes without a field goal. The Boilermakers responded with a decisive 12–0 run, flipping the game behind defensive pressure and stronger rebounding positioning.
Dug McDaniel posted 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. Zach Davis added 11 for the Tigers, who dropped their third straight. A leaderboard capper highlighted Purdue’s second-half shot selection profile, aligning with trends noted in the Bettors Handbook.
No. 2 Houston 91, Rider 45
Houston rolled behind Kingston Flemings’ 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting.
Emanuel Sharp added 15 with three made threes. Mercy Miller scored 14 off the bench, and Joseph Tugler added 12 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Chris Cenac Jr. went 5-for-5 and added 12.
The Cougars led by as many as 48 as their depth overwhelmed Rider.
Caleb Smith scored 13 for the Broncs. Rider committed 23 turnovers and shot 30.8 percent from the field, including 4-for-17 from deep.
No. 14 St. John’s 97, Bucknell 49
Bryce Hopkins paced St. John’s with 20 points as the Red Storm overcame a cold start to take control late in the first half.
Ian Jackson matched Hopkins with 20 points on 6-for-13 shooting. Ruben Prey added 14, and Joson Sanon contributed 10 as St. John’s moved to 3–1 with its third double-digit win.
The Red Storm opened 3-for-14 from the field but shot 50.6 percent the rest of the way, driven by transition play and rebounding.
Amon Dorries scored 12 for Bucknell. The Bison remain winless against ranked opponents since beating Syracuse in 2005.
No. 15 Texas Tech 84, Wake Forest 83
JT Toppin scored 21, and Christian Anderson added 16 as Texas Tech advanced to meet Purdue in the Baha Mar final.
Wake Forest pushed to the final possession thanks to Juke Harris, who scored 23 of his 26 points in the second half. Myles Colvin added 19 as the Demon Deacons threatened another neutral-site upset after their overtime battle with Michigan earlier in the month.
Texas Tech survived the late surge by absorbing multiple scoring runs and controlling the final defensive possession. A leaderboard capper pointed out Texas Tech’s late-game poise, matching insights highlighted on the Handicappers board.
No. 20 Tennessee 89, Tennessee State 60
Ja’Kobi Gillespie led the Vols with 17 points as Tennessee maintained control throughout.
Freshman Nate Ament added 15 points, going 7-for-8 from the line. Amaree Abram scored 15 as well.
The Volunteers shot just 43.9 percent from the field but controlled the game through turnovers, rim pressure and consistent trips to the line.
Tennessee State shot 32.1 percent overall and 5-for-27 from three. Aaron Nkrumah scored 19, Travis Harper added 17 and Antoine Lorick scored 12.
Handicappers Roundup
Sas Insider remained on top with +$716 on the day and a weekly lead of +$1,909. Neal Harris added +$400 to keep pressure on the upper tier.
Kyle Parker, Heather Williams and Madjack Sports held steady across the weekly chart.
For the month, Sas Insider’s +$20,086 sits well ahead of Knup Sports POTD, Computer Picks, Keylor Santos and Sports Central.
Today’s verified cards are available through Free Service Plays.
