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Purdue looks to avenge an earlier loss to Northwestern as they play on Wednesday. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Northwestern-Purdue prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Northwestern comes into the game sitting at 15-5 on the year. They are also 6-2 in conference play. They started conference play strong, with an upset of Purdue by four points. From there, they would win four of the next five, but lose to Chicago State. Then, they started their full conference slate. Northwestern has avenged their loss to Illinois, and also a loss to Wisconsin and Nebraska. Last time out, they beat Ohio State by 25.
Meanwhile, Purdue is 19-2 on the year, but 8-2 in conference play. They did face their conference opener to Northwestern after they had defeated Gonzaga, Tennessee, and Marquette. Since that loss, they have also beaten a top-ranked Arizona team and ninth-ranked Illinois but fell by 16 on the road to Nebraska. Since the loss to Nebraska, they are 5-0.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Northwestern-Purdue Odds
Northwestern: +12.5 (-102)
Moneyline: +640
Purdue: -12.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -1000
Over: 144.5 (-110)
Under: 144.5 (-110)
How to Watch Northwestern vs. Purdue
Time: 6:30 PM ET/ 3:30 PT
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Northwestern Will Cover The Spread/Win
Article Continues Below
Northwestern sits 47th in KenPoms adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are 31st in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 82nd in adjusted defensive efficiency. Northwestern is 113th in the nation in points per game but is 30th in assists per game, and second in assists to turnover ratio. Boo Buie leads the team on offense this year. He comes in with 18.5 points per game while leading the team with 5.3 assists per gamer. Meanwhile, Brooks Barnhizer comes in 14.7 points per game, while he is shooting 45.5 percent from the floor. Rounding out the top scores are Ryan Langborg and Ty Berry. Langborg comes in with 11.5 points per game, while Berry has 11.4 points per game this year.
Northwestern is 348th in the nation in rebounding this year. Still, they are 184th in the nation in defensive rebounding rate. Brooks Barnhizer leads the way here too. The guard leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per game on the season. Second on the team is another guard, Ty Berry has 4.0 rebounds per game.
Northwestern is 74th in the nation in opponent points per game, but they are 218th in opponent effective field goal percentage. Barnhizer is solid here too. He has 2.0 steals per game, while Ty Berry has 1.5 and Boo Buie has 1.4 per game this year.
Why Purdue Will Cover The Spread/Win
Purdue is number two in the nation in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings while sitting second in adjusted offensive efficiency and 13th in adjusted defensive efficiency. They have also faced the hardest schedule according to Ken Pom, coming away with just two losses on the year. Further, Purdue is ninth in the nation in points per game while sitting fifth in assists per game this year. They are also 11th in the nation in effective field goal percentage this year. They have been led by Zach Edey.
Edey comes into the game with 23.0 points per game this year. That is good for second in the nation this year, while his shooting percentage of 62.7 percent is 18th in the nation. Edey has 25 or more points in four of his last five games. Meanwhile, Braden Smith comes in with 12.1 points per game this year, while also having 7.0 assists per game on the year. Further, Lance Jones and Fletcher Loyer both come in with over 11 points per game on the year.
They have been solid in the rebounding game as well, sitting eighth in the nation in rebounds per game. Further, they are seventh in defensive rounds per game as well. Edey and Smith lead the way there too. Edey is averaging 11.4 rebounds per game this year, fourth in the nation. He has been dominating the board. He has 64 rebounds in his last five games. Braden Smith averages 5.5 rebounds per game, which is second on the team.
On defense, Purdue is 90th in points against per game this year but they are 32nd in opponent effective field goal percentage. Once again, the story on defense is Edey and Smith. Edey comes in with 2.3 blocks per game this year. Meanwhile, Smith has 1.5 steals per game on the season. Further, Lance Jones also has 1.5 steals per game this year.
Final Northwestern-Purdue Prediction & Pick
The story of this game is going to be rebounding. Zach Edey is 7'4″ tall and dominated the boards. The top two rebounders for Northwestern are a 6'6″ guard and a 6'3″ guard. The sheer height advantage for Edey is going to make a difference in this game. Last time against Northwestern he had 14 rebounds and 35 points. Still, it was one of the few times this year that the rest of the team struggled. If Edey can come close to repeating that performance, this will be a big win for Purdue.
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Final Northwestern-Purdue Prediction & Pick: Purdue -12.5 (-120)
