The Penn State Nittany Lions take on the Purdue Boilermakers. Our Big Ten Championship odds series has our Penn State Purdue prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Penn State Purdue.

The Penn State Nittany Lions have secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten has been a conference this season in which no one really knew how good the second- through 12th-place teams truly were when measured against each other. Northwestern — a team Penn State defeated twice over the past two weeks, both times in overtime — was the No. 2 seed at this Big Ten Tournament. Was Northwestern the second-best team in the conference? That's up for debate. However, the larger point to make is that there really wasn't any real gap in quality between the second-place team and the 10th-place team, as the Penn State-Northwestern games have shown. Penn State is the No. 10 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, trying to become the first double-digit seed to win the Big Ten Tournament. Yet, it's not as though Penn State ever felt like a 10 seed. It was simply one of several teams with a chance to win this event. PSU is on par with most of the middle-tier teams in the conference because in 2023, the middle tier is basically a group of 11 teams. The only three teams removed from that large, mushy middle in the Big Ten are first-place Purdue and then Nebraska and Minnesota at the bottom. One could also place Ohio State in the bottom group, but the Buckeyes showed at this Big Ten Tournament that they were more talented than their record (and that they underachieved badly in the regular season).

Purdue — currently likely to be a No. 1 seed at the NCAA Tournament after UCLA lost the Pac-12 Tournament final to Arizona — is a formidable challenge for Penn State to solve on Championship Sunday in Chicago.

Here are the Penn State-Purdue Big Ten Championship odds, courtesy of FanDuel:

Big Ten Championship Odds: Penn State-Purdue Odds

Penn State Nittany Lions: +7.5 (-110)

Purdue Boilermakers: -7.5 (-110)

Over: 134.5 (-105)

Under: 134.5 (-115)

How To Watch Penn State vs. Purdue

TV: CBS

Stream: CBSSports.com

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET, 12:30 p.m. PT

*Watch Penn State-Purdue LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*

Why Penn State Could Cover The Spread

The Nittany Lions are on a roll. They are locked in, making all the big plays in all the big moments. They have found a way to hit the most timely shots and make the most important defensive stops in close games. They are getting contributions throughout the roster — not necessarily points scored, but good defense and solid rebounding. When a team is as cohesive and in sync on the court, that's a very powerful thing and not something one should reflexively be inclined to bet against.

Why Purdue Could Cover The Spread

The Boilermakers are the best team in the Big Ten and have been the best team in the Big Ten all season long. They have been several notches better than that 11-team “mushy middle” we talked about earlier. While lots of Big Ten teams have been hard to pin down, it is — and has been — clear that Purdue is a cut above. Zach Edey is the front-runner for 2023 National Player of the Year. He is a matchup Penn State won't be able to solve. The other central point here is that Penn State is playing a fourth game in four straight days. Purdue is playing a third game in three days, and played the earlier semifinal on Saturday. Purdue should be a lot fresher.

Final Penn State-Purdue Prediction & Pick

Penn State is a hot team, but the fatigue factor attached to four games in four days will likely show up. Take Purdue.

Final Penn State-Purdue Prediction & Pick: Purdue -7.5