The NCAA will showcase this elite Big Ten matchup for Thursday night! It's time to continue our college basketball odds series with a Purdue-Indiana prediction and pick.
Purdue started out the season on fire and is still one of the top teams in the entire NCAA. They have a 15-2 record which puts them as the No. 4 team in the country. Purdue is fresh off of a 96-88 win over No. 17 Illinois and have won three straight since the loss to Wisconsin. The Big Ten is stacked this year, as Purdue is currently 6th in the conference with a 4-2 record. Their other loss came to Rutgers earlier in the year to snap their undefeated streak.
Indiana is not the same school that history entails right now. They continue to be one of the better teams but haven't been dominant in years. Indiana is 13-4 on the season but just 4-3 in Big Ten play. That puts them in the seven spot in the conference right behind Purdue. A win for Indiana tonight would certainly improve their chances at moving into the top-25 rankings.
Here are the Purdue-Indiana college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Purdue-Indiana Odds
Purdue: -3.5 (-120)
Indiana: +3.5 (-102)
Over: 140.5 (-110)
Under: 140.5 (-110)
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Why Purdue Could Cover The Spread
This is a top-5 team in the country. Even though it's tough to tell who really are the top teams, Purdue seems to have made the statement that they are in this category. They dominated last year as well but lost to North Texas in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last season. That certainly has motivated them to improve this year. They're on pace to being one of the No. 1 seeds, compared to No. 4 last year. Purdue must win this game though. Every single team in the Big Ten has a winning record besides Nebraska (6-13). They can't afford to lose any more games because if they do, they could lose out on a top seed for the Big Ten Tournament. There is still plenty of time left in the year, but with two conference losses already, they need to get back on a winning streak.
Purdue can cover this spread if they contain Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis. Jackson-Davis averages 19.5 points per game which is near the top in the nation. He is their primary weapon on offense and if Purdue can shut him down and not allow him to catch fire, then Purdue will almost certainly cover this spread.
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Why Indiana Could Cover The Spread
As mentioned earlier, Jackson-Davis will need to lead the Hoosiers past Purdue in this one. The Boilermakers are too dominant of a team to escape with a win when not playing your best. They have multiple options to score whereas Indiana really relies on Jackson-Davis to lead the team. Indiana does defend better than most schools, allowing just 62 points per game. The issue is that Purdue averages 86 points per game and so one of those is not going to be the same after tonight. Indiana needs to focus on the defensive side of the ball, and if they do that, they will have a chance to cover this spread.
They are being given a few points here at home. The Hoosiers are a perfect 11-0 at home this season, so that gives them a great chance to be in this game. Purdue is 2-1 on the road so they don't have much experience outside of Indiana. These two rivals will face off for the first time this season and will face off one more time before the season ends. It's always nice to see one of the most popular basketball states having two elite teams once again.
Final Purdue-Indiana Prediction & Pick
Purdue is favored on the road here and that is the right choice. Purdue is 9-8 against the spread and Indiana is 10-7. The Boilermakers seem too good to lose this spread here, so take them and hope that Indiana doesn't continue to be their best at home.
Final Purdue-Indiana Prediction & Pick: Purdue -3.5 (-120)
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