Don't look now, but the top-ranked Purdue Boilermakers will be in for their first conference test on the hardwood this evening as they tip off with the Northwestern Wildcats. Join us for our College Basketball odds series where our Purdue-Northwestern prediction and pick will be revealed.

Entering play fresh off a thwarting of winless Texas Southern by a lopsided score of 99-67, Purdue has posted a flawless 7-0 record up to this point and have already captured wins against teams such as Marquette, Tennessee, and Gonzaga. With the Boilermakers passing each test on the court with flying colors, just how good can this team be as the regular season wears on?

Meanwhile, Northwestern will be keeping their fingers crossed that a strong home-court advantage is just what the doctor ordered for a major upset. As it stands, the Wildcats are 5-1 overall and just beat Northern Illinois at home by a score of 89-67. Does Northwestern have what it takes to slay Goliath and give the home crowd something to cheer about?

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Purdue-Northwestern Odds

Purdue: -5.5 (-115)

Northwestern: +5.5 (-105)

Over: 135.5 (-110)

Under: 135.5 (-110)

How to Watch Purdue vs. Northwestern

Time: 9:00 ET/6:00 PT

TV: Big Ten Network

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Purdue Will Cover The Spread

The Boilermakers have size, length, athleticism, and an array of shooters behind the arc that make this team extremely frightening to go up against on the hardwood. Of course, the biggest threat on this roster that proposes a significant mismatch is big man Zach Edey whose head touches the clouds at 7'4″. The Toronto native and reigning National College Basketball Player of the Year is averaging 21.9 points per game and recently put together a dominant performance versus Marquette when he dropped a monster 28-point, 15-rebound performance in the triumphant victory. Indeed, winning on the road in the wild world of college basketball is not easy, but when a guy like Edey exists on your squad, any game is winnable.

Not to mention, but this is a Boilermakers squad that is shooting 42.8% from three-point range in addition to their physical and grueling play. In route to scoring a whopping 99 points, it was Purdue's red-hot shooting hands from deep that ultimately sunk Texas Southern. As a whole, the Boilermakers shot 52% from beyond the arc and another outing like this will ultimately be enough to cover the spread even in a hostile environment.

All in all, Purdue is as battle-tested as they come with one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules up to this point, and that fact alone could be enough to overwhelm Northwestern all night long.

Why Northwestern Will Cover The Spread

On the other side of things, Northwestern is no doubt drawing the unfortunate task in squaring off with top-rated Purdue in their Big Ten conference opener, but bettors should not be sleeping on a Wildcats squad that may be in for a massive courtstorming when the night is all but said and done.

For starters, if the ‘Cats are going to pull this thing off in the win column and in regard to covering the spread, getting off to a red-hot start will be vital to energize this crowd and to provide a sense of belief throughout the night. If all else fails, the Wildcats are fortunate to return senior guard Boo Buie who is averaging 18.5 points per game and is dropping 21.5 points per contest while at home. Obviously enough, Buie is Northwestern's top player by far, and the team will only go as far as he goes. Alas, be on the lookout for Northwestern's own seven-footer in the paint in Matthew Nicholson who could make things difficult for Edey. Although Edey still presents a nightmare matchup and with Nicholson only averaging 5.3 PPG, he still serves as a big-body down-low that could quietly but surely give Purdue's bread-and-butter fits on the block.

When glancing at the tape, it becomes evident that Northwestern's pace of play is as slow as a snail. All things considered, this could actually bode well for Northwestern as slowing down Purdue's hectic pace could be the key in shocking the Boilermakers.

Final Purdue-Northwestern Prediction & Pick

Buckle up college basketball fans, as Big Ten basketball is here already! On this first day of December, it will be Northwestern that puts their best foot forward in this one, but it still won't be enough. Purdue is way too talented to go down in defeat, and they are also a rock-solid 5-1-1 against the spread thus far.

Final Purdue-Northwestern Prediction & Pick: Purdue -5.5 (-115)