BIG 10 CONFERENCE MATCHUP
PURDUE BOILERMAKERS VS #1 INDIANA HOOSIERS (-19)
The second meeting between these teams this season is set to tip-off at 2PM EST on ESPN. Purdue (12-13) is hoping to end their most recent two game skid, while Indiana (22-3) could take first place of the Big Ten conference with a victory. When these rivals faced off last month Indiana blew the Boilermakers out 97-60. As much as Purdue will be looking for revenge, I expect the same results.
I don’t even have to say it, Indiana is a better all around team in almost every statistical category. They are going to dominate this matchup from the second the ball drops to the second the clock stops. The Hoosiers are scoring an average 82.2 points per game, placing them the second highest scoring team in the nation. Combine that with the fact they can play defense too, allowing only 61.2 points per game (56th in the country); it looks to me like Purdue has a better chance at winning the lottery than taking down the Hoosiers in Assembly Hall.
These two guys should be household names by now; Victor Oladipo and Cody Zellar. They are the two monsters that propel Indiana to their victories and are one-two in points per game for Indiana this season. They could easily steal the show tomorrow afternoon leaving Purdue fans to not even bother tuning into the second half. The Boilermakers are going to struggle to contain these guys and I expect them to find themselves in foul trouble early trying to doing so.
The major reason I like this game isn’t because Indiana is the #1 team in the country ranked by the associated press, but because I expected the spread to be bigger. I was surprised to find oddsmakers released the spread in this game at only -19. I expected it to be closer to around -24 for Indiana. I say take the generous -19 with pride, and if your feeling frisky tease the line to -24 and I bet you won’t be disappointed. Hoosiers win big and take lead of the Big Ten conference; making their matchup this week in Michigan State only that much exciting.
TRENDS
PURDUE
- 2-10 straight up in their last 10 games on the road in Indian
- 1-7 against the spread on saturday games this season
- 0-2 against the spread versus good offensive teams scoring 77 PPG or more this season
- 5-13 against the spread when playing a team with a winning this season
INDIANA
- 12-2 against the spread as a home favourite of 12.5 points or more in the last 3 seasons
- 10-3 against the spread when playing at home against Purdue since 1997
FINAL SCORE – BOILERMAKERS 56 – HOOSIERS 82