The Big Ten regular season comes to a close as Purdue faces Illinois. It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Purdue-Illinois prediction and pick.
Purdue is 21-9 on the year, while sitting 12-6 in conference play, sitting third in the Big Ten. They opened the year winning eight of their first ten games, before losing two straight. They would win ten of their next 11, before losing four straight. Purdue has won the last two games though, and last time out, Purdue defeated Rutgers. Purdue would have a nine-point lead at the end of the first half, but dominated the second half. They would go on to win the game 100-71.
Meanwhile, Illinois is 19-11 on the year, and 11-8 in conference play. That places them in seventh in the Big Ten. They opened the year 6-1 before losing two of the next three. From there, Illinois would win five in a row before dropping four of the next six. After two straight wins, Illinois would drop three straight, capped off by an Illinois loss to Duke. They have rebounded to win their last two games. Last time out, they faced Michigan. It would be a one-point game at the end of the first half, but Illinois would be strong in the second half, going on to win the game 93-73.
Here are the Purdue-Illinois College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Purdue-Illinois Odds
Purdue: +4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +158
Illinois: -4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -192
Over: 159.5 (-110)
Under: 159.5 (-110)
How to Watch Purdue vs. Illinois
Time: 8:00 PM ET/ 5:00 PM PT
TV: FOX
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Purdue Will Cover The Spread/Win
Purdue is ranked 12th in KenPom’s current rankings. They are eight in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 51st in adjusted defensive efficiency this year. Purdue has been solid on the offensive end of the court this year. They are 60th in the nation in points per game while sitting eighth in the nation in shooting efficiency this year. Further, they are 25th in the nation in assists per game this season, while sitting 20th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio this year.
Trey Kaufman-Renn leads the way for Purdue this year. Kaufman-Renn leads the team in both scoring and rebounds. He comes into the game with 19.4 points per game this year while adding 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists this year. Meanwhile, Braeden Smith leads the team in assists and steals this year. He comes into the game with 8.7 assists and 2.4 steals per game. He is also scoring 16.3 points per game with 4.5 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Fletcher Loyer has also been solid this year. He comes in with 14.1 points per game while adding 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Finally, C.J. Cox is scoring 6.3 points per game while adding 2.9 rebounds per game this year.
Why Illinois Will Cover The Spread/Win
Illinois is ranked 19th in KenPom’s current rankings. They are 14th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 32nd in adjusted defensive efficiency this year. Illinois has also been solid on the offensive end of the court this year. They are eighth in the nation in points per game while sitting 100th in shooting efficiency this year. Further, they have shot plenty of threes this year. Illinois is fifth in the nation in three point attempts this year, but are 46th in made attempts.
Kasparas Jakucionis leads the way for Illinois in both points and assists this year. He comes in with 15.4 points per game while adding 4.8 assists. Jakucionis is also bringing in 5.6 rebounds per game this year. He is joined in the backcourt by Kylan Boswell. Boswell is scoring 11.3 points per game while adding five rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
Meanwhile, Tomislav Ivisic leads the way in rebounding this year. He comes in with 7.7 rebounds per game while adding 12.6 points, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game. He is joined by Will Riley. Riley comes in with 11.9 points per game while adding four rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
Final Purdue-Illinois Prediction & Pick
For Illinois to get the win in this game there are a few key factors. First, they must attack inside the arc. While they shoot a lot of threes, they do not shoot well from outside and are facing a Purdue defense that is 26th in the nation against the three. Further, Illinois is 14th in the nation shooting inside the arc, while Purdue is 338th in the nation against the two. Further, Illinois needs to continue to play strong defense. While they are 206th in opponent points per game, they are 16th in opponent shooting efficiency this year. Finally, they are top 40 in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage, while Purdue is outside the top 100 in both. Take Illinois here.
Final Purdue-Illinois Prediction & Pick: Illinois -4.5 (-110)
The post Purdue vs. Illinois prediction, pick, college basketball odds appeared first on ClutchPoints.
