Purdue Boilermakers vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
by Tim Furious
With the Big Ten title within reach, the Boilermakers will need a win against Penn State to cap off a thrilling season as they become a middle ground bet for March Madness experts. With their destiny in their own hands, they’ve caught a huge break by finishing the season against the two worst teams in conference play. With a huge victory over Indiana, the Boilermakers will likely earn another win over Penn State. But will they cover the betting line?
Purdue’s unlikely success this year has come at the expense of their betting faithful, who have seen the Boilermakers go just 12-16-1 ATS this year. Though 4-1 SU in their past 5 games, Purdue is just 1-4 ATS in that same stretch of games. The fact that they couldn’t clear a -19.5 point line in a 74-55 victory means that the oddsmakers have the Purdue Boilermakers dead to rights in their crosshairs.
Earlier this year, Purdue handed Penn State’s ass to them in a 66-46 demolishing, covering a huge -15.5 point line at home. While it’s easy to assume that Purdue can do the same when they visit the Lions, there are two stark differences in this matchup. The first, and most obvious, is that Purdue is on the road where they’re 3-2 ATS. The second is that they’ll again be without star player Robbie Hummel who was lost for the season with a torn ACL.
Saturday, March 6th --- Bryce Jordan Center --- 2:30pm EST
Record: Purdue is 7-3 SU/ and 6-4 ATS Against Penn State
In his place, guard Chris Kramer led Purdue with 18 points and six assists, while E’Twaun Moore led the team in scoring with 21 points of his own. Helping matters against the hapless Hoosiers was JaJuan Johnson who hauled down 7 boards and swatted 4 shots away as he became a force to be reckoned with underneath the paint.
The fact that this game is against a lowly team like Penn State shouldn’t remove the sense of urgency required to win a Big Ten title. The Boilermakers will need to slam their foot on the pedal, and the injury to Hummel will only normalize a line that would otherwise be mountainous.
Penn State is 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS in their past 5 games, but are just 2-3 ATS in their last 5 home games. This point spread won’t be out of reach for Purdue who will end their season with a victory, a share of the Big Ten title and – finally – a win over the oddsmakers.
