No Repeat: Purdue Moneyline Pick vs Northwestern
The last time that the Northwestern Wildcats faced Purdue, they stunned a team sitting atop the national polls. Heading into the Big Ten opener for both teams, Purdue is once again the top-ranked team in the country with the college basketball betting lines favoring the Boilermakers.
Northwestern snapped an 11-game losing streak to Purdue with a six-point victory the last time the teams met. It marked the sixth time in the last seven meetings that a matchup between Purdue and Northwestern finished under the total.
The college basketball odds have Purdue listed as the five-point favorite.
Backup center Will Berg returned to action in the last game for Purdue after missing the previous three games. The 6-foot-10 Luke Hunger had four points in eight minutes in his return to action for Northwestern.
Purdue joins Nebraska as the only undefeated team in the Big Ten while Northwestern is off to a 5-1 start.
The Wildcats held the Purdue Boilermakers to 36% shooting in a 64-58 win the last time the teams met.
Purdue (+200) came into the season as the favorite to win the Big Ten title while Northwestern (+2500) was eighth in the conference title odds when the season began.
Purdue received 92 of the 95 first-place votes to take over the No. 1 spot in both the Associated Press poll and coaches polls. Northwestern is not receiving votes in either of the national polls.
When looking at the college basketball futures odds, Purdue (+900) has the best odds of winning the NCAAM championship. Northwestern is well back at +20000 in the championship odds.
Edey Boosts Purdue’s Odds
Zach Edey’s run of 20-point games ended at four as the 7-foot-4 national player of the year candidate attempted only four field-goal attempts (and made them all) in a 32-point win over Texas Southern.
Edey is on pace to average a double-double for the second season in a row. Edey is averaging 21.9 points on 61.3% shooting and is pulling down 10.7 rebounds per game.
His biggest improvement has come in getting to the foul line as he is attempting a career-high 10.9 foul shots per game. Edey has scored in double figures in each of his previous three games against Northwestern.
Sophomore Braeden Smith and Southern Illinois transfer Lance Jones are the other double-digit scorers for the 7-0 Boilermakers. Purdue hit 13 3-pointers the last time out in a win over Texas Southern, and Northwestern needs to limit the open looks from the perimeter.
3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣
Raining triples last night.
🔖: @Case_IH pic.twitter.com/N1gMCZxYdT
— Purdue Men’s Basketball (@BoilerBall) November 29, 2023
Purdue is 5-1-1 against the college basketball point spread over its last seven games.
Northwestern Bounces Back
After suffering its first loss of the 2023-24 season, Northwestern made quite the statement by making 60.7% of its shots in an 89-67 win over Northern Illinois.
The 22 assists and seven turnovers played a huge role in the dominating victory. It was a far cry from the loss to Mississippi State, when the Wildcats had eight assists and nine turnovers.
Top scorer Boo Buie went from scoring just nine points on 4-of-14 shooting against Mississippi State to making 8 of 11 shots (4 of 5 3-pointers) en route to a 23-point effort.
Buie had 26 points in last season’s win over Purdue. The Wildcats won the game despite missing 18 of 22 3-point attempts, but Purdue wasn’t much better by connecting on 5 of 22 shots from 3-point range.
None of the other players on the current Northwestern team had more than six points in the most recent meeting so it will be interesting to see where the points come from.
The college basketball odds total has gone under in 13 of the last 19 games played by Northwestern.
Purdue vs Northwestern Game Information
- Game: Purdue (7-0) vs Northwestern (5-1)
- Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, IL
- Date/Time: Friday, Dec. 1, 9 p.m. ET
- Purdue vs Northwestern Live Stream: TBS.com
Northwestern Could Struggle to Upset No. 1 Purdue Again
Purdue has vivid memories of what happened the last time that these teams met. Look for the Boilermakers to avoid a repeat of that performance when the perimeter players couldn’t do enough to help Edey. The five-point line is a bit tricky but when making NCAA picks today, go with Purdue to take care of business.
Northwestern is averaging 13 fewer points than the Boilermakers so look for the Wildcats to try to slow this game down a bit. The rebounding discrepancy is a little concerning for Northwestern as Purdue is 26th nationally in rebounding while the Wildcats rank near the bottom in rebounds per game.
The Boilermakers also rank third nationally in 3-point percentage
The total has gone over in six of the previous seven games between Purdue and Northwestern, with the total set at 136½ in this matchup. Northwestern will look to hang around as it did a season ago, but Purdue is eager to prevent history from repeating.
When looking at the NCAAB expert picks, keep in mind that Northwestern is 5-4-1 against the spread as a home underdog over the last three seasons while Purdue is only 3-11-2 as a road favorite during that time.
College Basketball Pick: Purdue Boilermakers -210
Purdue vs Northwestern Betting Lines
Questions Of The Day
Which team is more likely to cover the spread?
Despite losing to Northwestern last season, Purdue could take care of business as a five-point road favorite.
Who are the key players to watch?
Purdue is led by 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey while Boo Buie is the top scorer for Northwestern.
