Over Best Bet for Purdue vs Illinois

· Mar 05 - 5 minutes read

While Purdue may have clinched the Big Ten regular-season championship, it will be Illinois that has the edge in the NCAA basketball spreads on Tuesday night when the two teams square off. The Illini are looking for revenge for an early-January loss to the Boilermakers as well as looking to improve their seeding for the NCAA Tournament.

Purdue has won three in a row and 12 of 13 and features the reigning national player of the year, Zach Edey. Illinois has also been hot, earning victories in its last three contests, including a road win over Wisconsin on Saturday.

Purdue vs Illinois Game Information

1. Game: Purdue (26-3, 15-3 Big Ten) vs Illinois (22-7, 13-5)
2. Date/Time: Tuesday, March 5, 7:00 p.m. ET
3. Location: State Farm Center, Champaign, Ill.
4. Purdue vs Illinois Live Stream: TBS.com

Purdue is atop the Big Ten standings with a 15-3 mark after getting past Michigan State at home on Saturday night. The Boilermakers have earned the top seed in next week’s Big Ten tournament while Illinois is looking to clinch the second seed with a win on Tuesday night. The host Illini are favored by two points in the college basketball point spreads after losing by five to the Boilermakers on the road in the teams’ first matchup this season. The over/under is set at 164 for this clash of high-scoring squads.

Purdue vs Illinois Odds and Spreads

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Purdue vs Illinois Betting Trends

1. Purdue is 0-4 ATS in its last four contests following a straight-up win.
2. Both teams have 16 wins against the spread in 2023-24.
3. The Illini have gone over in 21 of their 29 contests this season.
4. Illinois is 4-0 ATS in its last four games played on a Tuesday.
5. The Boilermakers are 1-3 ATS in their last four road games.
6. Despite losing its last two matchups with Purdue straight-up, Illinois is 2-0 ATS in that span.
7. The Illini are 19-4 as the favorite this season, while Purdue has won its only game as an underdog.
8. The over is 4-0 in the Illini’s last four games as a home favorite.

Bet On Purdue vs Illinois

Purdue vs Illinois Over/Under Pick: Over 164

These are two of the top scoring teams in the Big Ten, and that shouldn’t change in this one. The Illini will be looking to push the tempo to avoid facing a halfcourt defense anchored by Edey, and they’re good when they get out and run.

The first matchup between these teams was an 83-78 Purdue victory, and the Illini didn’t have top scorer Terrence Shannon Jr. (22.0 ppg) for that contest. Illinois leads the Big Ten with 84.8 points per game, with Purdue just behind at 84.7 points. Both teams are in the bottom half of the conference in points allowed per game as well, so going with the over is essential when making your NCAAB picks.

Purdue vs Illinois ATS Pick: Illinois -2

The NCAA basketball lines have been set with the knowledge that this game means more to Illinois than it does Purdue, as the Boilermakers seem to have a top seed in the NCAA Tournament already clinched. Illinois is still trying to improve its March Madness odds with a higher seeding with some big wins over the next two weeks, and the Illini will be playing on Senior Night in this one.

Look for Shannon and Marcus Domask (31 points, eight rebounds, four 3-pointers in Saturday’s win over Wisconsin) to lead the Illini to a high-scoring performance. Edey will certainly get his points inside, but the defense of Illinois should be able to hold off the rest of Purdue’s supporting cast to pick up the win at home.

Purdue vs Illinois Team Prop Pick: Race to 40 Points Illinois -137

As stated before, Illinois is going to be very emotional at the start of this game, looking to get out and run in front of its home crowd for the last time this season. Purdue is coming off an emotional win over Michigan State on Saturday night that clinched a second straight Big Ten regular-season title for the program, so it won’t have the same emotional intensity at the start as the Illini.

The first matchup saw Purdue ride that home emotional wave to a 15-point halftime lead before Illinois fought back to make it a game in the second half. Illini coach Brad Underwood will certainly have his team ready to go at the start for this one to avoid another such deficit.