Penn State vs Purdue Prediction, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds & Picks
Penn State Going After First Big Ten tournament title
Purdue Closing In On No. 1 Seed in March Madness Bracket
It is hardly a surprise that a Purdue team that spent multiple weeks sitting on top of the national polls will be playing for the Big Ten title. Seeing Penn State, which tied Rutgers for ninth in the Big Ten standings, is Sunday’s opponent certainly wasn’t being projected by those making college basketball predictions.
Teams considered to be on the bubble when it comes to being part of the NCAA tournament field will be pulling for the favored Boilermakers because Penn State would steal a bid with a win.
Purdue hasn’t won the Big Ten tournament since 2009 with the Boilermakers losing in the finals in 2016, 2018 and 2022. Penn State lost its only previous appearance in the Big Ten title game, falling to Ohio State in 2011.
Penn State is second and Purdue third in the Big Ten in field goal percentage. The Nittany Lions have made more than 100 more 3-pointers than any other team in the conference while Purdue has made the most foul shots.
When it comes to college basketball news, forward Caleb Dorsey, who hasn’t played since early February continues to be sidelined for Penn State. Purdue is in pretty good shape from an injury department.
Purdue is third in the coaches’ poll and fifth in the Associated Press poll.
According to the college basketball odds, Purdue (+1100) is fifth in the odds to win the national championship. Penn State comes in tied for 37th at +20000.
Purdue is fifth in the NCAA NET rankings and with a 10-4 record in Quad 1 games, the Boilermakers are in contention for a No. 1 seed in the March Madness bracket. Losses by Kansas and UCLA on Saturday helped the Boilermakers’ cause.
Penn State is 55th in the NET rankings and when looking at the college basketball picks, a loss in the Big Ten title game might end the Nittany Lions’ NCAA tournament hopes.
Pickett Has Lions Roaring
Picking up wins over Illinois and Northwestern is a bit different than taking down nationally ranked Indiana to advance to the conference title game.
Leading scorer Jalen Pickett was a little quiet offensively in the first two games of the tournament. He broke out with 28 points.
Pickett averaged 19 points, 7 rebounds and 7.5 assists in two games against the Boilermakers during the regular season so the Nittany Lions will be looking for another big game on Sunday.
Penn State is 7-2-1 against the college basketball betting lines in its last 10 games.
Eye on the Prize
Zach Edey looked like the national player of the year as he had 32 points and 14 rebounds as the Boilermakers had little trouble with Ohio State in the semifinals.
Zach Edey became the 4th player in the last 30 years to have 700 points, 400 rebounds, 50 blocks, 40 assists in a seeason.
2018 | DeAndre Ayton (Arizona)
2005 | Andrew Bogut (Utah)
2002 | Drew Gooden (Kansas) pic.twitter.com/qP3doE9V8O— Purdue Men’s Basketball (@BoilerBall) March 11, 2023
Brandon Newman bounced back from missing all four of his shots and finishing with just one point in the quarterfinal win over Rutgers by scoring 15 points against the Buckeyes while freshman Braden Smith hit all five of his shots and that included both of his 3-pointers. If Purdue is getting nearly 30 points from Newman and Smith, this team can play with anybody.
Fletcher Loyer is 1 for 14 from the field over his last three games and that is a bit of a concern heading into the title game.
Purdue has covered against the Las Vegas odds in just one of its last five games.
Penn State vs Purdue Game Injuries
Penn State vs Purdue Head-to-Head
Purdue has won six straight games against Penn State. The Boilermakers covered in both of this season’s matchups, winning 76-63 on the road on Jan. 8 as a five-point favorite and capturing the rematch at home 80-60 when listed by the sportsbook as a 9.5-point favorite.
Each of the last 10 games in the series have been decided by at least seven points. That is noteworthy since Purdue is favored by six points.
Nine of the last 11 games between Purdue and Penn State have finished over the total.
Penn State vs Purdue Game Information
- Game: Penn State (22-12, 10-10 Big Ten) vs Purdue (28-5, 15-5)
- Location: United Center, Chicago
- Day/Time: Sunday, March. 12, 3:30 p.m. ET
- Penn State vs Purdue Live Stream: TBS.com
Penn State vs Purdue Betting Lines
Penn State vs Purdue Prediction
These teams are as different as the star players. Purdue is led by the 7-foot-4 Edey, the front-runner for the Wooden Award and the other national player of the year awards. Penn State’s Pickett began his career at Siena where he had a game with 46 points and 13 assists in a triple-overtime loss.
Penn State is playing with more confidence than when the Boilermakers rolled to a 20-point win the last time out. However, it is fair to wonder how the Nittany Lions will handle Edey after the Purdue star averaged 24 points and 13 rebounds in the two meetings during the regular season.
Rebounds were 74-44 in Purdue’s favor in the first two meetings of the season.
Purdue is 25-3 when listed by the Las Vegas NCAA odds as the favorite. Penn State is 7-8 as an underdog.
Purdue is 7-0 this season in games played at neutral sites and has covered against the spread in five of those matchups. Penn State has covered in six of its seven neutral-site games and is 5-2 in those games.
Purdue is listed at -335 in our Las Vegas college basketball lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Boilermakers, you have a chance to win $30. Penn State is +272, offering a chance to win $272 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Purdue a 77.01% chance to win, with Penn State at 26.88%.
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Penn State vs Purdue Edge
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Penn State vs Purdue Game Summary
