Iowa Hawkeyes vs Purdue Boilermakers Betting Preview
After a grueling week of basketball, the Big Ten tournament will crown a champion Sunday afternoon as the No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes (25-9) take on the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers (27-6). This game will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with tipoff scheduled for 3:30 pm ET.
The Boilermakers swept the season series winning by seven (at home) and 10 (on the road). They will look to make it three in a row on Sunday.
To get to the championship game, Iowa has taken down three teams, including No. 12 Northwestern (112-76), No. 4 Rutgers (84-74), and No. 9 Indiana (80-77). Saturday’s semifinal win over Indiana actually came on a last-second shot.
In the win over Indiana, Keegan Murray had a game-high 32 points to go along with nine rebounds and three assists. Patrick McCaffery added 16 in the win.
Due to a bye, Purdue has only had to win two games to get to the championship. They defeated No. 11 Penn State 69-61, and on Saturday, they beat No. 7 Michigan State 75-70.
Jaden Ivey led all scorers in the victory over the Spartans with 22 points and nine rebounds. Zach Edey had a double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds.
Purdue is the slight favorite in this one. They are -130 to win while the Hawkeyes’ moneyline sits at +108. The spread features Iowa +2 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 148.
More Odds
Looking ahead to the NCAA tournament, Purdue has the seventh-best odds of winning at +1800. The Hawkeyes are +4000 to win it all.
By The Numbers
Both of these teams rank in the top-10 in offense this season. Iowa ranks fourth overall averaging 84.2 points per game. The Boilermakers rank seventh averaging 80.4 points.
Defensively, Purdue holds the edge. They rank 148th in scoring defense as they are allowing opponents an average of 68.5 points per game. The Hawkeyes rank 222nd allowing 71.3 points.
Iowa Hopes Third Time’s A Charm
It is hard to beat an opponent three times in a row, particularly a team as good as Iowa. At least that is what the Hawkeyes are hoping for after getting swept by the Boilermakers during the regular season. They will look to get their revenge Sunday afternoon.
Leading Iowa’s electric offense is sophomore forward Keegan Murray. He is averaging 23.4 points per game on 55.7% shooting. He is also chipping in 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
The Hawkeyes have three others averaging double digits in Jordan Bohannon (11.2 points, 1.7 assists), Patrick McCaffery (10.2 points, 3.7 rebounds), and Kris Murray (10.1 points, 4.4 rebounds).
Purdue Tries To Prove It Is Best In Conference
For much of the season, the Boilermakers seemed like the best team in the conference. Late regular-season losses to Michigan, Michigan State, and Wisconsin created doubt, though. On Sunday, Purdue will look to eliminate that doubt by winning the Big Ten tournament.
Like Iowa, the Boilermakers are led by a sophomore. Jaden Ivey is averaging 17.2 points per game this season on 45.9% shooting. He is also adding 4.8 rebounds and three assists per game.
Other major contributors for Purdue include Zach Edey (14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds), Trevion Williams (11.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists), and Sash Stefanovic (11.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists).
Take Purdue To Win And Cover
Both of these teams are elite on the offensive side, but only Purdue puts out a respectable defense.
To this point, the Hawkeyes have relied on simply outscoring their opponents, a strategy that has mostly worked, but they will continue to find difficulties with Purdue.
As one of the best offenses in the country, Purdue can go toe-to-toe with Iowa’s offense and expect exactly that to happen on Sunday.
Take Purdue to win and to cover the modest two-point spread.
