Ohio State is one of three unbeaten teams remaining in the Big Ten but they have a tall task on Thursday as No. 1 Purdue comes to town. The Boilermakers (13-1, 2-1) suffered their first loss of the season on Monday, at home to Rutgers, and are looking to bounce back against the No. 24 Buckeyes (10-3, 3-0).
Last year the teams met just once, an 81-78 Purdue home win. Purdue has won three of the last four with Ohio State’s win coming at the 2021 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. While Purdue won in Columbus in 2021, they are 4-11 in their last 15 trips to OSU dating back to 2002.
Thursday’s game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET, airing on FSI. Ohio State is favored by 2 points over Purdue, and the game total is 141.5 points.
Coming Off Loss, Purdue Hits Road
Purdue got off to a 13-0 start and shot up the rankings to No. 1. After losing to Rutgers, they will have to win on Thursday and again on Sunday at Penn State to stay at the top. Sunday’s game is actually at the Palestra in Philadelphia but still counts as a road game for the Boilers as far as the conference is concerned.
Purdue is trying to match their best start in school history at 14-1. They are a well-balanced squad, ranking No. 5 in the nation in offensive efficiency and grabbing 41.2 rebounds per game. The Boilers allow just 60.9 ppg, and they have held 26 straight opponents to 75 points or less.
Purdue hasn’t shot the ball well lately, making less than 31 percent from 3-point range in each of the last five games. They are averaging just five makes per game over that stretch from deep after making more than eight per game in the first nine outings. Purdue does get to the free-throw line, though, with 139 more makes than their opponents on the season, and they shoot 75% from the line.
Center Zach Edey dominates in the middle with 28 blocked shots in 13 games. He is averaging 21.7 ppg and 13.4 rpg and shooting 63.2 percent from the field.
Purdue already boasts ranked wins over Gonzaga and Duke, plus wins over Marquette, Florida State, and West Virginia. In those games, they are averaging 78.6 ppg while shooting 46 percent from the field and out-rebounding their opponents by 13.
Badgers Riding Five-Game Win Streak
Ohio State has won eight of their last 11 games against No. 1 ranked teams in the AP, and they will need every part of their efficient offense to add another win Thursday. The Buckeyes rank second in the Big Ten at 81.0 ppg, and they are second in the nation in offensive efficiency.
Ohio State ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding margin at +9.6. They have scored at least 90 points in two of the last three games and have topped 80 in 10 games this season. Last time out, they scored just 73 at Northwestern but still won by 16 while shooting 47 percent from the field.
Five Ohio State players average at least 9.9 ppg, and freshman Brice Sensabaugh leads the way at 15.9 ppg. He has scored 10 points in all but one game this season, and only two freshmen in the nation have scored more points on the season.
Purdue/Ohio State Betting Prediction
Purdue is 4-9-1 ATS, and Ohio State is 7-6. The Buckeyes are 7-0 at home on the season, while Purdue is 6-0 away from home and 2-0 in true road games.
Zed Key will have his hands full with Edey in the post, and while the junior averages 8.4 rpg, that’s not come against the Purdue center. Both of these teams rely on freshmen to do a lot of the scoring and also to come up with big stops.
Purdue has the ability to hold Ohio State under 80 points like San Diego State, and Duke did as they beat the Buckeyes. Look for the No. 1 team in the nation to bounce back, win on the road and cover the +2 over Ohio State on Thursday
