Thursday night features a Big Ten showdown as the No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers (19-1, 8-1) take on the Michigan Wolverines (11-8, 5-3). The Wolverines will host this one at the Crisler Center, with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 pm ET.
Purdue comes into this one having won six straight, including a 58-55 home win over Maryland in their last game. In that victory, Zach Edey had a game-high 24 points and 16 rebounds to lead Michigan. He was the only Wolverine to finish in double digits.
As for Michigan, they took down Minnesota 60-56 at home on Sunday. Hunter Dickinson had 23 points and nine rebounds in the win, while Dug McDaniel and Kobe Bufkin combined for 22 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists.
The Boilermakers are the favorites in this one playing at home. They are -230 to win, while the Wolverines’ moneyline sits at +188. The spread features Michigan as 5.5-point underdogs (-108), and the over/under for total points is 136.5.
Purdue Looks to Stay Perfect On The Road
With their lone loss coming at home, the Boilermakers will look to continue their solid road play, where they are 6-0 as the visiting team. With a two-game lead on the conference, they would also love to further expand their conference with a win over the Wolverines, who currently sit fourth in the Big Ten.
On the year, Purdue ranks just 97th in the nation in scoring, averaging 73.6 points per game. They are led by 7’4” junior Zach Edey. The big man is averaging 21.5 points on 61.4% shooting, to go along with 13.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per night.
Aside from Edey, the only other player for Purdue that is averaging double digits is Fletcher Loyer, who is averaging 12.8 points and 2.6 assists per night. Right on the cusp, Braden Smith is averaging 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.
Defensively, the Boilermakers are elite. They currently rank ninth in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 59.8 points per game (61.6 on the road).
Purdue Looks To Big Man Dickinson To Help Upset The Top-Ranked Boilermakers
At 11-8 overall, this hasn’t quite been the season that head coach Juwan Howard had hoped for. Still, sitting 8-2 at the Crisler Center, and with a star big man of their own, the Wolverines will hope to upset the visiting Boilermakers.
The battle of the bigs should be a ton of fun to watch in this one. 7’1” junior center Hunter Dickinson leads the Wolverines and could be their answer to shutting down Zach Edey and Purdue.
On the year, Dickinson is averaging 18.1 points on 57.1% shooting. He is also putting up 8.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
The Wolverines have two others averaging double digits in guards Jett Howard (14.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists) and Kobe Bufkin (12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists). It is worth noting that Howard is questionable for this one as he deals with an ankle injury.
Michigan ranks just 164th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing an average of 69.5 points per game to opponents (64.7 at home). Offensively, they rank 82nd in scoring, averaging 74.3 points per game.
Take Michigan And The Points
Looking at the trends, Purdue has gone 13-1 over their last 14 games, but they are just 4-10 against the spread in that time. They are also 1-6 against the Wolverines in their last seven matchups, and they are 0-6 against the spread in their last six road games against Michigan.
As for the Wolverines, they are 5-1 in their last six home games, but they are just 1-4 against the spread in their last five overall. In their last six games against conference foes, they are just 2-4 against the spread.
While Hunter Dickinson may not completely be Zach Edey’s kryptonite, it does feel like Dickinson could play a big role in this one. Especially given that Purdue has won two of their last three games by three or less points, there seems like a lot of value in taking Michigan and the points.
Take the Wolverines +5.5 (-108).
