Big Ten foes will square off Thursday night as the No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers (24-5, 13-5) take on the Wisconsin Badgers (16-12, 8-10). The Badgers will host this one at the Kohl Center, with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 pm ET.
The Boilermakers are the favorites in this one despite playing on the road. They are -192 to win, while the Badgers’ moneyline sits at +158. The spread features Wisconsin as 4.5-point underdogs (-114), and the over/under for total points is 128.5 (-110).
Purdue Tries To Bounce Back From Disappointing Loss
On Saturday, the Boilermakers found them in an unusual position as they dropped a home game as the favorites 79-71 to No. 15 Indiana. In the loss, Zach Edey had 26 points and 16 rebounds, but it still wasn’t enough for the Boilermakers. They will look to bounce back on the road Thursday, where they are 7-3 this season.
Edey leads a Purdue team that ranks 108th in scoring, averaging 73.4 points per game (70.4 on the road). In 28 games, he is averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game.
Two other contributors for the Boilermakers include Fletcher Loyer (11.8 points, 2.5 assists) and Braden Smith (9.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists).
Purdue is one of the best in the nation on the defensive end. They rank 17th overall, allowing an average of 62.2 points per game to opponents.
Wisconsin Looking For Major Upset At Home
At 16-12 overall and 8-10 in the conference, it has been a pretty mediocre season for head coach Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers. Still, they are hoping they can pull of a major upset at the Kohl Center, where they are 9-5 on the season.
Defensively, the Badgers have been solid this season. They rank 27th overall, allowing opponents an average of 63.7 points per game (59.7 at home).
It is offensively where Wisconsin has had real struggles. They fall to 320th in the nation in scoring, averaging just 65.1 points per game.
Wisconsin’s leading scorer has been sophomore guard Chucky Hepburn, who is averaging 12.1 points three rebounds, and three assists. He is questionable for this game, though, as he hurt his knee in their last game.
The Badgers have three others averaging double digits in Connor Essegian (12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds), Steven Crowl (11.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists), and Tyler Wahl (11.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists).
Take Purdue To Win And Cover
Purdue has struggled a bit lately going 2-4 against the spread in their last six games and 2-8-1 against the spread in their last 11 road games. They are, however, 11-4 in their last 15 games against Big Ten opponents and 15-5 in their last 20 overall.
For Wisconsin, they are just 5-10 in their last 15 games and 4-14 against the spread in their last 18 games. In their last 16 games against Big Ten opponents, they are 4-12 against the spread.
Neither of these teams are playing exceptionally well lately, but it is hard to deny that Purdue is much better on paper. While Wisconsin’s defense may play tough for a bit, expect the Boilermakers to eventually wear down the Badgers.
Take Purdue to both win and to cover the 4.5-point spread (-105).
