The No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers (20-1, 9-1 Big 10) welcome the Michigan State Spartans (14-7, 6-4 Big 10) Sunday in a matchup of patient teams.
Michigan State narrowly defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 63-61 at Jack Breslin Student Events Center on Thursday. Jaden Akins was the key player with 12 points and six rebounds.
The Spartans climbed to fourth in the Big Ten Conference. Purdue won their seventh in a row on Thursday at Crisler Center, beating the Michigan Wolverines 75-70.
Zach Edey had 19 points and nine rebounds, carrying the team. The Boilermakers remain first in the Big Ten Conference. It’s the last meeting of the season between the teams.
After taking the only earlier season game against Michigan State 64-63 at Jack Breslin Student Events Center on January 16, Purdue will be aiming for a season sweep.
Edey led the Boilermakers with 32 points and 17 rebounds. Tyson Walker had 30 points in the losing effort. Walker (14.1 ppg), Joey Hauser (13.7), and A.J. Hoggard (12.4) are leading the Spartans in scoring this season.
Hauser also has grabbed 7.6 rebounds per game, while Hoggard has dished 5.9 assists per game, 10th-most in the NCAA. Edey has powered the Boilermakers on offense, averaging 20.3 points per game. Edey also has collected 12.3 rebounds per game, second-most in the country. Braden Smith has recorded 4.1 assists per game.
Half-court execution will be paramount in this matchup that showcases two of the NCAA’s slowest-paced teams, as the Boilermakers are 354th in possessions per game while the Spartans are 304th.
Michigan State is 7-3 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +5.4 (68.9-63.5). Purdue has a 9-1 record over the last 10, scoring 69.8 points per game on average while holding opponents to 58.1 (+11.7 margin). The Boilermakers are averaging 73.6 ppg for the full season while allowing 60.3.
SPARTANS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jaden Akins: 16.6 | 11.3 | +5.3
Pierre Brooks II: 2.2 | 7.6 | -5.4
Points per game:
Jaden Akins: 9.8 | 7.1 | +2.7
Mady Sissoko: 4.2 | 5.8 | -1.6
Assists per game:
A.J. Hoggard: 3.8 | 5.9 | -2.1
BOILERMAKERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Brandon Newman: 6.0 | 10.2 | -4.2
Points per game:
Brandon Newman: 3.4 | 6.3 | -2.9
Assists per game:
Ethan Morton: 1.2 | 2.7 | -1.5
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Michigan State +8.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
