The Purdue Boilermakers (28-5, 17-5 Big 10) take on the Penn State Nittany Lions (22-12, 13-10 Big 10) Sunday at United Center in the Big Ten Tourney Championship. Penn State defeated the Indiana Hoosiers 77-73 at United Center yesterday in the semifinals, their fifth consecutive win.
With 28 points and eight rebounds, Jalen Pickett was the standout player. Purdue won their fourth in a row in the semifinals yesterday at United Center, beating the Ohio State Buckeyes 80-66. Zach Edey had 32 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists to lead the team.
Purdue was unbeaten in the regular season against Penn State, taking both of their meetings, the most recent of which was an 80-60 victory at Mackey Arena on February 1, their sixth straight head-to-head victory. Mason Gillis led the Boilermakers with 29 points. Seth Lundy had 18 points in defeat.
The Nittany Lions have been led this season by Pickett, who is averaging 18.1 points per game. Pickett also is contributing 6.8 assists, fourth-most in the NCAA, and 7.4 rebounds per game. Edey’s 21.4 points per game have powered the Boilermakers on offense. Edey also has posted 12.4 rebounds per game, second-most in the country.
Braden Smith has distributed 4.2 assists per game.Half-court execution will likely be the difference in this matchup that showcases a pair of the NCAA’s slowest-paced teams, as the Boilermakers and the Nittany Lions rank 356th and 311th, respectively, in possessions per game.
In the last 10 games, Penn State is 8-2 with an average margin of +2.7 (72.4-69.7). Purdue has a 6-4 record over the last 10, scoring 71.5 points per game on average while allowing 68.1 (+3.4 margin). The Boilermakers are averaging 73.3 ppg for the full season while allowing 62.7.
NITTANY LIONS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Kanye Clary: 7.4 | 4.7 | +2.7
Evan Mahaffey: 1.2 | 4.4 | -3.2
Points per game:
Camren Wynter: 11.6 | 8.8 | +2.8
BOILERMAKERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Brandon Newman: 16.8 | 10.2 | +6.6
Caleb Furst: 6.8 | 11.2 | -4.4
Points per game:
Brandon Newman: 10.0 | 6.2 | +3.8
Fletcher Loyer: 7.6 | 11.1 | -3.5
Rebounds per game:
Caleb Furst: 3.0 | 4.8 | -1.8
Assists per game:
Ethan Morton: 1.6 | 2.5 | -0.9
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Purdue -7.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
