Michigan vs Purdue
Can someone stop the frenzied Boilermakers? Well, the #7 Michigan Wolverines hope so, as they’ve won the previous four encounters with Purdue. Also, the Wolverines are 6-2 straight up and 8-0 ATS in their last eight matchups with the Boilermakers, so take the visitors to win and cover in Friday’s Big Ten Conference showdown at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Purdue is riding a four-game winning streak, outlasting a couple of top-25 teams in the process. The Boilermakers are coming off a 67-65 victory at #15 Ohio State, upsetting the Buckeyes as 5.5-point road underdogs. They overcame an 11-point deficit to improve to 11-5 on the season and 6-3 in the conference play.
On the other side, the Wolverines are 12-1 overall and 7-1 in the conference play, topping the Big Ten standings at the moment. After a heavy 75-57 defeat at #23 Minnesota on January 16, Michigan thrashed off Maryland 87-63 as a 10.5-point home fave this past Tuesday.
“It could be a special year for them if they get hot at the right time.”
Maryland’s Turgeon on @umichbball: ‘They Can Win The Whole Thing’ #GoBlue https://t.co/nZivVfYVBS pic.twitter.com/RXX5NiORDP
— TheWolverine.com (@TheWolverineMag) January 20, 2021
The Wolverines are No. 7 in the AP Top 25 Poll and No. 4 in the NCAA NET Rankings. They have the seventh-best offensive rating (116.9) and the eighth-best defensive rating in the country (90.2). Freshman C Hunter Dickinson (15.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG) and senior F Isaiah Livers (14.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG) continue to torture their rivals, and we should see more of the same against Purdue.
The Boilermakers are No. 32 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings. They score 111.4 points per 100 possessions (38th in the country) and surrender 92.2 in a return (28th), while junior F Trevion Williams leads the way with 15.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest.
Purdue can certainly keep it close, but the Boilermakers will lack the depth to completely upset the Wolverines. After four straight wins, we should see some regression by this Purdue team, and three points on the Wolverines are a fair offer.
The Boilermakers are 4-0 ATS in their last four showings, but they are only 3-6-1 ATS over the previous ten games on the home court. The Wolverines are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games overall and 6-3 ATS in their previous nine outings on the road.
College basketball pick – Michigan by 3.
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