Northwestern vs Purdue prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball
01/05/2025 02:26 AM
It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Northwestern-Purdue prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Northwestern-Purdue.
The Northwestern Wildcats have to be extremely frustrated with the way their season has unfolded. It hasn’t been a complete disaster. Northwestern has defeated Illinois and a few other power conference opponents. However, the Wildcats have lost a bunch of close games. They have had some very winnable games slip right through their fingers. In some cases, they simply blew it. They allowed Iowa to hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to lose to the Hawkeyes in excruciating fashion. This past Big Ten game against Penn State on Thursday was different.
The Wildcats had reason to think they did not get a fair whistle. They scored a late basket but it didn’t count, preventing them from tying the score and potentially sending the game into overtime. They wound up losing by four points. That late-game call which denied them a huge bucket was the biggest single bad call of the game which went against them, but on a broader level, Northwestern had to be furious with the refs for the simple reason that Penn State took 45 free throws. That is an abnormally large amount of free throws for any game. Northwestern got a uniquely tight whistle when it played defense, and Penn State was able to take advantage of that. Northwestern will have to find a way to shrug off that brutal loss when it goes to West Lafayette for an early-afternoon game against Purdue, last season’s national runner-up.
Purdue is finding life to be a lot more difficult without Zach Edey, last season’s best college basketball player and a unique matchup mismatch for opponents (other than UConn). Edey was a dominant force in the middle of the paint who made basketball look very easy for Purdue. Without him, the Boilermakers have to scratch and claw for every win and every basket. There is no clear-cut favorite in the Big Ten this season because there’s no superstar player in the conference who can carry a team and put it on his back. Purdue has to maximize its whole rotation and make sure all of its core players are contributing on a consistent basis.
Here are the Northwestern-Purdue College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Northwestern-Purdue Odds
Northwestern: +8.5 (-120)
Moneyline: +270
Purdue: -8.5 (-102)
Moneyline: -345
Over: 137.5 (-115)
Under: 137.5 (-105)
How to Watch Northwestern vs Purdue
Time: 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT
TV: Big Ten Network
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Northwestern Will Cover The Spread/Win
Northwestern might not win as many games as it hopes to or needs to, but the Wildcats are vigorously competitive. They do play a lot of close games. They covered the spread against Penn State the other day. With the spread being almost nine points, NU has every reason to think it can keep this Purdue game close. NU has been a thorny opponent for Purdue and can take the Boilermakers down to the wire, in which case they will cover.
Why Purdue Will Cover The Spread/Win
Purdue smashed Minnesota on the road on Thursday night. The Boilermakers played solid defense and looked like a mature team. If Purdue can play that same level of defense here, it can pull away from NU and win by 12 to 15 points.
Final Northwestern-Purdue Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Northwestern, but we don’t have a strong feel for this game. Pass.
Final Northwestern-Purdue Prediction & Pick: Northwestern +8.5
The post Northwestern vs Purdue prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball appeared first on ClutchPoints.
