The Purdue Boilermakers will travel to Evanston for what seems to be an easy showdown with the careening Northwestern Wildcats. Will the Boilermakers add Northwestern to their long list of victims this season? Or will the Wildcats land a haymaker and knock out Purdue? Going into Saturday’s meeting, college basketball futures price Purdue with +4,000 odds to win the National Championship. Northwestern is way south of that mark, with just +200,000 odds to pull of a miracle.
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Betting Preview for the Purdue Boilermakers vs. Northwestern Wildcats College Basketball Game on March 9, 2019
Where: Welsh Ryan Arena, Evanston
When: Saturday, March 9, 2019, 2:30 PM ET
Line: Purdue Boilermakers (odds) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Purdue Boilermakers (22-8 Overall / 15-4 Conference)
Purdue, which received a huge shock in the form of a 73-69 road loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers last Tuesday, has already played its last home game of the regular season. But the Boilermakers are going to end their league campaign on the road against arguably the worst team of the Big Ten in the form of Northwestern. Saturday’s meeting is the first this season between Purdue and Northwestern, but virtually every sign point to the former taking home a win. The Boilermakers have the best offense in the conference and perhaps the best player. They are tops in KenPom with 112.5 points per 100 possessions and fourth defensively with 99.8 points allowed per a hundred possessions by opponents. Purdue is being led by guard Carsen Edwards, who owns a conference-best 23.5 points per contest.
Purdue is 5-0 straight up (SU) and 3-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last five meetings with Northwestern.
Betting on the Northwestern Wildcats (13-7 Overall / 4-15 Conference)
There’s barely any reason for Northwestern basketball fans to smile right now. They have every reason to vomit, though, as the Wildcats have been a dumpster on fire in conference play. If there’s a case to be made of the Wildcats upsetting Purdue, it’s got to be centered around their defense. Northwestern is 31st in the nation with just 65.1 points allowed per game. That’s commendable, considering the quality of the conference it’s playing in, but the Wildcats’ offense is their biggest Achilles Heel. The Wildcats are 307th nationally with just 66.0 points per contest. Despite the incredibly shaky form of Northwestern, Purdue can’t relax too much. Northwestern list by just a point to then No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes last month and lost defeated by only two points by the Michigan Wolverines back in December. Northwestern also had a January win over the Indiana Hoosiers.
Northwestern, which upset the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus last Wednesday 68-50, is 4-3 ATS in its last seven home games against Purdue.
Writer’s Prediction
Purdue wins, 70-62.
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