Purdue Boilermakers vs. Indiana Hoosiers Prediction and Best Bets

Indiana has not lost at home this season under new coach Mike Woodson, but will that perfect record remain intact? Tonight, the Hoosiers welcome in-state rival Purdue to Assembly Hall for what should be a tight affair in Bloomington.

The Hoosiers are 11-0 at home this season and knocked off ranked Ohio State Teo weeks ago. That win spurred a little surge in Big Ten play, as Indiana has won three of four. They are now above .500 in Big Ten play and solidly in the March Madness field.

To keep that surge going, the Hoosiers will need to play their best game of the season against the best opponent they have faced this season.

Purdue makes the trip to Bloomington after a hard-fought double overtime win at top-20 Illinois on Monday. Can they score another quality road win in this matchup?

Purdue vs. Indiana College Basketball Matchup Info and Betting Odds

Matchup Info

• Game Matchup: #4 Purdue Boilermakers (15-2, 4-2 Big Ten) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (13-4, 4-3 Big Ten)
• Venue & Location: Assembly Hall (Bloomington, Indiana)
• Date: Thursday, January 20, 2022
• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: FS1

Betting Odds

• Spread: Purdue -3.5 (-110), Indiana +3.5 (-110)
• Total: OVER 141.5 (-110), UNDER 141.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Purdue -165, Indiana +135

Odds are via BetMGM.

Purdue vs. Indiana Betting Outlook

Can Purdue Survive Another Stiff Road Test?

The Boilermakers are the highest ranked of five ranked Big Ten teams. Wisconsin, Michigan State, Illinois, and Ohio State are all also in the top 20 in this week’s polls.

But with early losses to Rutgers and Wisconsin, Purdue has minimal margin for error in a loaded league. All five teams are separated by no more than a game in the loss column, with Rutgers (11-6, 5-2 Big Ten) also in the mix.

So, it was imperative for Purdue to successfully navigate Monday’s trip to Champaign. And they did, prevailing 96-88 after two extra periods.

Purdue squandered a six-point lead in the final 74 seconds of regulation and then couldn’t close out a lead in the first overtime. But they pulled away in the second overtime to finally put the Illini away.

It may have taken two overtimes, but Purdue’s 96-point afternoon against Illinois was their ninth 90+ point performance of the season. The Boilermakers are tops in the country in offensive efficiency and fourth in scoring, averaging over 86 points per game.

Their offensive output is a big reason why March Madness odds peg Purdue as a top title contender. Their offense comes from a variety of sources, and all of those sources stepped up against Illinois.

In Monday’s win, Sasha Stefanovic and Zach Edey both hit the 20-point mark, with Stefanovic nailing five of eight from deep. Jaden Ivey and Trevion Williams didn’t have exceptional shooting days, but they still ended up with 19 and 14, respectively. And senior Eric Hunter, who started the past two seasons but has had a diminished role this season, had a season-high 11 points against the Illini.

Hoosiers Hope to Protect Perfect Home Record

Like Purdue, Indiana lost two of their first three Big Ten games. But things are now trending positively for the Hoosiers, with last week’s loss at Iowa their only recent loss.

Trayce Jackson-Davis has balled out all season long for the Hoosiers, but he has stepped it up a notch in this recent surge. TJD has recorded four straight double-doubles and is averaging 20.3 PPG and 11.8 RPG over his last four games, and he had five-block games against Ohio State and Iowa.

Few individual players are as important to their team’s success as Jackson-Davis, who is averaging 19.5 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 2.9 BPG this season. But the Hoosiers had their best scoring output of the conference campaign in Monday’s 78-71 win at Nebraska thanks to a solid overall team effort.

Yes, Jackson-Davis had 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way. But six other players scored at least six points, with Race Thompson and Jordan Geronimo also scoring in double figures. Against a Purdue team that has two towers in the middle in Edey and Williams, Woodson needs to be able to count on teamwork to make the dream work in this matchup.

Purdue vs. Indiana Prediction and Best Bet

Purdue 73, Indiana 69 (Purdue -3.5 & OVER 141.5)

Tonight’s Purdue-Indiana matchup pits one of the top offensive teams in college basketball against one of the top defensive teams in college basketball. Which strength will win out?

Woodson looks like a sound hire for his alma mater, and the Hoosiers’ win over E.J. Liddell and Ohio State was extremely impressive.

The Buckeyes are also one of college basketball’s most efficient offensive teams, but the Hoosiers held them to a season-low 51 points. Liddell, who is averaging 19.4 PPG and shooting over 50 percent from the field this season, was held to 11 points on 3 of 12 shooting against Indiana.

I got burned picking against Indiana in that game, and you would think that I would know better than to do it again. The Hoosiers are clearly sound defensively and shut down a talented Ohio State team. Winning in Bloomington is difficult, no matter who you are.

But Purdue is a notch or two above Ohio State, and the tough tests this team has faced this season, including a raucous atmosphere in Champaign on Monday, will have them well-prepared for their visit to Assembly Hall.

Monday’s game was only the seventh time over the past three seasons in which Williams shot under 35 percent. On the previous six occasions, he averaged 16.2 PPG and 10.7 RPG in the following game.

History also favors a bounce-back game for Ivey. Against Illinois, Ivey failed to hit a three for only the second time all season, and it was only the fifth time this season that Ivey failed to hit multiple threes. On the previous four occasions, he averaged 20.8 PPG in the following game and made multiple threes in each game.

Look for Ivey and Williams to have productive nights from the field in a solid road win for the Boilermakers.