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— Thursday, January 27th Purdue Boilermakers @ Iowa Hawkeyes
The No. 6 Purdue Boilermakers (16-3, 5-3) look to bounce back from a loss to rival Indiana when they head to Iowa on Thursday to face the unranked Hawkeyes (14-5, 4-4). Iowa has won six in a row at home, and they are seeking revenge after dropping a close one at Purdue in December. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, and the game will air on FS1.
These teams faced each other in the Big Ten opener on December 3, and Purdue won 77-70 after jumping out to a 13-point halftime lead. Purdue leads the all-time series 93-77 and have won six of the last seven. Iowa is 53-29 against Purdue at home, 19-14 at Carver-Hawkeye, where Purdue has won just twice since 2014.
Purdue Loaded Inside
Purdue is 10-9 ATS on the season, and the over is 11-8 in their 19 games. They are 2-2 on the road this season with a win last week at ranked Illinois but followed that with a Thursday loss at Indiana. They bounced back Sunday to beat Northwestern by 20 at home.
Purdue ranks fourth in offense at 84.7 ppg, and they are also fourth in the nation in both 3-point shooting (40.1%) and field goal shooting (50.1%). The defense ranks 141st in scoring at 67.4 ppg, and they are second in the nation in rebounding at 40.6.
Jaden Ivey leads Purdue at 16.7 ppg, and he’s shooting 42.4% from 3-point range, but he missed the Northwestern game with a hip flexor and is questionable at Iowa. He had 21 points at Indiana on Thursday and 19 at Illinois last Monday. Ivey has scored in double figures in every game this season except for a 44-point win against Wright State in November.
Center Zach Edey averages 15.3 ppg to go with 7.7 rpg, and Trevion Williams comes off the bench but still averages 12.7 ppg and 8.4 rpg. Sasha Stefanovic is the fourth player in double figures at 12.1 ppg, and he shoots 41.6% from deep.
Purdue let Iowa back into the game in December by turning the ball over 17 times. They made 8-of-19 shots from 3-point range, and Ivey led the way with 19 points. Williams had 13 off the bench to go with 18 rebounds, and Mason Gillis scored 12 as well.
Murray Does it All for Iowa
Iowa is 12-7 ATS, and the over is 13-5-1 in their 19 games. They have been great at home this season with an 11-1 record, the only loss coming to Illinois in December. They are 0-3 against ranked teams and have January losses to Wisconsin and Rutgers.
Iowa’s offense ranks fifth in the nation at 83.1 ppg, and they shoot 46.5% from the floor. The 3-point shooting has been down this season, ranking 181st at 33.8%, but they are top 20 in the nation at the free-throw line, shooting just under 77%. The defense ranks 201st in scoring (69.4), and they are outside the top 100 in rebounding 36.8.
Keegan Murray leads Iowa in scoring at 22.8 ppg and also leads the team with 8.4 rpg. He’s shooting 57.3% from the floor and 34.1% from deep. Murray has scored at least 10 points in every game except for one, and he’s topped 25 points on nine occasions.
Patrick McCaffery (10.8) and Jordan Bohannon (10.6) are also in double figures, with Kris Murray (9.5) right behind them. Bohannon has made 43 3-pointers on the season while the Murray’s have combined for 51, 28 from Keegan and 23 from Kris.
In the first matchup, McCaffery led the way with 15 while Perkins had 14 off the bench and Murray had 12. Iowa made just 5-of-21 from the 3-point range, and they were outrebounded by 12.
Betting Analysis
- Purdue Boilermakers -2.5 (-105). Money line -140
- Iowa Hawkeyes +2.5 (-115) Money line +120
- Total Points 155 Over -110, Under -110
These are not the same Iowa Hawkeyes we are used to seeing under Fran McCaffrey, as they have struggled against winning teams and also struggle to rebound. That will hurt against a tall and deep Purdue team, especially if Ivey is back and close to 100%.
Look for Purdue to get out and go with their tempo and 3-point shooting as they pick up a solid road win before hosting No. 16 Ohio State this weekend.
Betting Pick: Purdue -2.5 (-105)
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