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The Purdue Boilermakers are the hottest team in the Big Ten. Purdue has been on fire lately. The school has won 11 straight games and is off to a very nice start in conference play. The Boilermakers have wiped the floor with all comers and might just upset the apple cart and usurp preseason favorite Michigan State. A tough road test awaits when they face the other team from The Mitten State. The Michigan Wolverines are 9-0 at home this year and looking to stay unblemished.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, January 9, 2018, at 9 p.m. ET at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The game will be televised live on ESPN. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Tuesday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
If you’ve been riding Purdue all season, you’ve made a pretty nice chunk of change. The Boilermakers have had little trouble covering ever increasing spreads and are sitting at 11-5 ATS on the year. Their only two losses came in the Battle 4 Atlantis, where the team was likely distracted by the many things the Bahamas had to offer, and the Boilermakers ripped off their winning streak after coming back to the mainland.
Purdue has only played two road games all year, against Maryland and Marquette, but won and covered both games.
Michigan is one of the more underappreciated teams in the country. The Wolverines were largely written off after a loss to LSU in Hawaii, but have picked up some nice wins since that point.
In early December, Michigan was able to get nice non-conference wins over both UCLA and Texas. The Wolverines won and covered in both of those games. This team is now 6-1-1 ATS in its last eight.
Key Stat
The way that Purdue has won over the last few seasons is with its big guys. Although Caleb Swanigan is no longer on the team, there is still plenty of talent along the frontcourt for the Boilermakers.
Isaac Haas and Vincent Edwards are a scary tandem for opponents to try and stop. Haas is a seven-footer with good mobility for his height and a nice shooter’s touch. Edwards is an undersized power forward who has proven time and time again that he can play above his height.
These two are Purdue’s second- and third-leading scorers and are the team’s top two rebounders as well. Michigan will have to find a way to counter their presence.
Matchup to Watch
The Wolverines may play at a snail’s pace, but it has proven to work for John Beilein’s squad. Michigan’s zone offense slowly breaks down defenses over the course of a possession, leading to high-percentage shots.
This team is one of the nation’s best shooting teams even though it has played some very good opponents. Michigan is hitting 48.7 percent of its baskets this year, and it’s top two scorers are indicative of the team’s philosophy. Charles Matthews and Moritz Wagner are both hitting over 56 percent from the floor.
Turnovers kill a slow-paced offense like this, and this team has done a great job of preventing those mistakes. Michigan is averaging just 10 turnovers per game this season, one of the lowest numbers in the nation.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Michigan has some very tall guards. They might need to play a little closer in the paint to be able to box out Purdue’s rebounders. The Wolverines are likely to go with Moritz Wagner as their primary big man for most of the game and the guards will need to cover down.
Unfortunately, Purdue has three-point shooters that can expose that. The Boilermakers are hitting almost 41 percent of their threes this season, and will flourish with the attention turned towards Haas and Edwards.
College Basketball Odds: Purdue 72, Michigan 64
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