The Purdue Boilermakers are still looking for a top-tier win against a non-conference opponent after falling just short against Villanova and Louisville in November. Purdue has made short work of its other opponents though and are rated as the 16th best team in the country according to Ken Pomeroy. They will get a chance for a solid win against a non-conference opponent when they take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Jimmy V Classic.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, December 6, 2016, at 7 p.m. ET at historic Madison Square Garden. The game will be televised live on ESPN. We will have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Purdue is 6-2 SU and 3-3 ATS on the season, but a perfect 2-0 ATS in neutral site games. Four of the Boilermakers’ six games have gone over the total this season, which is expected for a team averaging 82.9 PPG.
Arizona State has been an awful team for bettors this season and is still looking for any kind of solid win. The Sun Devils have been blown out by Kentucky and Northern Iowa and have struggled on the defensive end this season. Six of their eight games have gone over the total and ASU has covered just once in its last five games.
Key Stat
Coming into the season, coach Bobby Hurley knew his Sun Devils would live and die by the three-pointer. Hurley recognized that he had a group of talented guards that could light it up from behind the arc and that they can shoot Arizona State into or out of any game.
In Arizona State’s last game, we saw just how good this team could be when the shooters are stroking from distance. The Sun Devils tied a school record by hitting 18 of their 36 three-point attempts in a rout of UNLV. Torian Graham hit 6 threes, and Shannon Evans II knocked down 5 in the win.
The three-point shooting is extremely important with the smallball line-up Arizona State is showcasing this season. The Sun Devils are mostly running a line-up with four guards and a forward on the floor and if they aren’t hitting perimeter shots, they struggle to win.
Matchup to Watch
Purdue’s big men are licking their chops looking at Arizona State’s line-up. The Boilermakers have three talented big men that are all solid shooters and they will be in mismatch heaven against the undersized Sun Devils.
Caleb Swanigan is currently averaging a double-double on the season and has feasted on teams without athletic big men that can cover him all over the court. He is hitting 59.5 percent of his field goals this season and is an impressive 7-11 from behind the three-point line. Swanigan should be able to put up a monster game against Arizona State here.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Rebounding will be one of the key battles in this game. When Kentucky pasted Arizona State by 46 points last week, one of the biggest reasons why was an awesome 59-33 rebounding advantage for the Wildcats. Kentucky physically dominated Arizona State all game long and got a ton of second chance opportunities because of it.
Purdue had some issues rebounding against the athletic big men of Louisville, but should have no problem controlling the glass here. The Boilermakers have a trio of big men that can have their way with the Sun Devils down low and have solid enough guard play to not let Arizona State bombard them from three.
This is going to be a rout. While Arizona State’s line-up might give some other teams trouble during the season, Purdue matches up well in all the right areas and will win easily here.
College Basketball Odds: Purdue 93, Arizona State 75
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