The No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers has gone 2-2 against ranked opponents this season and will face their fifth big test this Sunday, taking on the No. 20 Purdue Boilermakers on the road. The Badgers enter this game with a record of 13-2, riding a nine-game winning streak they will look to extend on Sunday.
Purdue is 1-3 against ranked opponents this season, defeating No. 21 Notre Dame on December 17th but falling to No. 3 Villanova and No. 14 Louisville earlier this season. The team rebounded from its overtime loss to Minnesota on January1st with a one-point win over Ohio State on Thursday and are 13-3 entering this contest.
This war on the floor will go down Sunday, January 8, 2017, at 4:30 p.m. ET at the Mackey Arena in
West Lafayette, Indiana.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Sunday’s schedule.
Odds at BookMaker.eu
Wisconsin has gone 8-4 against the spread on the season. The Badgers have played three true road games on the year and have equipped themselves well, covering the spread in a pair of them. Wisconsin has been the favorite in all but one game this year, covering in eight of those 11 contests. The Badgers didn’t cover in their one game as the underdog.
Purdue is 8-4 against the spread as well. The Boilermakers have played at home seven times this season and have covered in four of them. If Purdue ends up the favorite in this one, it will aim to keep playing well when giving points. The Boilermakers are 8-2 against the spread as the favorite this year while they have failed to cover in two attempts as the underdog.
Player to Watch
Ethan Happ – Wisconsin’s sophomore forward has established himself as a difference-maker this season for the Badgers and he certainly proved it again this week, putting up 19 points and also snagging six rebounds in Wisconsin’s win over No. 25 Indiana. Happ is averaging 13.1 points and 9.4 rebounds on the season.
Happ had a standout game against No. 22 Syracuse on November 29th, finishing with a season-high 24 points and 13 rebounds in Wisconsin’s 77-60 win. He has had five double-doubles this season with his most recent coming against Rutgers on December 27th where he scored 10 points and had 11 rebounds.
The sophomore won the Big Ten Freshman of the Year last year and was also selected for the conference’s All-Defensive Team. He is a strong addition to the Badgers offense alongside Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes and a viable hurdle in the post for opposing teams with his size and rebounding skills.
Key Stat
20.3. That’s how many assists per game Purdue is averaging this season. The team ranks No. 2 in the country for assists and is averaging 84.5 points per game.
Purdue’s offense faces a tough defense in Wisconsin this weekend, however. The Badgers are holding opponents to 59.4 points per game this season and does a really nice job at dictating the pace and playing tough halfcourt defense.
The Boilermakers have done a nice job moving the ball and finding easy buckets in the earlygoing this season, but points may be at a premium here. Wisconsin will try to limit fastbreak opportunities as usual while Purdue must take advantage of any they do get.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Purdue is coming off a narrow win last time out that was a big one. It is battling to stay in the mix in the Big Ten but is facing off with arguably the best team in the conference in this one. The home court advantage helps the Boilermakers in this one, but Wisconsin is the more well-rounded team.
It won’t be easy, but take the Badgers to hit the road and pull out a tough victory to push their winning streak into double digits.
College Basketball Odds: Wisconsin 67, Purdue 63
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