Sparty on. The Michigan State Spartans have been tearing up the Big Ten. Michigan State is a perfect 9-0 in the conference, and Tom Izzo’s bunch are looking like one of the favorites come March. They are tied with Tennessee for the second-longest winning streak in the nation, but they will be on the road in a hostile environment this Sunday. The Purdue Boilermakers have one of the best home crowds in the Big Ten, and their fans will try to make life tough on the visiting Spartans.
This Big Ten showdown will take place on Sunday, January 27, 2019. Tip-off will be at 1 p.m. ET from Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. The game will be broadcast on CBS.
NCAA Basketball Betting at Bookmaker.eu
Check Back Later
Odds Analysis
Purdue stumbled often in non-conference play, but the Boilermakers are still in contention to make the NCAA Tournament and a win here would give them an outside shot at winning the Big Ten. The Boilermakers lost to Virginia Tech, Florida State, Texas, and Notre Dame in non-conference play, but their only conference losses were to the top teams in the conference, Michigan and Michigan State. Even though they aren’t ranked in the AP Poll, Ken Pomeroy thinks highly of them, ranking them eighth in the country.
The Spartans have some great wins to their credit this year. They knocked off UCLA and Texas in their non-conference schedule, and their only two losses were close defeats at the hands of Kansas and Louisville. In Big Ten action, Michigan State has been able to knock off Iowa (twice), Ohio State, and Maryland, but they have yet to face in-state rival Michigan.
These teams squared off three weeks ago in East Lansing, and it was all Michigan State. Purdue was held to just 31.3 percent from the floor, and Michigan State crushed them on the boards. The Spartans had a 13-rebound advantage over the Boilermakers, and the final score could have been much worse if Michigan State didn’t turn the ball over 14 times.
Key Injuries
An ankle injury has led to Joshua Langford being sidelined for the last few weeks, but he is close to returning to action. Langford has been one of the team’s best scorers, and he is a lights out three-points shooter for the Spartans. To make matters worse for Michigan State, Kyle Ahrens is seen as questionable after re-injuring his back in Thursday’s win over Iowa.
Purdue has no injuries to report ahead of this game.
Player to Watch
If the Boilermakers are going to pull off the upset, Carsen Edwards will be leading the way. Edwards is averaging double the points of anyone else on Purdue, and his 24.7 PPG is one of the highest totals in the nation. He is a solid three-point shooter and he gets to the line often, so he could have big numbers. Edwards will want to atone for an awful performance when these teams met before. He went just 3-16 from the field and 2-13 from beyond the arc.
Key Stat
The Spartans are one of the best rebounding teams in the country, and they are out to use their size to their advantage once more. Michigan State is averaging 43 boards per game, and Nick Ward, Xavier Tillman, and Kenny Goins have been fantastic at imposing their will down low. Purdue has to find a way to mitigate Michigan State’s advantage on the glass.
Prediction
I like the over in this game. Purdue has one of the most efficient offenses in the nation, and there is no way they will shoot that poorly against Michigan State at home. The Spartans will get their points down low too, and I am expecting to at least put up 70 in this one.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Michigan State 76, Purdue 72
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
