A top 20 showdown hits the hardwood on Saturday when the No. 11 Purdue Boilermakers take on No. 17 Texas AM Aggies as part of the Indy Classic. The game tips at 12 p.m. ET from Gainbridge Fieldhouse and will air on CBS. At 8-2 both teams are clearly among the best in the country and the winner could climb in the national rankings after a chaotic week in College Basketball that saw former No. 1 Kansas lose twice to unranked foes. Purdue rebounded from a loss to unranked Penn State by beating Maryland, though they were a 2-point road dog at the Bitcoin sportsbook in that one. That shows how fine the line is in college hoops and with this game on a neutral court we could expect a close one.
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Texas A&M at Purdue Same Game Parlay
Purdue ATS
Texas AM / Purdue OVER
Texas A&M Team Overview
The Aggies enter on a four-game winning streak and with eight wins in their last nine games boosting their record to 8-2. They are 5-4-1 ATS while cashing the UNDER in six of their 10 games. They were stunned in the season opener by UCF, 64-61, as a 6-point favorite then responded with four straight victories, including a 78-64 payout over then No. 23 Ohio State. The Aggies dropped a neutral site contest to unranked Oregon in November, though the Ducks have since climbed to No. 12 in the rankings.
AM has won three straight neutral site games since its loss to Oregon, most recently taking down Texas Tech on Sunday behind 19 points from leading scorer Wade Taylor IV. Taylor is the sparkplug for the Aggies offense averaging 16.1 points and 4.5 assists. He is among the top players in the talent-rich SEC, but it’s hard to put him at the top since he shoots just 38.3 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from 3-point range. And the shooting woes go beyond Taylor. As a team the Aggies shoot 41.2 percent from the floor and just 30 percent from deep ranking them in the 300s nationally in both categories. As a result their average point total of 75.1 has them at No. 201.
As you can estimate the Aggies are winning on defense. Their relentless play is holding opponents to less than 30 percent accuracy from behind the arc and just 38 percent overall, to rank among the top 20. They also hold teams to less than 65 points per game. The defense will need to show up on Saturday against an efficient Purdue squad.
Purdue Team Overview
There’s been a change in the offensive philosophy now that Zach Edey is in the NBA. The Boilermakers spread the floor and have several scoring options to test opposing defenses. Trey Kaufman-Renn is producing at a high-level averaging 18.9 points while shooting 59 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep. In Saturday’s 83-78 win over Maryland Kaufman-Renn scored 21 points, his third game with 20 or more points in the last four.
Purdue opened the season with four straight wins, including a signature 87-78 takedown of then No. 2 Alabama on Nov. 15. Kaufman-Renn was brilliant hitting 12 of 23 field goals for 26 points and the Boilermakers’ best players were their best players. Braden Smith has developed into of the best point guards in the country averaging 8.8 assists. He had 17 points and 10 dimes in the Alabama upset, one of his four double-digit assist games this year.
Alongside Smith, Fletcher Loyer gives Purdue a talented backcourt that can pressure the best defenses. Loyer averages 13.7 points making more than 52 percent of his three-point attempts for a team that ranks No. 7 nationally in three-point percentage. Purdue’s efficient offense will be tested by AM’s elite defense, but with more options and Smith’s ability to break down opposing defenses, this feels like a Purdue game. It also helps that it’s in the Boilermakers’ backyard.
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