Tuesday’s game between the no. 10 Wisconsin Badgers and the no. 8 Purdue Boilermakers could determine the winner of the Big Ten regular-season title. The Badgers are currently one game ahead of both Purdue and Illinois, so a win will secure the regular-season championship for Wisconsin, barring a loss to last-place Nebraska on Sunday. However, a Purdue win would potentially lead to a three-way tie heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
Purdue at Wisconsin Stats
Matchup Information
Looking at Purdue Boilermakers stats
The Boilermakers are coming off a disappointing loss to Michigan State over the weekend. They have now lost two of their last three road games and haven’t been clicking offensively lately. Nevertheless, they’ve won nine of their last 11 games overall and know that they can still earn at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with a win on Tuesday.
Purdue also has a figure that no other team in the Big Ten can match in 7’4’’ center Zach Edey. The sophomore is averaging 14.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, although he can sometimes be prone to foul trouble. The Boilermakers also get a boost in their frontcourt from versatile forward Trevion Williams, who averages 11.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.
At the same time, Purdue has one of the best backcourts in the Big Ten, which is led by Jaden Ivey, who averages 17.3 points and three assists per game. Despite a recent shooting slump, Sasha Stefanovic is still averaging 11.2 points per game and shoots close to 40% from the three-point range. Mason Gillis also gives Purdue another shooting threat from the perimeter, although he’s also slumped a little in recent games, while senior Eric Hunter has come on strong lately and provides quality depth in the Purdue backcourt.
Looking at Wisconsin Badgers stats
Thanks to a four-game winning streak, the Badgers now control their own destiny at the top of the Big Ten standings. Of course, despite being 23-5 overall, three of Wisconsin’s losses have come at home this season, so the Badgers have been vulnerable at times as the home team. Also, Wisconsin has just four wins over ranked teams this season, which is surprising for a team that’s 14-4 in arguably the deepest conference in the country.
Johnny Davis is the biggest reason why the Badgers find themselves in such an advantageous position. The sophomore might be the frontrunner for Big Ten Player of the Year honors, leading Wisconsin with 20.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Davis has been complemented nicely this season by Brad Davison, who averages 14.2 points per game and is a strong outside shooter.
Meanwhile, depth has been a problem for Wisconsin this year, as only five players average more than three points per game. However, the frontcourt tandem of Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl are combining for over 20 points and ten rebounds per game, which is good production. Finally, freshman point guard Chucky Hepburn is the X-factor, as he’s averaging 7.8 points and 2.3 assists per game on the season but 9.3 points and three assists per game over his last seven games.
Betting Trends for Purdue at Wisconsin
- Wisconsin is 23-5 overall and 15-21-1 against the spread this season.
- Purdue is 24-5 overall and 13-15-1 against the spread this season.
- Wisconsin has gone over the point in 17 of 28 games this season.
- Purdue has gone over the total 17 of 29 times this season.
- Wisconsin beat Purdue 74-69 on January 3 despite being a 12.5-point road underdog.
Purdue at Wisconsin Prediction
The current betting odds have Purdue favored by three points on the road, with the over/under set at 144 points. That’s a drastic change from the first meeting when the Boilermakers were favored by 12.5 points. However, oddsmakers still view Purdue as the better team in this matchup, even on the road.
On paper, the Boilermakers surely have a deeper team, especially with the volume of quality guards they have. However, Purdue’s offense hasn’t been clicking on all cylinders lately, while Wisconsin is arguably a better team than when these two teams first met.
Ultimately, the Badgers have too much value as home underdogs in this matchup to ignore, with Wisconsin’s moneyline also having a lot of value.
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