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Arizona Wildcats @ Purdue Boilermakers

Current Records: Arizona 8-0, Purdue 9-1

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Arizona has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will take on the Purdue Boilermakers in a holiday battle at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Arizona has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 25 points or more this season. Everything went their way against the Badgers on Saturday as the Wildcats made off with a 98-73 victory. Winning is a bit easier when you work as a team to rack up 13 more assists than your opponent, as Arizona did.

Arizona got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Pelle Larsson out in front who scored 21 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Larsson has scored all season. Caleb Love was another key contributor, scoring 20 points along with seven rebounds and five assists.

Meanwhile, the oddsmakers set the bar high, but Purdue and Alabama didn't disappoint and broke past the 163.5 point over/under on Saturday. The Boilermakers came out on top against the Crimson Tide by a score of 92-86. The victory came about thanks to a strong surge starting at the 9:55 mark of the first half, when Purdue was facing a 30-18 deficit.

Braden Smith and Zach Edey were among the main playmakers for Purdue as the former scored 27 points along with eight assists and five rebounds and the latter scored 35 points along with seven rebounds. The game was Edey's third in a row with at least 22.4 points.

The Wildcats pushed their record up to 8-0 with that victory, which was their sixth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 100.0 points per game. As for the Boilermakers, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 9-1.

This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Arizona have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 46.1 rebounds per game (they're ranked first in rebounds per game overall). However, it's not like Purdue struggles in that department as they've been averaging 42 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

As for their next game, Arizona is expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. They might be worth a quick bet since they've covered the spread the last eight times they've played.

Odds

Arizona is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Purdue, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Boilermakers as a 1.5-point favorite.


The over/under is set at 159 points.

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Series History

Purdue won the only game these two teams have played in the last 6 years.

  • Nov 24, 2017 - Purdue 89 vs. Arizona 64