The Penn State Nittany Lions will look to extend their winning streak to three games when they take on the visiting third-ranked Purdue Boilermakers in Big Ten Conference action on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions (7-5, 2-2), who are tied with Indiana for sixth place in the conference, are 5-2 on their home court and are 2-0 in the New Year. The Boilermakers (12-2, 1-2), who are tied with three other teams for eighth in the league, are 0-1 on the road. Purdue, however, has won 11 of the last 12 meetings with Penn State and 25 of the last 29.
The game from Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa., is scheduled to tip off at noon ET. Purdue is averaging 85.9 points per game, while Penn State averages 67.3. The Boilermakers are 9.5-point favorites in the latest Purdue vs. Penn State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 1337. Before making any Penn State vs. Purdue picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,200 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Purdue vs. Penn State, and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for Penn State vs. Purdue:
- Purdue vs. Penn State spread: Purdue -9.5
- Purdue vs. Penn State over-under: 137 points
- Purdue vs. Penn State money line: Purdue -450, Penn State +350
- PUR: The Boilermakers are 4-0 against the spread in their last four Saturday games
- PSU: The Over is 6-1 in the Nittany Lions' last seven games vs. a team with a winning straight-up record
Why Purdue can cover
Senior forward Trevion Williams has been a big part of the Boilermakers' success this season. He is third on the team in scoring at 13 points per game, and is averaging a team-high 8.8 rebounds. He is also dishing out 3.1 assists and has 1.1 steals. He has scored in double figures in nine games, and has registered five double-doubles. His best effort was a 22-point, 12-rebound and nine-assist game in an 82-72 overtime win over North Carolina State on Dec. 12.
Also helping supply the offense is senior guard Sasha Stefanovic. In 27 minutes of action per game, Stefanovic averages 11.2 points, 3.9 assists and 2.2 rebounds. He is hitting on 42.2 percent of his shots from the floor, including 42.4 percent from 3-point range, and is an 87.9 percent foul shooter. He has 175 career 3-pointers, which is 13th on Purdue's 3-point list.
Why Penn State can cover
The Nittany Lions have four players averaging at least 10 points per game, led by junior forward Seth Lundy. Lundy is coming off a strong performance in the win at Northwestern, tying his season high for points with 23. He also scored 23 in wins over Cornell on Nov. 22 and Youngstown State on Nov. 10. Lundy has reached double digits 10 times this season and is averaging a team-high 14.8 points. He also averages six rebounds and 1.1 assists.
Fifth-year senior forward John Harrar averages a double-double, one of two Big Ten players to do so, with 10.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He has reached double-figure scoring six times and has posted five double-doubles. Harrar had a season-high 16 points and 14 rebounds in the opener against Youngstown State. He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2020-21 after leading the Nittany Lions with 8.8 rebounds and a 54.9 field goal percentage.
How to make Purdue vs. Penn State picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, projecting 144 combined points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in over 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the model's Penn State vs. Purdue pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Purdue vs. Penn State? And which side of the spread hits in over 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Purdue vs. Penn State spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up nearly $2,200 on its college basketball picks the last five years, and find out.
