The Rutgers Scarlet Knights aim to pull an upset in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament on Friday afternoon. Rutgers advanced to the quarterfinals with a win over Michigan on Thursday, and the No. 9 seed Scarlet Knights will face the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers. Rutgers is 19-13 overall and 11-10 in Big Ten games, including a Jan. 2 win over Purdue. The Boilermakers are 26-5 overall and 15-5 in conference play, enjoying a bye to the quarterfinal as regular season Big Ten champions.
The Boilermakers are listed as 7-point favorites for this noon ET tip. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 127.5 in the latest Rutgers vs. Purdue odds. Before locking in any Purdue vs. Rutgers picks, you need to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer simulation model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters conference tournament week 76-51 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,200 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now the model has zeroed in on Purdue vs. Rutgers and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are several college basketball odds and betting lines for Rutgers vs. Purdue:
- Purdue vs. Rutgers spread: Purdue -7
- Purdue vs. Rutgers over/under: 127.5 points
- Purdue vs. Rutgers money line: Purdue -291, Rutgers +238
- RUT: The Scarlet Knights are 11-9-1 against the spread in Big Ten games
- PUR: The Boilermakers are 8-10-2 against the spread in Big Ten games
- Purdue vs. Rutgers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Rutgers can cover
Rutgers is led by its elite defense, which was on full display on Thursday. The Scarlet Knights held Michigan to just one field goal over a 19-minute stretch in the second half and allowed only 50 points against the Wolverines before advancing. Rutgers is in the top five of the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, while leading the Big Ten in opponent shooting this season. The Scarlet Knights also create havoc, including top-three marks in the Big Ten in turnover creation rate, steal rate and block rate.
Rutgers is in the top four of the conference in free throw rate allowed, a key trait against Purdue, and the Boilermakers do have question marks on offense. Purdue is a poor 3-point shooting team, connecting on fewer than 33% of attempts this season. The Boilermakers also have the second-worst turnover rate (18.4%) and the worst live-ball turnover rate (10.6%) in the Big Ten this season.
Why Purdue can cover
Purdue dominated the Big Ten this season, winning the conference by three games and out-scoring opponents by nearly seven points per game in conference action. Purdue's offense is dynamic, and the Boilermakers are also stout on defense. Matt Painter's team is in the top three of the conference in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 2 in scoring defense, yielding 64.1 points per game in conference play. Purdue leads the nation in free throw rate allowed on defense, and the Boilermakers sit atop the Big Ten with a 76.4% defensive rebound rate in conference games.
Purdue is a top-five team in 2-point defense (48.3%) and 3-point defense (33.8%) during Big Ten play, and the Boilermakers excel in myriad offensive categories. That includes a top-15 national mark in adjusted offensive efficiency and the country's No. 2 offensive rebound rate (38.5%). Purdue leads the Big Ten in assist rate and free throw creation rate on offense, and the Boilermakers have the ultimate X-factor in Zach Edey. Edey is the Big Ten player of the year, leading the conference in scoring (21.9 points per game) and rebounding (12.8 per game) this season.
How to make Rutgers vs. Purdue picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 134 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time. You can only see the model's picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Purdue vs. Rutgers? And which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
