Northwestern Wildcats vs Purdue Boilermakers Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Northwestern vs Purdue NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in West Lafayette.

Northwestern vs Purdue Prediction

Making on a bet on this NCAA game featuring the Wildcats versus the Boilermakers? Tip off is at at 2:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on BTN. The game will be played at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, IN. This Big Ten conference matchup has an over/under of 137.5 points, and Purdue is favored to win by -7.5 at home vs. Northwestern.

Northwestern vs. Purdue Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Northwestern Wildcats at Purdue Boilermakers
Where: West Lafayette at Mackey Arena
Date: Sunday, January 5th
Betting Odds PUR -7.5, NW +272 | PUR -350 O/U 137.5

Wildcats Preview: Is an Upset Waiting to Happen on the Road?

Northwestern’s season record now stands at 10-4 after an 84-80 road loss to Penn State on Thursday. The Wildcats entered the game as +4.5 point underdogs and managed to cover the spread, but couldn’t secure the win.

Northwestern trailed 37-34 at halftime and allowed 47 points in the 2nd half while scoring 46. The game’s total points reached 164, surpassing the O/U line of 144.5.

Wildcats Offense Breakdown

In their latest game, Northwestern put up 80 points, shooting 45.9% from the field. They hit just 27.3% from beyond the arc, going 6-for-22, but connected on 56.4% of their two-point attempts. At the free-throw line, they were impressive, making 18 of 21 for an 85.7% success rate.

The Wildcats grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and dished out 19 assists. Brooks Barnhizer and Zach Hicks each scored 20 points, with Barnhizer adding 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Hicks shot 62.5% overall and hit 3 of 6 from three-point range.

Wildcats Team Defense

Despite Northwestern's defense holding their opponent to just 4 made threes on 15 attempts, they still gave up 84 points. The Wildcats allowed their opponent to shoot 62% from two-point range, with 18 makes on 29 attempts.

Northwestern also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 45 times, where they converted 36 of those attempts, shooting 80% from the stripe. The Wildcats gave up 9 offensive rebounds in the game.

Boilermakers Preview: Do the Boilermakers Have What it Takes to Win as Home Favorites?

Purdue improved to 10-4 on the season with an 81-61 road win over Minnesota on Thursday. The Boilermakers entered the game as -5.5 favorites and covered the spread, while the total points of 142 surpassed the O/U line of 135.5.

After leading just 28-27 at halftime, Purdue’s offense exploded for 53 points in the second half, while their defense held Minnesota to 34 points after the break.

Boilermakers Offense Breakdown

Purdue's offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 81 points with a 50% field goal percentage. They connected on 44% of their three-point attempts, hitting 11 of 25 from deep, and finished with an effective field goal percentage of 58.6%.

Fletcher Loyer led the way with 24 points, shooting 80% from the field and 66.7% from three-point range. Braden Smith added 20 points and 10 assists, knocking down 5 threes at a 45.5% clip.

Boilermakers Team Defense

Purdue's defense gave up 61 points, allowing the opponent to shoot 48% from the field. Inside the arc, they allowed 60% shooting on 21/35 attempts.

From three-point range, Purdue held their opponent to 23% shooting, with just 4 made threes on 17 attempts. The opponent also struggled from the free-throw line, hitting only 7/16 (43%). Purdue gave up 9 offensive rebounds.

Wildcats vs Boilermakers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last ten games away from home, the Wildcats have a straight up record of 4-6 while going 7-3 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 68 points per game in these contests.
When looking at their past ten home matchups, Purdue has an ATS record of 4-6 while averaging 71 per game. The team went 6-4 overall in these games.
Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Wildcats have a straight up record of 4-6. But, their mark vs the spread was just 7-3.
Against the spread, the Boilermakers have put together 1-2 in their last three games as the betting favorite. In these same games, they went 2-1 straight up.