Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Purdue Boilermakers Predictions, Picks, Odds

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Sunday’s college basketball betting action gets off to an exciting start with a Big Ten clash between the No. 16 Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 6 Purdue Boilermakers. The slated 12 p.m. (ET) tip from Mackey Arena in West Lafayette will be carried nationally by CBS.

SCORE PREDICTION

Purdue 77, Ohio State 75

BEST BETS

Ohio State +10 (-110) at Atlantis

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES VS. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS PREDICTIONS

The Buckeyes improved to 6-2 straight-up in the Big Ten with Thursday night’s 11-point road win against Minnesota closing as 5.5-point favorites. The two losses in conference play came against Indiana and Wisconsin on the road as identical 3.5-point underdogs. Ohio State is 13-4 SU overall with quality wins over Seton Hall and Duke on the resume.

Purdue remains the highest ranked team in the conference, but it is farther down the standings at 6-3 SU. Common losses include Indiana and Wisconsin (at home) plus an early road loss to Rutgers. The Boilermakers beat Iowa by 10 points on the road this past Thursday night as 2.5-point favorites. They are now 17-3 overall after going undefeated in non-conference play.

The straight-up lean in Sunday’s matchup goes towards Purdue as the better overall team this season. However, I see the Buckeyes making their rivals work harder than expected for this win. These two teams normally play one another tough. Over the past 20 games between the two, Ohio State has the slight 11-9 SU edge and a 10-9-1 record against the spread.

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES VS. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS BETTING ODDS

Purdue -10 (-110)
Ohio State +10 (-110)
Over 148 (-110)
Under 148 (-110)

More Odds | Futures Odds

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES VS. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS BETTING RESOURCES

Matchup: Big 10
Date: Sunday, January 30, 2022
Venue: Mackey Arena
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
TV-Time: CBS - 12:00 p.m. ET

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 13-4
ATS: 8-9
O/U: 11-6

The Buckeyes have been a bit shaky covering the spread lately at 4-5 ATS over their last nine games. However, current form should keep this game close from start to finish. Ohio State has a realistic chance of even winning this game SU, but that might be too tall of a task playing on the road.

The key to keeping this game competitive until the final buzzer is forward EJ Liddell. He leads the team in both points (19.6) and rebounds (7.8). Liddell scored 23 points with a career-high 15 rebounds in Thursday’s win against Minnesota. Ohio State complemented its 75 total points in that game with 48 total rebounds.

Guard Malaki Branham is the Buckeyes’ second-leading scorer with 10.1 points per game. He is shooting 43.8% from the field and 37.2% from three-point range. One injury concern for Sunday is guard Jamari Wheeler. The team’s leader in assists (3.8) missed his last game with an undisclosed issue.

Ohio State is averaging 75.1 PPG this season and shooting 48.1% from the field. The team’s completion rate from outside the three-point line is 37.2% and 75.5% from the free throw line. The Buckeyes are averaging 36 rebounds a game and holding teams to 67.2 PPG on defense.

PURDUE BOILERMAKERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 17-3
ATS: 11-9
O/U: 12-8

Purdue has been hit or miss as a betting team since early December with a 5-8 record ATS over those 13 games. Yet, with Thursday’s cover against Iowa, the Boilermakers are 4-1 ATS in their last five outings. It is also worth noting that they are 2-4 ATS in their last six home games. The total has gone OVER in six of their last eight games overall.

This lineup runs four deep with players averaging at least 12 points with Purdue scoring an average of 84.7 PPG. That happens to be the fifth-highest scoring average in the nation. Guard Jaden Ivey is at the top of that list with 16.6 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists a game. He is shooting 49.3% from the field and 43.8% from three-point range.

Center Zach Edey (14.8 points) and forward Tre Williams (12.7 points) are next in scoring while combining to pull down 16.1 rebounds a game. Guard Sasha Stefanovic rounds out this foursome with 12.2 points while dishing out 3.6 assists. His biggest contribution is shooting 41.8% from three-point range on a team-high 134 attempts.

The Boilermakers, as a team, are completing 50.6% of their shots from the field and 40.9% from outside the three-point line. They are averaging 40.4 rebounds and giving up an average of 67.7 PPG.

**Purdue has failed to cover the spread in six of its last nine games when facing Ohio State. (AP)**

INSIDE THE STATS - OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

Record: 13-4
VI Ranking: 17
PS/G: 75.1 (94th)
PA/G: 67.2 (137th)
ORtg: 112.1 (28th)
DRtg: 100.4 (223rd)

INSIDE THE STATS - PURDUE BOILERMAKERS

Record: 17-2
VI Ranking: 13
PS/G: 84.7 (4th)
PA/G: 67.7 (146th)
ORtg: 122.8 (1st)
DRtg: 98.1 (162nd)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

OHST: E.J. Liddell - F (19.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg)
OHST: Malaki Branham - G (10.1 ppg)
PUR: Jaden Ivey - G (16.6 ppg, 5 rpg)
PUR: Zach Edey - C (14.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg)

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES VS. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS BETTING CONCLUSION

As mentioned, this has been a tight matchup over the years. Purdue won both regular season meetings last year, but Ohio State beat the Boilermakers in the Big Ten Tournament. The game in West Lafayette ended as a PUSH with Purdue winning 67-60 as a seven-point home favorite.

Look for the same type of close battle on Sunday. The Buckeyes could pull off the stunning road upset, but the safer bet is taking Ohio State and the points.

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES VS. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS BETTING TRENDS

Purdue has failed to cover the spread in six of its last nine games when facing Ohio State.
Purdue has won four of its last six home games when facing Ohio State.
Ohio State has gone OVER the point total in six of its last nine home games when facing Purdue.
Ohio State has gone OVER the point total in 11 of its last 17 games.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson