The Purdue Boilermakers (21-9) travel to face off against the Illinois Fighting Illini (19-11) on Friday, March 7th. This game will be played at State Farm Center in Champaign and televised on FOX. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 8:00 ET.

Purdue Boilermakers vs Illinois Fighting Illini

The Boilermakers Are Coming Off A Win

Purdue improved to 21-9 on the season with a dominant 100-71 win over Rutgers on Tuesday. Playing at home, the Boilermakers entered the game as -11 point favorites and covered the spread with ease.

After leading 50-41 at halftime, Purdue clamped down defensively in the 2nd half, holding Rutgers to just 30 points while scoring another 50 themselves. The game’s total points of 171 went over the pre-game O/U line of 150.5.

The Fighting Illini Are Coming Off A Win

Illinois Fighting Illini Recent Game/Games

Illinois improved to 19-11 on the season with a 93-73 road win over Michigan on Sunday. Entering the game as +3 point underdogs, the Illini not only pulled off the upset but also covered the spread.

After a tight first half, leading 31-30, Illinois exploded for 62 points in the second half while holding Michigan to 43. The game’s total points of 166 went over the O/U line of 162.5.

Boilermakers Offense Breakdown

Purdue’s offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 100 points with a 56.1% shooting performance from the field. They were particularly effective from beyond the arc, hitting 18 threes at a 50% clip and posting an effective field goal percentage of 69.7%.

Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer each knocked down 7 threes, with Loyer shooting 58.3% from deep and Smith hitting 53.8%. Smith also dished out 9 assists, while Trey Kaufman-Renn contributed 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting and grabbed 8 rebounds.

Fighting Illini Offense Breakdown

Illinois put up 93 points in their last game, shooting 46.6% from the field and hitting 14 threes at a 37.8% clip. Their effective field goal percentage was 56.2%, with a strong 55.6% shooting inside the arc.

Vladislav Goldin led the way with 22 points, shooting 73.3% from the field. Tre White added 19 points, hitting 3 of 4 from deep, and grabbed 11 rebounds. The Illini also collected 19 offensive boards and dished out 20 assists.

Boilermakers Team Defense

Despite Purdue’s defensive struggles, they managed to hold their opponent to 71 points. The Boilermakers allowed a 56% shooting performance, with 37 made field goals on 66 attempts.

Their defense gave up 18 threes on 36 attempts, a 50% shooting rate. Purdue also sent their opponent to the line 9 times, where they hit 8 free throws.

Fighting Illini Team Defense

Purdue’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up 71 points while allowing the opposition to shoot 56% from the field. The Boilermakers couldn’t contain the two-point shots, with the other team hitting 63% of their attempts (19/30).

From beyond the arc, Purdue allowed 18 threes on 36 attempts, a 50% shooting performance. The opposing team also capitalized on free throws, going 8/9 (88%). Purdue gave up 15 offensive rebounds in the game.

Boilermakers vs Fighting Illini Trends

• Across the Boilermakers last ten road games, the team averaged 71 points per game while allowing 67. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 7-3, while going 6-4 straight-up.
• Across their last three home contests, Illinois has been good against the spread posting a mark of 2-1. Their overall mark in these games was 2-1, while averaging 87 points per game.
• Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the underdog, the Boilermakers have a straight up record of 4-6. Their record vs the spread in these games was 5-5.
• Against the spread, the Fighting Illini have put together 1-2 in their last three games as the betting favorite. In these same games, they went 2-1 straight up.

Boilermakers vs Fighting Illini Prediction

We’re putting our money on the Fighting Illini to win, and have the projected score sitting at 77-70. We also like them to cover the spread, so our recommendation is to bet on the Fighting Illini at -4.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 159.5 and given that our model is projecting 147 points between the teams, we like the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.