The Big Ten Conference continues to provide some great college basketball action each night, and that will be the case on Tuesday night. The Purdue Boilermakers will visit the Illinois Fighting Illini for a huge clash between Top 15 Big Ten Conference opponents.
Purdue is coming into this game with a two-game lead in the Big Ten Conference, and they are also 26-3 overall this season. The Boilermakers have rattled off three straight wins, and they were able to beat this Illinois team earlier in the year.
Illinois continues to climb up the rankings as they are sitting at 22-7 so far this season. The Fighting Illini have won four of their last five games, and they look like a team that can do some damage in March.
Purdue is coming into this game as a slim 1.5-point betting favorite over Illinois in this Big Ten Conference showdown.
Edey Powering Purdue
The Purdue Boilermakers are a team with a ton of talent, but it continues to be Zach Edey who is setting the tone for this team. Edey is averaging 24.0 points and 11.8 rebounds per game this season, and he is a nightmare for opponents in the paint.
This team has also been shooting the ball extremely well from the perimeter as they are making nearly 50% of their own shots. Point guard Braden Smith is dishing out 7.1 assists per game, and he will set the tone for this team.
Purdue has also shown the ability to be great on defense as they are allowing just 70 points per game. The defense will need to play extremely well in this matchup.
Illinois Wants to Score
Illinois has been on a massive tear on offense this season as they are averaging over 84 points per game. Marcus Domask has taken over in conference action, but Terrence Shannon Jr. is still leading the way with 22 points per game.
The Fighting Illini want to push the ball in transition, but they aren’t afraid to settle for shots from the perimeter as well. It’s not going to be easy to score points in the paint against Purdue, but Illinois has to give it a shot.
Getting stops on defense has been an issue for Illinois this season as they are allowing over 73 points per game. It’s going to take a complete effort for Illinois to come up with a win in this matchup.
Purdue Picks Up Impressive Win
This Purdue team has looked like one of the best teams in the country at times this season, and Edey continues to set the tone. Illinois has become one of the most explosive teams in the country, and they will have a big performance in this one.
The Fighting Illini just have so many weapons on offense, but they have also struggled to slow down their opponents. Illinois should give their home fans a treat with a great performance in this one, but they will also struggle to get stops.
Bet the Purdue Boilermakers -1.5 as the road team is going to come up with another impressive win to clinch the outright conference title.
