Purdue vs Rutgers 2/20/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights will travel to Mackey Arena to take on the 5^th ranked Purdue Boilermakers this Sunday night in College Basketball action.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights won their 4^th straight game and improved to 16-9 on the season after defeating the 12^th ranked Illinois Fighting Illini, 70-59, this past Wednesday. Rutgers was outstanding on the defensive end against Illinois and had no trouble pulling away for the victory after taking a 60-37 lead with 6:45 left in regulation. Rutgers shot 47.5% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc while holding Illinois to 37.9% shooting from the field & 26.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Scarlet Knights was Clifford Omoruyi who had a double-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds, & 2 blocks.

On the season, Rutgers is averaging 68.4 ppg on 43.9% shooting from the field. The Scarlet Knights are averaging 6.3 three-pointers per game on 34.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Rutgers has been led by Ron Harper Jr. (15.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 spg), Geo Baker (12.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.1 spg), Clifford Omoruyi (11.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.3 bpg), & Paul Mulcahy (9.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.4 spg).

Defensively, Rutgers is holding their opponents to an average of 64.6 ppg on 40.9% shooting from the field. The Scarlet Knights have a rebound margin of 2.6 and a turnover margin of 0.7.

The 5^th ranked Purdue Boilermakers won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 23-4 on the season after defeating the Northwestern Huskies, 70-64, this past Wednesday. Purdue struggled a bit on the offensive end, however, the Boilermakers defense was outstanding against Northwestern and Purdue was able to pull away after taking a 64-50 lead with 5:42 left in regulation. Purdue shot 45.3% from the field & 38.1% from beyond the arc while holding Northwestern to shoot 35.0% from the field & 28.6% from beyond the arc. Leading Zach Edey who had 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, & 1 block.

On the season, Purdue is averaging 82.1 ppg on 50.2% shooting from the field. The Boilermakers are averaging 9.4 three-pointers per game on 40.4% shooting from the field. Offensively, Purdue has been led by Jaden Ivey (17.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 spg), Zach Edey (14.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.1 bpg), Trevion Williams (12.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 spg), & Sasha Stefanovic (11.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.4 apg).

Defensively, Purdue is allowing their opponents to average 68.7 ppg on 42.3% shooting from the field. The Boilermakers have a rebound margin of 10.0 and a turnover margin of -1.7.

The Scarlet Knights are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games & 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games vs. Purdue. The Boilermakers are 7-8 ATS in their last 15 home games & 13-13-1 ATS overall on the season.

Purdue has been incredible on the offensive end this season, ranking 6^th in scoring offense & 3^rd in FG%, however, the defense has struggled at times as the Boilermakers come into this game ranked just 164^th in scoring defense & 295^th in turnover margin. Rutgers has been led by their defense which ranks 53^rd in scoring defense & 58^th in defensive FG%, however, the Scarlet Knights haven’t been great on the road, posting just a 3-7 road record. Rutgers has been playing great basketball as of late, however, Ron Harper Jr. is day-to-day with a hand injury that didn’t look great at the end of the Illinois game and as I think Purdue will be able to find success offensively on their home court, I’m taking Purdue to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!