The Purdue Boilermakers and the Michigan Wolverines meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Crisler Center. Here’s a Michigan vs Purdue prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Michigan vs Purdue pick.
Purdue Boilermakers Betting Preview
The Boilermakers have really only had one spotty four-game stretch this year—and that was way back in December. Otherwise Purdue has been quite consistent over the course of the season. Wins came in the first eight outings over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Northern Kentucky, Yale, Alabama, Marshall, NC State and Ole Miss (with a lone loss to Marquette). A 1-3 run came next with a win over Maryland amid losses to Penn State, Texas A&M and Auburn, then more wins over Toledo, Minnesota, Northwestern, Rutgers, Nebraska, Washington and Oregon. Following another loss to Ohio State, the Boilermakers beat Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and USC in their next four. That would give Purdue a 19-5 overall record though the first 24 games of the 2024-25 season.
In the USC matchup back on Friday, the Boilermakers opened the game with a 48-36 advantage. Purdue kept it going in the second half on a 42-36 run and took the eventual win in pretty sizable fashion 90-72. Leading team scorer Trey Kaufman-Renn posted a double-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds, one assist and one steal in 30 minutes of work. Fletcher Loyer added 14 points with two rebounds and one assist, while Braden Smith bagged nine points with 13 assists, five steals and three rebounds in 35 minutes on the floor during the win.
Michigan Wolverines Betting Preview
Over on the Michigan side, they came out of the gate with a pretty good run. For the most part the Wolverines have maintained form since then. Michigan went 8-1 in their first nine games with wins over Cleveland State, TCU, Miami-OH, Tarleton State, Virginia Tech, Xavier, Wisconsin and Iowa in that time. After losses to Arkansas and Oklahoma, Michigan beat Fort Wayne, Western Kentucky, USC, UCLA and Washington. A 1-2 run with a win over Northwestern in between losses to Minnesota and Purdue came next, then wins over Penn State, Rutgers, Oregon and Indiana in the next four outings. That gives the Wolverines an 18-5 overall record through their first 23 games this year.
In the Indiana game on Saturday, the Wolverines kicked things off with a nice 43-27 advantage in the first half. Michigan faltered in the second on a 40-27 run but still pulled off the win 70-67 in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Danny Wolf with 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Both Trey Donaldson (four rebounds; three assists) and Vladislav Goldin (eight rebounds) chipped in with 18 points apiece, and Will Tschetter had four points off the bench.
Why the Michigan Wolverines will win
- Michigan has won each of its last 11 games at Crisler Center.
- Purdue has lost each of its last four games against AP-ranked opponents at Crisler Center.
- Michigan has won the first half in six of its last seven night games at Crisler Center.
Why the Purdue Boilermakers will win
- Purdue has won 11 of its last 12 games.
- Michigan has lost eight of its last nine games against AP-ranked opponents at Crisler Center.
- Purdue has won the first half in each of its last four games against Michigan.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Michigan’s last 10 night games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents at Crisler Center have produced a total of 145 or fewer points.
- Each of Purdue’s last four night games against the Big Ten Conference have produced a total of 155+ points.
Michigan vs Purdue Prediction
I’m going to stay with Michigan here. You could probably make a case either way, though. It’ll be a fun matchup. The Wolverines faded late in their last outing versus Indiana, but still held on for the win in the end. Michigan shot 44.4 percent from the field in that one, adding a 37-31 rebidding advantage. The 12 turnovers for 14 Hoosiers points really hurt, though. That said, the Wolverines have hit 70 or more points in three of the last four games (all wins) so they’re scoring pretty well right now.
The last time these teams met up, Michigan took a rough 91-64 road loss. The Wolverines shot pretty miserably in that one (37 percent) and had a ton of mistakes with a whopping 22 turnovers for 29 Boilermakers points. Michigan has a lot to clean up in the home rematch, but I think they can get in there if they play to their capabilities. I could just as easily see Purdue controlling this one though, so I’m probably staying away in reality.