Purdue vs Northwestern Prediction 1-5-25 College Basketball Picks

The Northwestern Wildcats and the Purdue Boilermakers meet Sunday in college basketball action from the Mackey Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Northwestern vs. Purdue prediction.

Northwestern Recap

The Northwestern Wildcats come into this game looking to bounce back after falling short against Purdue by a final score of 84-80 last time out to drop to 10-4 on the year. After this game, Northwestern will take on Michigan State and Maryland.

Wildcats Have Four-Game Win Streak Snapped

Nick Martinelli leads the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding with 20.1 PPG and 5.7 RPG while Brooks Barnhizer also has 20.1 PPG and 9.5 RPG with 4.4 APG in 10 games played so far this season. Jalen Leach has added 13.6 PPG with 2.4 APG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Northwestern so far this season. As a team, Northwestern is averaging 75 PPG on 45.3% shooting from the field, 32.9% from three, and 72.9% from the foul line this season.

Why the Northwestern Wildcats will win

• Northwestern has won each of its last four day games.

Purdue Recap

The Purdue Boilermakers come into this one looking to build on their 81-61 win over Minnesota last time out to improve to 10-4 on the year. After this game, Purdue will meet Rutgers, Nebraska, and Washington.

Boilermakers Win Back-To-Back Games

Trey Kaufman-Renn leads Purdue in scoring and rebounding with 18.2 PPG and 6.4 RPG while Fletcher Loyer has 14.4 PPG. Braden Smith has 14.9 PPG with 4.7 RPG of his own as well as a team-high 8.7 APG to lead the Boilermakers in assists while rounding out the group of double-digit scorers for Purdue up to this point in the year. As a team, Purdue is averaging 77.3 PPG on 48.6% shooting from the field, 39.6% from three, and 72.1% from the foul line this season.

Why the Purdue Boilermakers will win

• Purdue has won each of its last 28 games at Mackey Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Northwestern has lost each of its last seven games at Mackey Arena.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Purdue’s last 13 games against Conference opponents at Mackey Arena has produced a total of 138+ points.
• Each of Northwestern’s last four games against AP-ranked opponents at Mackey Arena has produced a total of 139+ points.

Northwestern vs. Purdue Prediction

I’m on Purdue here. This is in all fairness the worst rebounding team Purdue has had since Zach Edey was there, and it’s not often that a team has a greater average height than Purdue. However, Purdue has fantastic guard play and the Wildcats are not a team that uses their bigs all that effectively. The guard tandem of Loyer and Smith could be one of the best backcourt duos in the country, and Northwestern just doesn’t have what it takes to hold Purdue down for a full 40 minutes on the road. Northwestern’s been covering their fair share of games like no one’s business, but I think that in the end, Purdue does enough to get themselves the win and cover at home in this one. Give me the Boilermakers.