Purdue vs Rutgers Basketball Picks 2-22-24
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (13-11) vs. Purdue Boilermakers (23-3)
February 22, 2024 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Purdue Boilermakers -16; Over/Under: 138.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Purdue Boilermakers face off on Thursday in a college basketball showdown at Mackey Arena. Let’s look at the betting matchup and give a free Rutgers vs Purdue prediction.
Can Rutgers Bounce Back?
Rutgers really need this win if they want a chance at the NCAA Tournament and even if they were to win this game, they would still need to do more. In the last game, Rutgers faced off against Minnesota and the defense gave up 81 points and they ended up losing 11 points. Derek Simpson had a strong game putting up 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Rutgers on the season is averaging 66.9 points while their defense is giving up 65.4 points per game. The defense is ranked 31st and they are going to need the defense to be a whole lot better here.
Are Purdue Frauds?
Just when you start to trust this Purdue team, they give you reasons to not trust them. Purdue in the last game faced off against Ohio State and they scored only 69 points and they ended up losing by four points. Bruce Thorton had a strong game putting up 22 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Purdue on the season is averaging 84.4 points while their defense is giving up 69.9 points per game. The offense is ranked 10th and they are going to need the offense to run up the score here. Zach Edey is averaging 23.2 points while shooting 61.3 percent from the field. Purdue will take on Michigan after this one.
Rutgers vs Purdue Betting Prediction
Purdue might still prove to be a fraud in the tournament, but they are going to bounce back in the right way here. Rutgers in the last game gave up 81 points and Purdue is a better offensive team than Minnesota. Edey is going to have another game here, and it’s going to be Purdue that is going to win this game in blowout fashion. Back Purdue to win this game and cover the spread. This is one of my favorite plays on the board.