Rutgers vs Purdue Prediction 1/9/25 College Basketball Picks Today

The Purdue Boilermakers and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights meet Thursday in college basketball action from the RAC. Here’s a Rutgers vs Purdue prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Rutgers vs Purdue pick.

Purdue Boilermakers Betting Preview

Purdue got off to a good start this year but faltered a bit in December. The Boilermakers put up a very nice 7-1 run over their first eight games. The only defeat in that time came on November 19 versus Marquette. Otherwise, Purdue took out Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Northern Kentucky, Yale, Alabama, Marshall, NC State, and Ole Miss during that opening stretch. A 1-3 run began in early December however, as Purdue had just one win over Maryland alongside a trio of losses to Penn State, Texas A&M, and Auburn during that time. Since then, however, the Boilermakers have been able to right the proverbial ship on a three-game win streak. Those victories have come courtesy of Toledo, Minnesota, and Northwestern in succession for an 11-4 overall record through 15 games so far this year.

In the Northwestern matchup on Sunday, the Boilermakers came out of halftime looking up at a dominant 41-18 edge on the scoreboard. Purdue put it in cruise control the rest of the way on a 43-38 second-half deficit and took the easy win 79-61. Tops in scoring was Braden Smith with 22 points, six boards, seven assists, and two steals. Both CJ Cox (eight rebounds) and Trey Kaufman-Renn (six rebounds; four assists) scored 12 points apiece. Lots of bench players got significant work in the victory, including Myles Colvin and his seven points. Raleigh Burgess added six points with one rebound in 11 minutes of action as well. Purdue will meet Nebraska and Washington after this game. 

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Betting Preview

Over on the Rutgers side, they also opened up the year on a nice stretch before hitting a tough run as November came to a close. The Scarlet Knights won in each of their first four outings, taking out Wagner, Saint Peter’s, Monmouth, and Merrimack. A 1-4 run came over the next five games though, with one win over Notre Dame in overtime. Otherwise, it was losses to Kennesaw State, Alabama, Texas A&M, and Ohio State in that quintet. Rutgers would hit a 3-1 record over their next four, taking a loss to Princeton alongside wins over Penn State, Seton Hall, and Columbia. It’s been consecutive losses since then, though. That pair of defeats came at the hands of Indiana and Wisconsin, giving Rutgers an 8-7 record thus far this season.

Matched up against Wisconsin in their last outing, the Scarlet Knights had a relatively muted offensive outing. Rutgers posted a 43-34 halftime deficit and didn’t get any closer, getting outscored 32-29 the rest of the way in a 75-63 result. Tyson Acuff was the leading scorer—and the only one in double-figures on the team—with 17 points, two rebounds and two assists to his credit in 30 minutes off the bench. Among the starters, Jamichael Davis added nine points with three rebounds and two assists, while Ace Bailey had nine points with seven boards.

Why the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will win

• Rutgers has won seven of its last eight games at Jersey Mike’s Arena.
• Purdue has lost each of its last three night games at Jersey Mike’s Arena.
• Purdue has lost the first half in each of its last three night games at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

Why the Purdue Boilermakers will win

• Purdue has won 13 of its last 14 night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Rutgers has lost eight of its last nine games against AP-ranked opponents.
• Purdue has won the first half in eight of its last nine night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Rutgers vs Purdue Prediction

I’ll stay with Purdue here. The Boilermakers dispatched a pretty good Northwestern team fairly easily in their last outing, shooting a nice 50.9 percent from the field with 15-of-18 (83.3 percent) from the line and a 36-31 rebounding edge. Lots of bench players saw meaningful time on the court, as the game wasn’t in doubt most of the way. During this current three-game winning streak, Purdue has posted 79 or more points in each outing, holding opponents below 65 points in each game as well.

As for Rutgers, they shot just 34.2 percent versus Wisconsin in their last game and they’ve given up 75 or more points in each of their last three losses. The Knights are going to have their hands full on both sides of the court here, so I don’t think they’ll end up getting close.