Purdue Boilermakers (18-2) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (10-8)
January 28, 2024 1:00 pm EDT
The Line: Rutgers Scarlet Knights +10; Over/Under: 142
(Get latest betting odds)
The Purdue Boilermakers and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights meet Sunday in college basketball action from the RAC. Purdue is currently 18-2 overall. The Boilermakers are coming off a win over Michigan. As for Rutgers, they lost to Illinois last weekend and dropped to 10-8 this year. Let’s get into our Purdue vs. Rutgers prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Purdue Boilermakers
The Boilermakers won their first seven games of the year before taking a loss to Northwestern on December 1. Purdue hit another seven-game win streak from there before a loss to Nebraska, and since then they’ve beaten Penn State, Indiana, Iowa and Michigan in succession.
On Tuesday versus Michigan, the Boilermakers didn’t have too much trouble. Purdue jumped out to a 49-25 edge by the break, then hit a 50-42 run in the second half for a 99-67 win. Leading team scorer Lance Jones put up 24 points with three steals and an assist in 27 minutes.
More College Basketball Picks: Northern Kentucky vs Youngstown State Prediction!
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Over on the Knights’ side, they got off to a solid 5-1 start this year but have only been able to win consecutive games once since then. Rutgers is just 2-4 in their last six games with losses to Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State and Illinois among wins over Indiana and Nebraska.
Matched up against Illinois on Sunday, the Knights faced a 12-point deficit by halftime. Rutgers was outscored 46-35 the rest of the way in an 86-63 blowout loss. Leading team scorer Clifford Omoruyi put up 22 points with nine rebounds and a block on 10-of-19 from the field.
ANDREW’S FREE PURDUE VS RUTGERS PREDICTION
I’ll stick with Purdue. The Boilermakers are on a nice run these days and coming off a solid win over a struggling Michigan team. Purdue put up 51.5 percent from the field in that one along with 66.7 percent from 3-point range in a great shooting performance. In six straight games the Boilermakers have managed 72 or more points, with 83 or more points in five of those.
As for Rutgers, they’ve been below 67 points in three of their last four games and weren’t able to make much noise against Illinois last weekend. Playing at home will help, but I don’t think the Knights will power out the cover here.
