College Basketball Expert Picks – #15 Purdue vs. Illinois

Purdue vs. Illinois (+4.5)
Tuesday, January 19 – 9:00 PM ET

The 15th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers (14-3 SU, 7-9-1 ATS, 9-5 O/U) have a high-profile stature and national ranking. The Illinois Fighting Illini (12-6 SU, 6-11 ATS, 10-4 O/U) don’t have either.

The Boilermakers also own something they will bring something into tonight’s contest that Illinois should be quite happy about – a three-game losing streak.

Purdue 411

• Boilermakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games.
• Boilermakers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 vs. Big Ten.

After winning their first 14 games, Purdue has dropped three consecutive conference games while failing to top 66 points and not allowing less than 70, each time out.

The Boilermakers, who fell seven spots in the national rankings, lost to Northwestern 72-64 on Saturday night while failing to cover the college basketball moneyline as 7-point road favorites, the team’s third straight ATS loss. Purdue has gone a bankroll-breaking 3-7 ATS over the last 10 games.

Illinois 411

• Fighting Illini are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 home games.
• Fighting Illini are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as a home underdog.

Illinois had its modest three-game winning streak snapped in its 73-63 loss to Michigan State on Saturday.

The Fighting Illini’ narrowly covered the NCAAB moneyline as 11.5-point road underdogs but have gone just 2-6 ATS over the last eight games and 4-6 ATS over their last 10 overall.

Head-to-Head College Basketball Betting Trends:

• Over is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
• Road team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

To Bet on College Basketball >> Join Now!

Analysis: College basketball gamblers don’t have much to look at in the way of key trends as both teams have bee absolutely horrific at covering the college hoops moneyline lately.

The Boilermakers have gone an ugly 1-4 ATS in their last five road games while going a bankroll-breaking 1-5 ATS in their last six conference games.

The Fighting Illini have been nearly as bad, going an uninspiring 4-9 ATS in their last 13 home games, including an 0-4 ATS mark in their last four games as a home underdog.

I know Illinois has only suffered one home loss this season, but I’m going to back the Purdue Boilermakers in this contest tonight for a couple of reasons.

First and foremost, the Boilermakers haven’t dropped four consecutive games in ages and I don’t expect them to lose tonight. Purdue also has the best player on the floor tonight in junior forward Robbie Hummel and should give the Fighting Illini’ fits once they get in the paint.

Last but not least is the fact that they are the better defensive team, holding their opponents to just 61.9 points per game while Illinois allows 66.3 points per contest.

It won’t be easy, but in the end, the Boilermakers will be a bit too much for the Fighting Illini’.

NCAAB Expert Picks: Purdue -4.5 Points