Purdue an intriguing choice in sportsbook betting over rival Indiana

There seems to be a lot of sportsbook betting that always takes place when the two Big Ten schools from the Hoosier State, Purdue and Indiana, get together on Wednesday at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.

#8 Purdue (22-5, 11-3 Big Ten) at Indiana (12-15, 3-11 Big Ten)

Date/Time: Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 8:30 PM EST

[Off topic: by the way, do you want to get a 55% bonus on your first deposit here at BetOnline? If so JOIN NOW.]

Venue: Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN.

Broadcast: Big Ten Network

Money Line: N/A

Spread: Purdue -5 ½

Over/Under: 136 ½

The Boilermakers may well be on their way to an NCAA Tournament selection while the Hoosiers are seemingly playing out the string, but when these two schools meet the records get thrown out the window. This is one of the oldest rivalries in college basketball, and as such should be considered a major factor when it comes to sportsbook online betting. Purdue leads the all-time series 111-84, but the IU is 73-59 since 1940.

Purdue took a giant step towards capturing the regular season conference title after defeating Ohio State on Sunday. JaJuan Johnson may lead the Boilermakers in points per game at 20.4 per outing, but the player gaining most of the attention lately has been E’Twaun Moore. The senior guard a game high 38 in the win over the Buckeyes and had 25 points and eight rebounds in their February 8 win over the Hoosiers.

Another reason why Moore is leading many in the sportsbook betting community to lean towards Purdue is that he recently joined Steve Smith, Michael Finley, and Talor Battle as the only Big Ten players to record 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 350 assists for his career.

Indiana has lost four straight and five of their last six in falling under .500. They will need to improve on their last effort from beyond the arch against Purdue, as they shot just 2 for 15 from three-point range in the loss two weeks ago. One thing that should help Tom Crean’s crew is the fact that Christian Watford will be in the lineup. The Hoosiers leading scorer at 16.6 points per game, Watford was injured and did not play in the first matchup.

Watford’s return to the lineup will likely influence some of the sportsbook betting surrounding this rivalry. IU needs more secondary scoring from the likes of Verdell Jones III.

Despite the rivalry angle on this game, the Boilermakers are clearly the more dominant team on the boards, as Johnson and Moore combined for 16 rebounds in the first meeting.

Back the Boilermakers in this enticing sportsbook betting match up.

Check out the latest basketball game lines in the sportsbook, click here!