The No. 22-ranked Purdue Boilermakers (17-3) visit Iowa to play the No. 9-ranked Hawkeyes (15-3) in a game that has the potential to be high-scoring. The game gets underway at 1:00 pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 24 and will air on BTN.
The Hawkeyes beat Rutgers 90-76 on Thursday. Peter Jok was the game’s high scorer with 29 points on 10-for-19 shooting. The Boilermakers are coming off a 75-64 win over Ohio State on Thursday. P.J. Thompson played well, recording 12 points, three steals, and one rebound.
The game should be a matchup of strength against strength, as the high-powered offense of Iowa (13th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 117.9) takes on the stingy defense of Purdue (third in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 89.0).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Hawkeyes won the first game 70-63. Jarrod Uthoff was a standout player in the game, producing 25 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, five blocks, and one three-pointer.
Iowa is a slight two-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 145 points. The Hawkeyes are attempting to build on their records of 15-3 Straight Up (SU) and 9-6 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games. Iowa has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a superb .737. The Hawkeyes, sporting the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.82), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. Transitioning to the Iowa defense, teams really have to fight for open three-pointers against the Hawkeyes, who have one of the best opponent three-point field goal percentages in the nation at .297.
On the other side, Purdue has a SU record of 17-3 and an ATS record of 11-5. The Boilermakers rank 50th in the country in road scoring, averaging 76 points per game. The Boilermakers are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .750 free throw percentage that ranks 21st in Division I. Defenses have a tough time accounting for every player when up against the Boilermakers, who are known for distributing the ball with 17.9 assists per game. The Boilermakers are a terror on the defensive glass, averaging a Division I-best 30.7 defensive rebounds per game.
Iowa beat Purdue in their most recent meeting this season, but Purdue still leads the head-to-head record over their most recent games, 6-4 SU. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Purdue held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings. Iowa never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Purdue, ATS Winner – Purdue, O/U – Under
Notes
Iowa is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Iowa’s last 6 games.
Iowa is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Iowa’s last 5 games when playing Purdue.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Iowa’s last 6 games when playing at home against Purdue.
Iowa averages 81.6 points per game this season. Purdue is one of the best teams in points allowed, giving up just 61.0 points per game (ranked eighth).
Iowa averages 82.1 points per home game (ranked 80th). However, Purdue has allowed an average of just 60.7 points per away game, ranked fourth this season.
The Purdue Boilermakers have a defensive rating of 89.0, third-best in the country. The Iowa Hawkeyes have a top-tier offense with an offensive rating of 117.9 (ranked 13th).
On average, Iowa has 69.2 possessions per game and scores 1.179 points on each possession. Purdue has both fewer possessions (68.4) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.162).
The Purdue Boilermakers average an effective field goal percentage of 53.3% this season. The Iowa Hawkeyes have a losing record of 1-2 when opponents have an eFG% of 53.3% or greater.
On average, Iowa attempts 22.0 three pointers and Purdue attempts 23.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Iowa Hawkeyes sit at 11-3 and the Purdue Boilermakers are 12-3.
The second-ranked team in the category, Iowa has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.82 this season. Purdue ranks 26th with an A/TO of 1.48.
Purdue, the third-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 43.3 rebounds per game. Iowa ranks 88th with 38.4.
Iowa ranks 87th in defensive rebounding. When it comes to offensive rebounds, Purdue ranks 74th.
On average, Iowa forces a turnover rate of 19.7%. When Purdue turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 5-3 record.
