The No. 20 Purdue Boilermakers (21-7) will have their chance to beat the Big Ten’s best team when they play the No. 10 Maryland Terrapins (23-5) at Mackey Arena. The game gets underway at 4:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27 and will air on ESP and ES3.
The Boilermakers lost to Indiana 77-73 in their last game. Caleb Swanigan finished with 14 points to lead the team. The Terrapins, meanwhile, are coming off an 86-82 win over Michigan in their last outing. Jake Layman played well for Maryland, posting 16 points, three rebounds, and one steal.
From an eFG% perspective, this will be a battle of strength versus strength when the Terrapins have the ball. Their sweet-shooting offense ranks 14th in the nation in that metric at 55.8%, while Purdue is seventh-best in the nation in eFG% defense (43.7%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Terrapins won the first game 72-61. Robert Carter was a top performer in the victory with 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, two blocks, and four three-pointers.
The Boilermakers enter the game with records of 21-7 Straight Up (SU) and 13-11 Against The Spread (ATS). Purdue has averaged 70.8 points per game over the last 10 games, lower than its season average of 77.2. The Boilermakers are an impressive shooting team from the line with a .740 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. The Boilermakers have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the seventh-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 41.8 per game, while the Terrapins rank 173rd in the nation with 36.2 per game. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Purdue, which ranks 35th at 1.40. Turning to the defensive side, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Boilermakers, who allow only 64.0 points per game. Teams really have to fight for open three-pointers against the Boilermakers, who have one of the best opponent three-point field goal percentages in the nation at .311.
Across the court, the Terrapins head into the game with records of 12-15-1 ATS and 23-5 SU. Maryland has been particularly bad ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 3-7. The Terrapins are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .760 free throw percentage that ranks 10th in Division I. Maryland’s three-point defense is one of the top in the country, with opponents shooting only .315 from the three.
Maryland won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Boilermakers to 2-0. Additionally, Maryland leads the matchup ATS with a record of 2-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – Purdue, ATS Winner – Purdue
Notes
“Purdue is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Purdue is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games “.
“Purdue is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Purdue’s last 6 games at home”.
The Purdue Boilermakers average 77.2 points per game, ranking 73rd in the nation. The Maryland Terrapins rank 28th in points allowed with 65.0.
Purdue averages 80.9 points per home game (ranked 61st). Maryland allows 67.8 points per away game (ranked 32nd).
The Purdue Boilermakers rank 42nd for their offensive rating of 113.2. The Maryland Terrapins have a defensive rating of 97.0 (ranked 41st).
The Purdue Boilermakers average 68.2 possessions and 1.132 points per possession in games this season. The Maryland Terrapins average fewer possessions with 67.4, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.129.
Ranked 14th in the nation, Maryland has an average effective field goal percentage of 55.8%. Purdue has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-3).
The Purdue Boilermakers rank 10th in assists per game with an average of 17.3. The Maryland Terrapins are among the worst in the country with 13.9 assists per game (ranked 135th).
Maryland, the eighth-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.8 blocks per game. Purdue ranks 39th with 4.9.
Purdue ranks 80th in offensive rebounding. When it comes to defensive rebounds, Maryland ranks 55th.
On average, Purdue makes 4.5 steals per game. Maryland has a formidable 19-5 record when it gives up at least 4 steals.
