The Northwestern Wildcats will be at Mackey Arena to take on the No. 17 Purdue Boilermakers in a Big Ten matchup. Action starts at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 16 and will air on BTN.
The Boilermakers are hoping for a better outcome after their 61-56 loss to Michigan on Saturday. Caleb Swanigan was the team’s high scorer with 14 points. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are coming off a 58-56 win against Illinois on Saturday. Scottie Lindsey shot 6 for 10 and led in scoring with 18 points.
A.J. Hammons has been playing at a high level over the last five games for the Boilermakers. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 3.6 blocks.
The Boilermakers enter the game with records of 20-6 Straight Up (SU) and 12-10 Against The Spread (ATS). The Boilermakers have no trouble scoring as they rank 48th in the nation in home offense with 81.6 points per game. Purdue has been steady from the free throw line, shooting an impressive .742. Purdue has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where it racks up an average of 42.2 rebounds per game. Purdue is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.41. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Purdue’s stingy defense. The Boilermakers are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 63.6 points per game. The Boilermakers have really locked down opponents on the defensive end, ranking 10th in the country with a .381 opponent field-goal percentage. An area where the Boilermakers are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 5.1 blocks per game, 33rd in Division I.
On the other side, the Wildcats have records of 11-13-2 ATS and 17-9 SU. Northwestern has been particularly bad ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 3-7. The Wildcats are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 14th in Division I at 1.51.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Boilermakers victory, moving their SU record against Northwestern to 6-4 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. Furthermore, Purdue holds the advantage ATS with a record of 5-4-1. 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. Northwestern never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Purdue, ATS Winner – Purdue
Notes
The Purdue Boilermakers average 77.6 points per game, ranking 69th in the nation. The Northwestern Wildcats rank 46th in points allowed with 66.3.
Purdue scores 81.6 points per home game (ranked 48th). Northwestern ranks a poor 116th in points allowed on the road, allowing 73.3 points.
Northwestern won its last game by a two-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, Purdue is 1-0. Northwestern is 3-0 in close games this season.
Ranked 11th, the Purdue Boilermakers have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 92.7 points per 100 possessions. The Northwestern Wildcats rank 85th in offense, scoring 110.1 points in the same number of possessions.
The Purdue Boilermakers average a field goal percentage of 45.9% this season. The Northwestern Wildcats are 2-3 when opponents have a FG% of 45.9% or greater.
On average, Purdue attempts 21.0 three pointers and Northwestern attempts 24.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Purdue Boilermakers sit at 12-5 and the Northwestern Wildcats are 15-8.
The 14th-ranked team in the category, Northwestern has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.51 this season. Purdue ranks 30th with an A/TO of 1.41.
The Purdue Boilermakers are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 42.2 per game (ranked fifth). The Northwestern Wildcats are outside the top 100 with 37.0 rebounds per game (ranked 138th).
Northwestern ranks 176th in offensive rebounds, while Purdue ranks at third in defensive rebounds.
On average, Purdue forces a turnover rate of 14.8%. When Northwestern turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 11-7 record.
