The Iowa Hawkeyes (7-0, 0-0 Big Ten) and No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers (7-0, 0-0) meet Friday for a Big Ten battle in West Lafayette, Ind. Tip-off from Mackey Arena is slated for 9 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Iowa vs. Purdue odds and lines and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
High-scoring Iowa has played an easy schedule so far but is coming off a solid 75-74 win at Virginia. Iowa shot 47.6% from 3-point range in a game it controlled by two-plus scores for much of the night in Charlottesville, Va.
The Hawkeyes rank in the top-10 nationally in effective field-goal percentage (an accuracy measure leveling the distribution of 2- and 3-point baskets) and lead the country in scoring at 94.0 points per game.
The Boilermakers rank second in NCAA-I in scoring (92.4 PPG), but Purdue’s schedule has included North Carolina, Villanova (current No. 6), and Florida State, and fewer bottom-100 types than Iowa.
Purdue is coming off a 93-65 shellacking of Florida State where it shot 59.3% from the floor and 48.0% from beyond the arc.
Iowa at Purdue odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:18 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Iowa +570 (bet $100 to win $570) | Purdue -900 (bet $900 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Iowa +12.5 (-108) | Purdue -12.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 160.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Iowa at Purdue odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Purdue 83, Iowa 73
Money line
PASS. The Under is likely the best play here, and Iowa plus the points has become a decent wager as well.
Against the spread
Purdue has taken on the early money and the spread has reacted. The Hawkeyes’ recent shooting touch from distance (43.6% in their last four games) makes for some optimism on that side of 11 or 11.5 points.
F Keegan Murray — a sophomore averaging 24.6 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game — is an x-factor talent for which Purdue will have to account.
Consider a partial-unit play on IOWA +12.5 (-108).
Over/Under
The Over has gone a combined 11-3 in this season’s UI and PU games, but look for a push-back in this Big Ten opener for both.
The competition and the styles and stakes get a shade deeper as we roll into conference play. Expect second-chance points and turnovers to be dialed back as both teams could be a bit ground down after facing decent foes and a bit over-amped for a key conference test.
Part of the O/U market for this contest has surged into the low 160s. The play is lukewarm UNDER 160.5 (-110) and maybe even wait for it to rise to 161.5 with two of the top-scoring teams duking it out.
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