The Purdue Boilermakers (7-3 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) visit the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-1, 2-1) Tuesday night for a 7 p.m. ET tip-off at Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J. Below, we analyze the Purdue-Rutgers college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Rutgers is No. 13 in the Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Purdue at Rutgers: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 10:40 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Purdue +135 (bet $100 to win $135) | Rutgers -160 (bet $160 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Purdue +3.5 (-115) | Rutgers -3.5 (-105)
- Over/Under: 136.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Purdue at Rutgers: Three things to know
- The Scarlet Knights are looking to bounce back from their first setback of the season. They took an 80-68 loss at Ohio State last Wednesday. Rutgers shot a season-low 41.4% from the field in that contest. For the season, RU ranks third in the Big Ten with a 49.8% accuracy mark from the floor. The Knights were also out-rebounded 42-23 by the Buckeyes.
- Purdue has won four of five games since scoring a season-low 54 points in a Dec. 8 loss at Miami (58-54). The game the Boilermakers dropped in that stretch was two back when they scored just 55 points at Iowa. The games against the Hurricanes and Hawkeyes mark Purdue’s only true road games this season. The Boilers shot under 40% from the field in each of those games
- The Knights downed the Boilermakers twice last season, covering as 3-point favorites in a 70-63 win at home (Jan. 28) and winning outright (71-68) as a 5-point underdog March 7. Rutgers is 4-1 against the spread in its last five games with Purdue (2-0 ATS at home).
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Purdue at Rutgers: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Rutgers 70, Purdue 66
Money line (ML)
To win the game outright, Purdue will likely need to drain 3-pointers, leverage an advantage in offensive rebounding, and knock down free throws. PU has scuffled from distance on the road (24%) and has been shaky of late on uncontested 15-footers (62.9% last three games).
Keep an eye on the line: Rutgers is a value play at -145, but PASS at anything lower than that price.
Against the spread (ATS)
The Knights have been clicking at a top-40 level in efficiency analytics at both ends of the floor. They take care of the basketball and defend well at the rim but an uptick on the spread nixes much of the value to be had here.
THE LEAN IS ON RUTGERS -3.5 (-105), but a partial-unit play may be in order unless you can get a -3 tag or better.
Over/Under (O/U)
Rutgers has a few injury concerns; they aren’t major enough to nix taking the Knights as a side, but a team already out-kicking its coverage from a FG% standpoint could well be getting by at a number far south of its 80.6 point per game output.
BACK THE UNDER 136.5 (-105).
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