Ohio State vs. Purdue Big Ten Basketball Bet Preview

The Ohio State Buckeyes will travel to Lafayette, Indiana, to face off against the Purdue Boilermakers on Sunday at noon EST. The Buckeyes come into this game on a three-game winning streak and ranked No. 16 in the nation.

Purdue is ranked No. 6 in the nation and are on their own two-game winning streak. Purdue is just below the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Conference standings in fifth at 6-3. Ohio State is in fourth at 6-2.

There are no easy matchups in the Big Ten, and this will be an exciting game with both teams fighting until the end. Let’s look ahead at the expected odds and keys for both teams to win this game.

Expected Odds

This should be a high-scoring affair as the Boilermakers are currently ranked fourth in the nation in points per game at 84.7, and the Buckeyes ranked 56th at 75.1. Both defenses allow around 67-68 points per game and heavily rely on their offensive success to outscore teams.

Although the Buckeyes are ahead of the Boilermakers in the Big Ten, Purdue has an outstanding overall record of 17-3 compared to Ohio State’s 13-4. I expect Purdue to be favored by three to five points because of this strong record and it being in front of their home crowd in Indiana.

Keys to a Buckeyes Win

As is the story for most games, EJ Liddell, who had 23 points and 15 rebounds in 35 minutes of play, needs to play well for the Buckeyes to win, but that may not even be enough. The Buckeyes will need other players like Kyle Young and Zed Key to step up in this game to win away at Purdue.

The Ohio State Buckeyes will be heavily undersized as they normally are with the team that they have this year. This hasn’t shown to be a problem as the Buckeyes’ offense has been proven to be one of the most efficient offenses in the nation. They rank 32nd, 16th, and 17th in three-point percentage, two-point percentage, and overall shooting percentage, respectively.

Keys to a Boilermakers Win

Purdue has a potent offense led by star guard Jaden Ivey, who is averaging 16.6 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 49% shooting. The Boilermakers have three other starters that average over ten points per game, including Zach Edey, Tevion Williams, and Sasha Stefanovic.

7’4” Zach Edey will be the X-factor for the Boilermakers because no one on the Buckeyes can match up with his size. If he is able to keep the Buckeyes off the boards and clog up the middle, it will be a tough night for the Buckeyes if shots aren’t falling.

Expected Outcome

The Purdue offense will be too much for Ohio State to keep up with in the end, but the Buckeyes will be able to hang around until the end. I expect Purdue to put this out in front of their home crowd, but it should be a close finish until the final whistle. With some remarkable shooting, the Buckeyes might think otherwise.