Michigan State Purdue Betting – Boilermakers Look To Rebound At Home Against Spartans
When the No. 22 Purdue Boilermakers take to the hard court at Mackey Arena against the No. 18 Michigan State Spartans, it will be a tale of two Big Ten teams that are looking to put together some consistent play within the conference. The Spartans and Boilermakers have each opened their conference schedule with mixed results, setting up a big showdown Saturday night at West Lafayette.
- (18) Michigan State Spartans @ Purdue Boilermakers (22)
- Saturday January 22, 2011 – 9:00 PM ET
- Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Indiana
- Online Sports Betting Odds: Boilermakers – 5.5
While the Boilermakers struggled against the Nittany lions on Wednesday at home, the Spartans are coming off their second loss in six conference games this season. Neither team has been able to harness much momentum behind the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in conference play, making this game that much more important for both teams.
College Basketball Betting Preview: Michigan State
The Spartans are coming off of a tough 71-62 loss to No. 22 Illinois in which they simply fell behind too far to mount a comeback late. It’s not that Michigan State didn’t have their chances, it’s that they didn’t capitalize on them when they did. The Spartans trailed 67-62 with just over two minutes to play and couldn’t finish on three tip-in opportunities following a missed-shot by Durrell Summers, the perfect opportunity to get the game back within one possession. Head coach Tom Izzo was uninspired by his team’s efforts at both ends of the floor, and will like to see more from his stars this betting weekend. Leading scorer Kalin Lucas has averaged 14.7 points per game, a little better than Summers’ 14.1 mark, but neither has shown much flash recently.
College Basketball Betting Preview: Purdue
The Boilermakers begin a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents when they welcome the Spartans, and for a team that won 15 of its first 16 games, it’s about getting on back on track. Purdue followed up a close 70-67 loss at No. 25 Minnesota with a 68-64 loss at West Virginia, and after the Penn State game will now enter their toughest stretch of the season. Senior JaJuan Johnson has been the pulse of the team with 20.3 points and 8.3 rebounds this season, but will need even more sports betting bonus help from guard E’Twaun Moore, who is second in both of those categories.
College Basketball Betting: Outlook & Pick
As poorly as the Boilermakers played on the road against Minnesota and West Virginia, Purdue is 11-1 at home and will be eager to establish some consistency in the Big Ten to open their toughest stretch of the season. The Spartans have dropped their past two road games by an average of seven points, and while they haven’t been terrible, there is no reason to think that after losses to Penn State and Illinois they will now be able to best Purdue.
College Basketball Betting Pick: Spartans
