#7 Purdue at #25 Illinois Odds, Best Bets & Prediction

#7 Purdue at #25 Illinois Preview

Two ranked programs will collide Monday, when the Illinois Fighting Illini take on the Purdue Purdue Boilermakers at State Farm Center. While Illinois are having an impressive season and remain undefeated in Big Ten play this season, the Boilermakers remain a top-10 program even if they’ve underachieved a bit when looking at their record. Will Purdue snap Illinois’ impressive winning streak in front of their fans?

Purdue Boilermakers Preview

The Boilermakers are the seventh-best team in the country according to the latest AP Poll, but it’s safe to say they have not looked as such as times. They enter this game following a 74-67 win over Penn State on Jan. 8, and that allowed them to bounce back from the 74-69 loss they suffered against Wisconsin (#23) earlier this month. Even though Purdue has a strong 13-2 record this season, the fact that their two losses have come against Conference opponents isn’t ideal for them. Their road record isn’t particularly impressive, either, as the Boilermakers have gone just 1-1 away from home, and that’s just not enough to justify how good they can be when playing away from their fans. The Boilermakers do have some impressive victories this season, including back-to-back Ws over North Carolina and Villanova on late November when both teams were among the Top 20 programs in the country. One player to watch for Purdue will be Jaden Ivey, who averages 16.2 points per game this season.

Illinois Fighting Illini Preview

The Fighting Illini are coming off a 81-71 win over Nebraska in their most recent game, and that victory extended their winning run to five contests. In fact, Illinois have been so good of late that they have ended on top in 10 of their last 11 games and all but three of those victories have come through double-digit margins as well. The Fighting Illini have deservedly cracked the Top 25 in the latest AP Poll and are also undefeated in Conference Play, sporting a 5-0 record that includes three straight double-digit victories following the postponement of their Dec. 29 against Florida A&M. Perhaps the lone negative aspect about Illinois’ season so far is the fact that they lost in their lone contest against a ranked team -- 83-79 vs. Arizona (#11). One player to watch for the Fighting Illini, who have gone 9-2 at home this season, is their star junior Kofi Cockburn, who averages 22.0 points and 12.5 rebounds per contest.

#7 Purdue at #25 Illinois Prediction

This matchup between two ranked teams is going to be one of the biggest games in Monday’s slate. On one hand, the Fighting Illini are on a great run of form and are extremely tough to handle, but they tend to struggle against ranked teams. As for the Boilermakers, they have the weapons to tame down Illinois and will rely on their impressive offensive power, one that has them scoring 85.1 points per contest on average. It will be a tight game and could easily become a shootout, but once it’s all said and done, I’d expect the Boilermakers to come away with the win even if they’re playing on the road against a team that has won five games in a row.

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