Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between Purdue and the victory they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Illinois 47-32.
Purdue entered the contest having won six straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it seven, or will Illinois step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Illinois Fighting Illini @ Purdue Boilermakers
Current Records: Illinois 11-2, Purdue 13-1
How To Watch
What to Know
Illinois has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they’ll head out on the road. The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Purdue Boilermakers will face off in a Big Ten battle at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday at Mackey Arena. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Illinois has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 23 points or more this season. They took their match at home on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 96-66 win over the Wildcats. Winning is a bit easier when your shooting is a whole 21.5% better than the opposition, as Illinois’ was.
Marcus Domask was the offensive standout of the match as he scored 32 points along with six assists and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Justin Harmon, who scored 20 points.
Meanwhile, Purdue entered their tilt with Maryland with five consecutive wins but they’ll enter their next game with six. The Boilermakers came out on top against the Terrapins by a score of 67-53 on Tuesday. Despite the victory, that was the fewest points Purdue has scored all season.
Among those leading the charge was Zach Edey, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 12 rebounds.
The Fighting Illini pushed their record up to 11-2 with that win, which was their sixth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 88.8 points per game. As for the Boilermakers, their win bumped their record up to 13-1.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as Illinois and Purdue are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Illinois hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 83.9 points per game. However, it’s not like Purdue struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 85.4 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Illinois is hoping to beat the odds on Friday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. They might be worth a quick bet since they’ve covered the spread the last nine times they’ve played.
Odds
Purdue is a big 10-point favorite against Illinois, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Boilermakers as a 10.5-point favorite.
The over/under is set at 154 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Purdue has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Illinois.
- Mar 05, 2023 – Purdue 76 vs. Illinois 71
- Feb 08, 2022 – Purdue 84 vs. Illinois 68
- Jan 17, 2022 – Purdue 96 vs. Illinois 88
- Jan 02, 2021 – Illinois 66 vs. Purdue 58
- Jan 21, 2020 – Illinois 79 vs. Purdue 62
- Jan 05, 2020 – Illinois 63 vs. Purdue 37
- Feb 27, 2019 – Purdue 73 vs. Illinois 56
- Feb 22, 2018 – Purdue 93 vs. Illinois 86
- Jan 17, 2017 – Purdue 91 vs. Illinois 68
- Mar 11, 2016 – Purdue 89 vs. Illinois 58
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