WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2010 – FREE COLLEGE PICK
#4 Purdue Boilermakers (21-3) vs. #9 Ohio State Buckeyes (20-6)
The No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes will look to move up in the rankings with a win over the visiting No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers on Wednesday at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
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The last time these two met was on Jan 12, with the Buckeyes rallying from a 13-point deficit to beat then-No. 6 Purdue 70-66.
The Buckeyes has won its last nine conference games, and six straight overall including a 72-53 win over Illinois on Sunday. Ohio bombed the Fighting Illini going 11 of 22 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Jon Diebler led the Bucks with six of those 3s, finishing the game with a team-high 18 points. David Lighty hit a trio of 3-pointers and scored 17 in the win. National player of the year candidate and team leader Evan Turner, netted 16 points, most of which came in the second half, to go along with his 11 rebounds. The Bucks shot 53 percent while Illinois struggled with Ohio State’s zone defense, hitting just 34.3 percent of their shots. Turner is averaging 19 points, 9.4 rebounds and 6 assists per game, good enough for second in the Big 12.
As far as Purdue, they have won seven in a row after a three-game skid and are coming off a 63-40 thumping over Iowa on Saturday. JaJuan Johnson had 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Boilermakers’ leading scorer E’Twaun Moore had 11 points in the win. Chris Kramer anchored the Boilermakers aggressive man-to-man defense with four steals while Purdue held Iowa to a meager 30 percent shooting and outrebounded the Hawkeyes 34-29. Purdue has been known for their stingy defense in seasons past, but this year has been depending more on its high-octane offense that is averaging 74.5 ppg –best in the conference.
The odd makers have Ohio State as –3-point favorites and a game total of 134 ½ in this one.
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Both teams should be a full strength. Five-foot-nine sophomore guard Lewis Jackson, Purdue’s best ball handler, didn’t play in the first meeting because of a foot injury but will make play into this evening’s contest. Ohio’s Evan Turner will be called upon tonight to help extend Ohio’s perfect 15-0 at home record tonight.
I expect a close first half with Purdue going on a run early in the second and notching a 6-point victory and UNDER.
- Purdue is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Purdue’s last 6 games
- Purdue is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
- Purdue is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
- Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ohio State’s last 6 games
- Ohio State is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
- Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
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