Purdue Boilermakers at Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Preview/Prop Pick

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The Illinois Fighting Illini have a forecast 71% chance to win against The Purdue Boilermakers with a spread of -1.5/1.5 and an over/under of 148.5. The Illinois Fighting Illini are 0 - 0 against The Purdue Boilermakers in the 2021-22 Season.

— Monday, January 17th Purdue Boilermakers @ Illinois Fighting Illini

The Big Ten Conference is once again one of the best college basketball leagues in the country, and two of the best teams in the league are set to meet up on Monday. The Illinois Fighting Illini will host the Purdue Boilermakers, and this game will have huge Big Ten title implications. 

Purdue comes into this game with an overall record of 14-2, and they have spent some time as the number one ranked team in the country. The Boilermakers have won four of their last five games, and this is a team that can make a run to the Final Four.

Illinois has jumped out to a perfect 6-0 record in Big Ten Conference action, and they are playing their best basketball of the season. The Fighting Illini won the Big Ten Tournament a season ago and will be a threat to do it again in 2022. 

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 1.5-point betting favorites over the Purdue Boilermakers in this huge matchup on Monday morning. 

Purdue Can Be Explosive

Few teams in the country have as much talent as the Purdue Boilermakers, and this team is hard to stop when they have the ball. Purdue is scoring nearly 86 points per game, and they can light it up at any given moment. 

Jaden Ivey leads the Purdue attack as he is averaging 16.3 points per game this season. Sasha Stefanovic leads the team with nearly four assists per game, and he is a terrific three-point shooter.

The Boilermakers have plenty of size in the paint, and that has allowed them to hold opponents to just 66.5 points per game. Purdue will need that size on Monday against the best big man in college basketball. 

A New 1-2 Punch For Illini

Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn carried Illinois to a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament a season ago, but Dosunmu has since moved on to the NBA. Andre Curbelo was supposed to fill that void, but it has actually been filled by Trent Frazier. 

Kofi Cockburn leads the Fighting Illini with 21.9 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, and few teams have found a way to slow him down. Frazier has been shooting the ball well of late, and he is capable of exploding for 20+ points on any given night. 

Illinois is holding opponents to just 64 points per game, and this team has dominated Big Ten Conference play since last season. The Fighting Illini can win in many different ways, and they are nearly unbeatable at home. 

Boilermakers Steal Road Win

Purdue has a roster that is absolutely loaded with talent, and they do have plenty of size as well. That depth and balance has been vital in winning 14 of their first 16 games..

Kofi Cockburn is one of the most dominant players in college basketball, but he could have real issues today with Purdue's size. Combine the Boilermakers inside presence with Jaden Ivey and Sasha Stefanovic from the outside and Purduei can be a nightmare to defend.

This should be a tight game throughout, but Dunkel is giving the advantage to the road team in this one. Bet Purdue +1.5 as they pick up a huge conference victory in Champaign..

Prop Pick

Purdue (-120) OVER 74.5 Points

The Boilermakers are averaging 86.6 points per game on offense this season, which ranks No. 5 in the nation. As a team, Purdue is shooting 50.58 percent from the field, which ranks No. 3. Four players average in double digits with Jaden Ivey leading the way with 16.3 ppg.

With Dunkel predicting a Purdue win by the score of 79-73, take the Boilermakers (-120) to go OVER their Vegas team total of 74.5 points.

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