Purdue-Indiana Men’s College Basketball Odds, Lines, Spread and Bet

Pat Forde provides a preview and a pick for Saturday’s biggest game.

Forget what’s happening on Tobacco Road; Purdue vs. Indiana is the best rivalry game of the weekend. Purdue is absolutely deserving of its No. 1 ranking, playing at a high level behind the tower of power that is 7’4” Zach Edey. And yet, the Boilers are overdue to lose and this is the spot to drop one.

No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 21 Indiana

Game Info: Feb. 4, 2023 | 4 p.m. ET | ESPN

Purdue Straight-Up Record: 21-1 (11-1 Big Ten)
Purdue Against the Spread Record: 10-11-1

Indiana Straight-Up Record: 15-7 (6-5 Big Ten)
Indiana Against the Spread Record: 10-11-1

Purdue’s supporting cast around Edey — particularly at guard — is not lavishly talented. Indiana’s defensive length could be a problem for 6-foot freshman Braden Smith, and fellow guard Fletcher Loyer might be hitting the freshman wall after playing big minutes all season (4 of 15 from three in his last five games). Indiana also could be getting back one or more of three players who have missed time with injury or illness (C.J. Gunn, Jordan Geronimo, Xavier Johnson). Most importantly, the Hoosiers have their own stud in the middle in Trayce Jackson-Davis, who should give them a chance to single-cover Edey and not create open shots for Purdue elsewhere.

Indiana has authoritatively taken care of business in Assembly Hall the last three games, beating Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State by an average of 15.7 points. The Hall will be rocking for this one.

MONEYLINE BET: Indiana

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Pat Forde
PAT FORDE

Pat Forde is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who covers college football and college basketball as well as the Olympics and horse racing. He cohosts the College Football Enquirer podcast and is a football analyst on the Big Ten Network. He previously worked for Yahoo Sports, ESPN and The (Louisville) Courier-Journal. Forde has won 28 Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest awards, has been published three times in the Best American Sports Writing book series, and was nominated for the 1990 Pulitzer Prize. A past president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and member of the Football Writers Association of America, he lives in Louisville with his wife. They have three children, all of whom were collegiate swimmers.