No. 3 Purdue Basketball Slim Favorite on the Road Against Maryland
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — After racing to the best start in program history this season, Purdue basketball can't seem to get out of its own way in recent games. The No. 3-ranked Boilermakers are 23-3 and 12-3 in Big Ten play but have lost two of their last three contests, which both came on the road, as a result of costly turnovers.
The team will look to turn things around on Thursday when it tips off against Maryland at 6:30 p.m. ET inside the Xfinity Center in College Park, Md. The Terrapins, who sit at 17-8 overall (8-6 Big Ten), are 13-1 at home and have yet to lose when hosting a conference opponent.
Despite its recent struggles, Purdue enters the matchup as the favorite by a one-point margin, according to SI Sportsbook. The over/under for the game is 132 as of Thursday morning.
The Boilermakers clashed with the Terrapins back on Jan. 22 at Mackey Arena and held on for a narrow 58-55 win. They turned the ball over 15 times, but star center Zach Edey scored a game-high 24 points and added 16 rebounds.
In its last three matchups, Purdue has turned the ball over a combined 49 times. The team dug itself into a 16-point hole in the first half against rival Indiana on Feb. 4 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Boilermakers brought the game within one point after halftime but could never secure a lead in the 79-74 defeat.
With an opportunity to bounce back against Iowa on Feb. 9, Purdue mounted a 21-point advantage that dwindled to just six in the second half but managed to stave off the Hawkeyes for an 87-73 win.
The Boilermakers were poised to knock off a surging Northwestern team Sunday on its home court, leading by eight points with under four minutes to play. However, they failed to score a field goal in the remaining time and registered five turnovers in the final 3:12, opening the door for a 12-1 run for the Wildcats.
Purdue's late-game mistakes led to a 64-58 loss, and its road stretch continues on Thursday against Maryland. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.