Point Spread: No 6 Purdue Surprising Underdog Tuesday at No. 15 Marquette
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Purdue coach Matt Painter loves the idea of playing a tough nonconference schedule. He also doesn't mind going on the road to do it, either. It makes his team better prepared fo the Big Ten grind and postseason play.
The Boilermakers, who are now up to No. 6 in the Associated Press top-25 poll after upsetting then-No. 2 Alabama last Friday, hit the road Tuesday night to take on No,. 15 Marquette. It's a battle of unbeatens, with both teams going 4-0 out of the gate. The game starts at 9 p.m. ET. (How to watch? The link is below.)
The oddsmakers think this will be a tough one. According to the Fanduel.com gambling website, Marquette is a a 5.5-point favorite. The over/under is 152.5. It's a bit of a surprise that the line is so high as of 6:30 p.m. ET. It opened at 3. points, so a lot of money is going on the Golden Eagles.
Road games have that effect.
"It's going to be difficult. It's just different on the road," Painter said last Friday. "That's why we played Creighton (on the road in an October exhibition game). That's why we played Arkansas (last year), because we don't want that to be our first road game. We want it to be our second road game, even though the first one doesn't count. The experience counts and the lessons count. That's what helps you more than anything.
"To be able to play somebody as good as Marquette on their home court, now you see where you are. Whether you win by 20, lose by 20, or it's a close game, you're going to learn some things about your team and you're going to get better from it."
Purdue and Marquette have a lot of recent history, with this the fifth meeting in the past eight years. Purdue won last year in the finals of the Maui Invitational.
Here's everything you need to know on the numbers for this game.
Purdue by the numbers
- Purdue overall record: 4-0
Purdue overall vs. spread: 2-2
- Purdue home record: 4-0
Purdue home vs. spread: 2-2
- Purdue road record: 0-0
Purdue road vs spread: 0-0
- Purdue record as favorite: 3-0
Purdue vs. spread as favorite: 1-2
- Purdue record as underdog: 1-0
Purdue vs. spread as underdog: 1-0
- Purdue over total: 2
Purdue under total: 2
Purdue results vs. spread this season
Here's what the Purdue Boilermakers have done so far this season:
- Nov. 4 (Monday): No. 14 Purdue defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 90-73 at home as a 25.5-point favorite (did not cover). The point total (163) went over the 146.5-point over/under number. Record: 1-0.
- Nov. 8 (Friday): No. 14 Purdue defeated Northern Kentucky 72-50 at home as a 20.5-point favorite (covered). The point total (122) went under the 147.5-point over/under total. Record: 2-0.
- Nov. 11 (Monday): No. 13 Purdue defeated Yale 92-84 at home as a 14.5-point favorite (did nbot cover). The point total (178) went under the 146.5-point over/under total. Record: 3-0.
- Nov. 15 (Friday): No. 13 Purdue defeated No. 2 Alabama 87-78 at home as a 3.5-point underdog (covered). The point total (165) went under the 166.5-point over/under total. Record: 4-0
Marquette results vs. spread this season
Here's what the Marquette Golden Eagles have done so far this season. They are 4-0 overall and have covered the point spread on three of four games. They are 2-2 against the over/under number.
- Nov. 4 (Monday): No. 18 Marquette defeated Stony Brook102-62 at home as a 22.5-point favorite (covered). The point total (164) went over the 147.5-point over/under number. Record: 1-0.
- Nov. 8 (Friday): No. 18 Marquette defeated George Mason 82-63 at home as a 13.5-point favorite (covered). The point total (145) went under the 149.5-point over/under number. Record: 2-0.
- Nov. 11 (Monday): No. 15 Marquette defeated Central Michigan 70-62 at home as a 26.5-point favorite (did not cover). The point total (132) went under the 150.5-point over/under number. Record: 3-0.
- Nov. 15 (Friday): No. 15 Marquette defeated Maryland 78-74 on the road as a 2.5-point underdog (covered). The point total (152) went over the 147.5-point over/under total. Record: 4-0
Related stories on Purdue basketball
- HOW TO WATCH: No. 6 Purdue will play another ranked opponent this week, traveling to Milwaukee to battle No. 15 Marquette. Here's everything you need to know about the matchup. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE CATAPULTS IN RANKINGS: Purdue has jumped up to No. 6 in the Associated Press poll, seven spots ahead of where it was ranked a week ago. The Boilers are 4-0 and pulled off a huge win over Alabama on Friday. CLICK HERE
- MATT PAINTER TALKS ANTIONE WEST JR.: Purdue recently signed three-star guard Antione West Jr. as a member of the 2025 class. Coach Matt Painter talked about West's skills set and drew a comparison to former Boilermaker Carsen Edwards. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE'S DOMINANCE VS TOP-10: Purdue has enjoyed a ridiculous amount of success against top-10 teams over the last four seasons, posting a 10-2 record in those marquee matchups. CLICK HERE
Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who's worked at some America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Indianapolis Star. He also owns the book publishing company, Hilltop30 Publishing Group, and he has written four books and published 16 others.