No. 8 Michigan State Spartans at Purdue Boilermakers
Sunday, 2/19/12, 1:00 PM EST, TV:  CBS
Opening Point Spread:  Michigan State -3
Current Betting Line:  Michigan State -3
Opening Total:  134
Current Total:  134
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Michigan State looks to stay atop the Big Ten Conference standings and will look to push its current win streak to five games.  The Spartans have won and covered their last four contests, which includes an impressive 69-55 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers as six-point home favorites.  “That win says a lot,” commented Spartans forward Draymond Green.  “Wisconsin is not an easy team to play against.”  Michigan State is 1-3 ATS as a road favorite of three points or less over the last two-plus seasons.

The Spartans have won five true road games this season, as Green has shown great leadership in being a three-time captain, averaging 15.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.  Michigan State leads the conference in field-goal percentage defense and sit second in allowing just 57.5 points per game.  The program has won 18 of the last 28 games in this particular series, with head coach Tom Izzo producing an 18-13 mark in his 31 meetings on the sidelines.

Purdue aims to win three in a row in Big Ten play for the first time this season and has won four of the last five with Sunday’s opponent inside Mackey Arena.  The Boilermakers will be seeking to gain revenge from a lopsided 83-58 loss in the first meeting this season as 7.5-point road underdogs.  In order to pull off the slight upset, the team will need to continue hitting shots from the perimeter, knocking down 29-of-58 attempts from beyond the arc in the last two games.  Purdue is 6-2 ATS as an underdog this year.

The Boilermakers are led offensively by senior forward Robbie Hummel, who is averaging 15.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.  Purdue owns a 65-47 all-time edge in this series, but current head coach Matt Painter will look to even his record to 7-7 versus Michigan State since he arrived on campus.  Hummel will need to step up his game offensively, shooting just 29.5 percent versus ranked opponents this year, including missing all 11 field-goal attempts against the Spartans in East Lansing on Jan. 21.

Bettors will likely back the Boilermakers due to their 5-2 ATS mark on Sundays, while the Spartans are 2-5 ATS in the same situation.

Don’t miss out on a winning season and let the college basketball handicappers at Maddux Sports line your pockets with cash.  Long term packages are available now!