Wisconsin Badgers at Purdue Boilermakers
Thursday, 1/12/12, 7:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Purdue -2.5
Current Betting Line: Purdue -3
Opening Total: 112.5
Current Total: 113
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Wisconsin is suffering through a rare three-game losing streak and finds itself out of the top-25 rankings for the first time in 20 weeks. The Badgers have dropped four of their five games against teams that ranked in the top 16 on the day of that particular game. Senior point guard Jordan Taylor is still a believer that the team will bounce back and make a run at the Big Ten Conference title. “It’s definitely a tough loss, but I recall two years ago Ohio State started 0-2 and went on to win it or at least a share of it,” Taylor stated after Sunday’s 59-41 loss to the Michigan Wolverines. Wisconsin is 2-1 ATS as a road underdog of three points or less.
The Badgers are still on a record-setting pace at the defensive end, leading the nation in allowing just 47.9 points per game, while ranking second in allowing opponents to shoot 35.2 percent from the field. Wisconsin will be looking for its first win in West Lafayette since 2005, as Purdue is the only team to own a winning record against him in Big Ten play. Taylor certainly takes care of the basketball when it matters most, having just 60 total turnovers in 58 career conference games.
Purdue returns to its home court for the first time during the 2012 calendar year after splitting a two-game road trip. The Boilermakers tallied a 79-66 win over the Minnesota Gophers as two-point underdogs last time out. There’s no doubt that this team enjoys one of the best home-court advantages in all of college basketball, searching for its 27th consecutive victory inside Mackey Arena in tonight’s prime-time showdown on ESPN. Purdue is 6-1 ATS at home this season and the ‘under’ is 4-2-1 in those contests.
The Boilermakers also take care of the basketball in ranking 11th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio, while also averaging 8.2 three-pointers per game. Senior forward Robbie Hummel leads the team in averaging 16.2 points per game, leading a trio of players that average double figures in scoring. He ranks fifth in the conference in that category and is 10th in school history in rebounding.
Bettors will likely back the Boilermakers due to their 23-6 ATS mark at home versus winning road teams, while the Badgers are 1-4 ATS in their last five trips to Purdue.
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