College Basketball: #1 Purdue Travels to Michigan

The number one team in the nation hits the road on Thursday night as the Purdue Boilermakers travel to Ann Arbor to take on the unranked Michigan Wolverines. To prepare you for the action, we look at the game and how you can find some value in the matchup.Purdue @ Michigan Game Information

• Location: Crisler Center | Ann Arbor, MI
• Time: 9:00 p.m. ET | TV: Fox Sports 1

The Boilermakers are back in the top spot in the AP Poll for the second time this season with just one loss against Rutgers. They will look to improve upon their current six-game winning streak.

Michigan will lean on one of the best home court advantages in both the Big Ten and the country up in Ann Arbor. Purdue has struggled in this spot regularly, losing their past three games at the Crisler Center.

It’s been a season of inconsistency for the Wolverines, which makes them difficult to trust in betting markets. They have failed to win more than two straight since their opening three games of the season and have yet to notch a win against a team in KenPom’s top 30 this season.

• Spread: Purdue -5.5 (-110) | Michigan +5.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Purdue -230 | Michigan +188
• Total: Over 135.5 (-110) | Under 135.5 (-110)

As much dominance as Michigan has had over Purdue at home in recent years, the defense is worrisome against a powerhouse Purdue offense. The Boilermakers feel better at nearly every position when they have the ball with their top-five-ranked offense in the nation, per KenPom. They will emphasize offensive rebounding, where they rank No. 1 in the country.

Michigan will win this game by controlling free-throw line opportunities. Purdue gets 21.2 percent of their points from the charity stripe, while the Wolverines only allow 15.4 percent, with the national average at 18.2. And with Purdue allowing the fewest free throw attempts per field goal attempt out of any team in the country, the Wolverines will need to generate opportunities themselves to have a chance in this one.

The giant battle – both figuratively and literally – of Zach Edey and Hunter Dickinson will be vital in deciding this matchup. They are two of the most efficient big men in the nation who have proven they can take over a game on any given night. The winner of this paint matchup will give their team a significant boost in walking away victorious on Thursday night.

The Wolverines seriously lack the experience to win a game of this magnitude and have shown little consistency on the year. Add in that Edey feels the superior option in the battle of the bigs; Purdue is the side here, even at -5.5 on the road.