Bryan Armetta shares his preview, prediction, and pick for Saturday’s game between the Marquette Golden Eagles and the Purdue Boilermakers.
Big East and Big Ten foes are set to clash on Saturday in West Lafayette. Following a brutal defeat to Iowa State last weekend, Purdue bounced back with a blowout win over Minnesota. Now, the Boilermakers will look to keep the momentum going with a victory over Marquette. It’s been a retooling year for the 5-5 Golden Eagles. However, head coach Shaka Smart has pulled off a few upsets before.
Who has the edge in this inter-conference clash? Purdue enters Saturday as 18.5-point favorites (-110) over Marquette. The total is set at 151.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here’s a college basketball pick, preview and prediction for today’s game between the Golden Eagles and the Boilermakers.
Marquette vs. Purdue prediction, preview
As previously mentioned, the Boilermakers got back on track with a dominant 85-57 win over Minnesota. With the win, Purdue boosted its record to 9-1, third-best in the Big Ten. Few teams in the nation, possibly none, possess this amount of firepower. Guard Fletcher Loyer ranks second in the Big Ten with a 45.9% three-point percentage on 6.1 attempts per game. Back court mate Braden Smith has also been terrific, notching 9.1 assists per game. In addition, center Trey Kaufman-Renn has posted 13.9 points and 10.6 rebounds.
Purdue’s offensive rating of 126.0 is the 13th-best mark in all of college basketball. However, they only rank 161st in defensive rating (102.1). Still, blowouts aren’t a frequent occurrence due to the team’s pace of play. Per KenPom, the Boilermakers operate at the nation’s 45th-slowest adjusted tempo. Still, half of their opponents have managed to score at least 70 points. That includes mid-major programs such as Akron and Oakland.
In years past, a vulnerable defense would be something Marquette could exploit. However, this year’s squad has come up short in several different aspects. The Golden Eagles are putting up over 80 points per game. However, that’s a direct result of their tempo, 69th-quickest in the nation per KenPom. The team’s offensive rating of 108.5 is 200th out of 365 Division I programs. Leading the charge is Chase Ross, averaging 19.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He’s joined by freshman standout Nigel James, who has chipped in with 12.2 points on 45% shooting.
If there’s a major issue on defense, it’s rim protection. 6’11” Ben Gold, a talented shooter, is only averaging 0.7 blocks per game. Ditto for fellow big man Royce Parham, responsible for 0.6 rejections. However, like any Smart-led group, the Golden Eagles have a knack for generating turnovers. Marquette ranks second in the Big East with 9.9 steals per game. However, the school is second-to-last in the conference with 2.6 blocks.
Marquette vs. Purdue pick, best bet
There’s an element of chaos that makes the Golden Eagles an intriguing option for bettors tonight. However, their wins have come against the following programs: Albany, Southern, Little Rock, Central Michigan, and Valparaiso. That’s not exactly a murderer’s row in terms of competition. In comparison, Marquette has lost by more than 20 against Big Ten foes Indiana and Wisconsin. Following their domination over Minnesota, the Boilermakers enter Saturday with some confidence. In addition, it’s difficult to think of anyone stopping Kaufman-Renn inside the paint. Keeping that in mind, Purdue is set up nicely for another comfortable victory.