The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (19-13) square off against the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers (26-5) Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Tip-off is at noon ET (Big Ten Network). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around Rutgers vs. Purdue odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Purdue ended the year 4-4 over its last 8 games with losses to Indiana (x2), Northwestern and Maryland after a strong start to the season. The Boilermakers are still the favorites to win the Big Ten Tournament and if they did so would be a big step toward being a top seed on Selection Sunday.
Rutgers topped Michigan 62-50 Thursday in the 2nd round of the tournament. The Scarlet Knights should be on the right side of the bubble for March Madness even if they lose to Purdue.