NCAA Basketball Sports Betting – Purdue Boilermakers at Ball State Cardinals
The Purdue Boilermakers (6-2 SU, 3-3 ATS) have suffered a couple of disappointments early as they approach the beginning of the Big Ten season. On Tuesday they will seek a win on the road as they play the Ball State Cardinals (4-3 SU, 3-2 ATS) in NCAA college basketball sports betting action that is slated to tip off at 7 PM ET at the Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN.
BetUS NCAA Basketball Sports Betting Odds: PURDUE -12
Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* PUR has won 19 of its last 25 games SU
* PUR has covered 10 of its last 14 road games
* PUR has won six of its last nine road games SU
* PUR has played five of its last seven road games OVER the total
* BSU has lost 14 of its last 21 games SU
* BSU has won four of its last five home games SU
Purdue was pegged as a top ten team by a lot of people at the season’s outset, but when they had to step up, they failed, losing to Blake Griffin and Oklahoma by five points, then shooting just 37% in being obliterated by Duke. Considering that Michigan State was destroyed by North Carolina, it would seem that Big Ten basketball has a ways to go. Perhaps some people (including myself) jumped the gun when pegging Purdue as a top ten team, considering that they lost in the first round of the conference tournament last year and only got through one round of the NCAA’s before losing.
But is that enough to keep Ball State in this home game? The Cardinals, who went through an ugly scandal surrounding former coach Ronny Thompson, who claimed a racially hostile work environment among other things, have tried to pick up the pieces under current coach Billy Taylor, who has stepped up recruiting efforts, though he is carrying a 10-27 record in his job. There has been a talent infusion on this roster, with several newcomers playing key roles. One of his guys has been a jewel, and that is freshman center Jarrod Jones, who has averaged 12.4 points and 6.9 rebounds, along with 1.4 blocked shots.
What’s bothered Purdue is that it hasn’t had a lot of paint presence, with three guards often in the lineup, along with forward Robbie Hummel, who is largely a perimeter player. Hummel has recently been suffering from back spasms, and in fact sat out the last game with Arkansas-Pine Bluff (a 90-42 Purdue victory). However, what’s been encouraging is that JaJuan Johnson, the 6’10” center, is developing into an intimidator on defense, with 1.9 blocked shots a game while averaging only 21 minutes.
Matt Painter, head coach at Purdue, is coming home, as he played his high school ball in Muncie. He’s got horses to bring into this game. We know Ball State will play hard, but the Boilermakers have scoring balance, with four players averaging in double figures, all of whom are shooting at least 47%. Johnson figures into this prominently, as does Chris Kramer, the best defensive player in the Big Ten, who will disrupt what the Cards have going in the backcourt. Ball State’s leading scorer, Anthony Newell, is shooting less than 40%. Painter will make a successful homecoming for himself. Let’s lay the points with Purdue, the 12-point favorite in the BetUS NCAA college basketball sports betting odds.
