Free NCAA Hoops Pick: #13 Illinois vs. #3 Purdue CBB Odds
Looking for Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Purdue Boilermakers NCAA basketball free picks & CBB odds? CBB betting sees the Illini take on the Boilermakers on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, IN. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all college basketball matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily NCAA basketball predictions like this Illini Purdue matchup.
2022 NCAA Basketball Handicapping
(17-5) Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Purdue Boilermakers (20-3)
Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Time: 9:00 PM ET
Venue: Mackey Arena
CBB Moneyline Odds: Illini +250 / Boilers -280
CBB Betting ATS Odds: Illinois +6 / Purdue -6 (Bet Now!)
CBB Betting Total: O/U 148
Big game much? Yeah, buckle up for one massive Big Ten Conference matchup because the Illini and Boilermakers are fighting for the top-seed in the Big Ten Tournament!
These two programs have already met and the Boilermakers went off for 96 points to take the first meeting on the Illini floor. However, if you look at the Big Ten standings the Illini are in the top spot at 10 – 2 and Purdue is right on their heels at 9 – 3 along with Wisconsin. Wisconsin and Michigan State play each other today as well, so the top-4 in the Big Ten standings could look a lot different when we wake up on Wednesday.
The Illini are taking a 4-game win streak into West Lafayette and it is rather obvious that a second loss to Purdue this year could be costly. Should Wisconsin get past Sparty combined with a Purdue win, there will be a 3-way tie atop the Big Ten standings. However, Purdue has already lost to Wisconsin this season but those two will meet the game before the regular season ends again.
I could go on with scenarios all day but nothing will be decided this Saturday and there are plenty of hoops left to play. Oh, can you already feel the madness starting? I know, I can too!
Illinois Fighting Illini
The Illini don’t need to be reminded that they lost the first meeting between these two teams, 96 – 88, nor did anyone forget that they lost to Maryland to follow up that L. This program has rebounded nicely to now be carrying a modest 4-game win streak into this affair with wins over Wisconsin and Michigan State in that mix.
Kofi Cockburn is pretty good, LoL. Yeah, ya think? I mean talk about having an ability to take over a game, right? The dude has it and more often than not the question before every Illini game is what will Kofi do and who is going to step up and help him tonight?
I’ll guarantee when you tune into this game as part of Big Monday at 9 p.m ET on ESPN, the announcers will remark that same sentiment wondering who will be supporting Cockburn tonight on the road? I don’t know why that conversation really happens because Alfonso Plummer and Trent Frazier are the answer to the question at hand. Plummer and Frazier are 2-3 in the pecking order and they both produce plenty on a nightly basis.
Cockburn only found his way to 17 points after his 37-point effort against Wisconsin, so we know he doesn’t always have to be the guy putting up 25+ for this team to find wins. Plummer is averaging 15.3 PPG and he is just a dot under 40% from behind the arc this season (39.9%). Frazier landed 23 points in the winning effort over Indiana last time out as the Illini cruised to a 74 – 57 win over the Hoosiers,
As a team, the Illini are ranked 41st in the land converting 37% of their 3-point shots and this team would actually be a better free-throw shooting team if Cockburn could learn to shoot from the charity stripe. Cockburn is only making 65.4% of his free throws but the 11.4 rebounds he pulls in make up for it in so many ways. Imagine if he gets that part of his game in order? Cockburn might be a 40-point scorer up the road when that happens as he has gotten stuck at 38 & 37 this year but would have gone over 40 had he made his free throws in those outings.
Ahh, whatever, Cockburn is going to take over this game inside when he feels like it because his 7-0 frame with his size and agility is going to get his whenever he wants it! I don’t care who you think you can put against him, because the dude has the ability to change the outcome of basketball games!
Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue knew exactly how to deal with Mr. Cockburn and he was held to a season-low 10 points with foul trouble eating his minutes away. The Purdue defense held Cockburn to a 3 – 9 shooting night while watching him exit from the game early with 5 fouls. The obvious goal would be to replicate that effort but that is just a little easier to say than it is to pull off.
Humans react to adversity and there is this Jamaican dude over at Illinois who is going to be a nightmare to deal with tonight. Cockburn likely saved some energy against Indians knowing exactly what was on deck… A trip to Purdue to make up for this shit showing in the first meeting these two teams played.
The Boilermakers are certainly not a defensive powerhouse, to say the least, but this offense is stupid good and you don’t need me to tell you that. The rankings that show Purdue in the top-4 of just about every offensive category tells you that story on its own.
Purdue got past Michigan last time out, 82 – 76, and, of course, many were wondering if they were looking ahead to this contest knowing the Illini were coming to town tonight. Had the Boilers lost that game, we surely know that the chatter would have been all about how they were looking forward to this game and not concentrating on Michigan.
Jaden Ivey had a nice night in the winning effort finding his way to 23 points despite shooting 0 for 6 from the 3-point line. The 7 dimes and 6 boards sure look good though, as he basically was on the floor all night doing a little bit of everything.
Trevion Williams came off the bench and added 19 points in 23 minutes and that is basically all Purdue got from their subs in the win. Only 2 points were found from 3 other players who came off the pine, but depth is not really something we can talk about with Purdue. We’re seeing 7 guys on the court tonight unless something forces Matt Painter to look further down the depth chart than he wants to.
Zach Edey struggled a bit last time out as he only saw the floor for 17 minutes finding 13 points, and that brings his season average to just under 15 PPG now.
CBB Betting Trends:
- Fighting Illini are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
- Boilermakers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games.
- Boilermakers are 0-6-1 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
- Over is 12-5-1 in Fighting Illini last 18 overall.
- Over is 5-1 in Boilermakers’ last 6 home games.
Free Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Purdue Boilermakers NCAAB Betting Prediction:
That total says 148 and to that I say SOLD! Drop the gavel down on a play towards this Over because the defense is not the call of the day. Yes, Purdue held Cockburn down last time out but the odds of that happening again are slim IMO.
4* Free CBB Betting Pick: Over 148
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