Who’s Playing
Texas A&M Aggies @ Purdue Boilermakers
Current Records: Texas A&M 8-2, Purdue 8-2
How To Watch
What to Know
The Texas A&M Aggies will face off against the Purdue Boilermakers at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Boilermakers are favored, but seeing as the odds didn’t stop the Aggies in their last game, maybe the team has another upset up their sleeve.
Purdue is hoping to do what Texas Tech couldn’t on Sunday: put an end to Texas A&M’s winning streak, which now stands at four games. Texas A&M walked away with a 72-67 victory over Texas Tech.
Texas A&M’s win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jace Carter, who went 5 for 6 en route to 16 points plus five rebounds. What’s more, Carter also racked up three threes, the most he’s had since back in February. Another player making a difference was Wade Taylor IV, who scored 19 points in addition to two steals.
Texas A&M smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds (they’re ranked first in offensive rebounds per game overall). That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in 22 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Purdue meant business on Sunday, getting buckets from all over the court against a Terrapins squad that has allowed just 61.1 points per contest. Purdue came out on top against Maryland by a score of 83-78.
Braden Smith was the offensive standout of the matchup as he shot 5-for-9 from deep and dropped a double-double on 24 points and ten assists. He had some trouble finding his footing against Penn State last Thursday, so this was a step in the right direction. The team also got some help courtesy of Trey Kaufman-Renn, who earned 21 points plus eight rebounds.
Texas A&M’s victory bumped their record up to 8-2. As for Purdue, they pushed their record up to 8-2 with the win, which was their 22nd straight at home dating back to last season.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as both are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Texas A&M hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 75.1 points per game. However, it’s not like Purdue struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 78.3. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Texas A&M and Purdue pleased both fans and bettors in their last matches by winning and covering the spread. Looking ahead, Purdue is expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. Texas A&M might be worth a quick bet since they’ve covered the spread the last four times they’ve played.
Odds
Purdue is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Texas A&M, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Boilermakers as a 1.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 143.5 points.
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