The Indiana Hoosiers take on the Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette, IN. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
Purdue is favored by 12.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -750. The total is set at 146 points.
Here are my Indiana vs. Purdue predictions and college basketball picks for January 31, 2025.
Indiana vs Purdue Prediction
My Pick: Purdue -11.5 (Play to -13)
My Indiana vs Purdue best bet is on the Boilers spread, with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Indiana vs Purdue Odds
| Indiana Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+12.5 -112 | 146 -110 / -110 | +525 |
| Purdue Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-12.5 -108 | 146 -110 / -110 | -750 |
- Indiana vs Purdue spread: Purdue -12.5
- Indiana vs Purdue over/under: 146 points
- Indiana vs Purdue moneyline: Purdue -750, Indiana +525
- Indiana vs Purdue best bet: Purdue -11.5 (Play to -13)
Spread
I'm taking the Boilers on the spread.
Moneyline
I have no play on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I have no play on the total.
My Pick: Purdue -11.5 (Play to -13)
Indiana vs Purdue College Basketball Betting Preview
Indiana is running on fumes as of late, and now it runs straight into the buzzsaw that is Mackey Arena. The Hoosiers have one win in this venue since the 2013 season and are just 4-19 against the Boilermakers over that span.
Mike Woodson is getting booed and Indiana turned a 4-1 Big Ten start into a 5-5 current mark, so things aren't good right now in Bloomington.
Indiana has one road win this season (1-4 overall) and sits 2-3 ATS in true roadies. Mackey should be packed to the brim with Purdue fans ready to jeer their rival as they sink further into the abyss.
To have any hope on Friday, the Hoosiers need to jumpstart an offense that's tanked in conference play. Indiana features the league’s worst 2-point field goal percentage at 48%, a brutal mark for a team that completely lacks outside shooting (with apologies to Luke Goode, who's 51% from deep in B1G play).
The return of Malik Reneau has helped a little, but it hasn’t resulted in wins. Per CBB Analytics, Indiana has a +5.2 better offensive rating when Reneau plays versus when he sits, but the Hoosiers are 0-2 since he rejoined the fold following a five-game absence.
Indiana basically tries to pound it in the paint – it’s been efficient at the rim and even on mid-range jumpers, though the in-between paint 2s have been a struggle. “Forcing the issue” has been a common theme for Indiana, especially down the stretch of games.
Purdue doesn’t have its normal rim protection this season and is exploitable inside the paint. Oumar Ballo, especially, should be able to muscle his way to some post and second-chance points, though good luck to Indiana if he earns multiple trips to the stripe (59.8% on the year).
With the way Indiana handles the rock (good) and with the way it rebounds (also good), there’s a path to scoring. Post-ups and pick-and-roll haven’t been stellar areas for the Boilers' defense this year, but can Indiana play a clean mental game when things get mucky, and can Woodson coach his way out of a paper bag?
Purdue is rolling right now, sitting at 8-2 in the Big Ten while being poised to earn another high seed in the NCAA Tournament. Unlike Indiana, Purdue’s offense has been terrific in Big Ten play, ranking No. 2 overall and No. 1 in 2-point field goal percentage (the antithesis of the Hoosiers).
Braden Smith has been truly awesome in his first season without Zach Edey, leading the country in assist rate while building a strong case for All-American honors.
Trey Kaufman-Renn has also been stellar in Edey’s place – he’s averaging 18.1 points per game and has a spectacular 113.9 offensive rating on the highest usage in the league.
Matt Painter plays through the post, per usual, and he let’s Kaufman-Renn and Smith run a two-man pick-and-roll game with shooters dotting the perimeter. The Boilers have plenty of sharpshooters including Smith, Foster Loyer, C.J. Cox and Camden Heide.
Despite Indiana’s size, it hasn’t been good at defending the paint this season, and teams have had no trouble lighting up the Hoosiers from deep. The Boilers should get whatever they want on the offensive end.
The Hoosiers in Mackey is a tough proposition during any season, let alone one in which their head coach is almost certainly out the door and the faith in the program is tanking.
Purdue is a well-oiled machine, and Indiana simply isn’t. The Boilers should take this one with ease.
