Brian Spurlock / USPW / Icon Sport
Purdue Boilermakers vs NC State Wolfpack: Both teams have a solid start to the season
The NC State Wolfpack and the Purdue Boilermakers will face each other at LionTree Arena in San Diego, CA on Thursday.
How good is Purdue this season?
The Purdue Boilermakers are 13th in the Big Ten Conference with a 5-1 record and are also ranked 13th in the nation. They are coming off a 80-45 win over Marshall which followed after the only loss of the season against Marquette. Purdue is 11th in the nation shooting 43% from three-point territory and 32nd shooting 50.5% from the field. Trey Kaufman-Renn leads the team averaging 17.7 points per game.
Can the Wolfpack stay undefeated?
The NC State Wolfpack are on top of the ACC Conference with a 5-0 record, with all five games being played at home. They are coming off an 84-61 win over the William & Mary Tribe. The Wolfpack are 36th in the nation shooting 50.3% from the field but are one of the worst with 28.1% from deep. Jayden Taylor leads the team averaging 13.8 points per game.
Betting Trends
The Boilermakers are 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games overall and have played under the total point line in 7 of their last 10 games overall, including the last two. The Wolfpack are 9-1 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games overall and have played under the total point line in 7 of their last 10 games overall, including the last two. Purdue won the last three games against NC State with the last one being a 63-50 win in April this year. Two of the last three games between these two ended under the total point line.
Prediction and Conclusion
The NC State Wolfpack is the undefeated team going into this one, but we need to point out that they had a much softer schedule than the Purdue Boilermakers, who lost one game so far. Purdue is among the best shooting teams in the nation and is also in the top five in defending the three-point line, holding teams to only 22.5%. That will be a problem for the Wolfpack, but this team is better on the boards than Purdue, and we are about to see a tight one. Given the fact that the game is played in San Diego, neither team will have a particular fan base. Purdue has been the better team in the head-to-head history, but we go with the Wolfpack to cover the +5.5-point spread.
