The rubber match between two Big Ten teams tips off at 9 p.m. on Friday when the sixth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers (22-10) face the third-seeded Michigan Wolverines (22-9) inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana.
Purdue has won three of their past four games to recover from the team’s four-game losing streak in February. The Wolverines started that losing streak with a 75-73 home victory over the Boilermakers on February 11th.
Michigan now finds its team on a three-game losing streak. The Wolverines lost their two final home games before dropping a rivalry contest against Michigan State to end the season.
Which school will claim the third – and perhaps final – matchup between Michigan and Purdue? We’ll cover that and our three favorite player prop bets for Friday’s game below.
Senior Vladislav Goldin is hitting his stride with the NCAA Tournament just around the corner. The 7-foot-1 center has recorded four straight games with at least 20 points, his sixth such performance over the past seven games.
In two games against the Boilermakers this season, Goldin did not meet this scoring mark either time.
Goldin was held to 14 or fewer points in both contests, giving bettors confidence that he’ll again miss the mark and fail to cover this player prop bet.
Braden Smith has been a do-it-all guard for the Boilermakers this season. The junior is averaging 16.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per night. His assist total is the second-best in the NCAA heading into Friday’s matchup.
In Purdue’s two previous games against Michigan, Smith finished above the 29.5 combined mark for points, rebounds, and assists each time.
The Wolverines have struggled to contain this talented guard, and bettors should expect he’ll finish with at least 30 combined points, rebounds, and assists to cover this player prop bet.
The other half of Michigan’s twin towers is seven-footer Danny Wolf. The junior center is 13th in the nation in rebounding, grabbing 9.7 boards per night. He’s also contributing 12.9 points and 3.7 assists for the Wolverines.
Wolf had one of his weakest performances against Purdue during the Wolverines’ 91-64 loss, netting just two rebounds and four points against the Boilermakers.
He made up for it during the rematch, finishing just shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine boards. Expect Wolf to continue his strong work inside during this rubber match, covering his rebounding prop bet.
Neither team has performed to its ability over the past month. Purdue snapped a four-game losing skid, but their three wins over the past two weeks – UCLA, Rutgers, USC – are not over the upper echelon of the Big Ten.
Michigan’s losses have been to strong conference foes, however. Maryland and Michigan State have both been ranked highly in the AP Top 25 for much of the season. Expect the Wolverines to rebound from their recent losses to win this contest and advance in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday.