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The Purdue Boilermakers have been a bettor's best friend lately and they'll be looking to increase profits when they visit the Ohio State Buckeyes on Tuesday night.
The Boilermakers are on a six-game winning streak, all in the Big Ten, and have gone 5-1 against the spread (ATS) in that span. That recent streak isn't surprising for smart wagerers who know that Purdue is an incredible 27-9-1 ATS in their last 37 conference games.
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Purdue (17-4, 9-8 ATS) had an unexpected difficult start to the season, as they lost non-conference games to powerhouses Duke and Oklahoma and then lost their first two Big Ten games versus Illinois and Penn State.
However, they have turned things around and it hasn't been on the offensive end as star guard E'Twaun Moore and forward Robbie Hummel continue to have inconsistent performances.
The key has been a smothering defense that has allowed just 56.7 PPG in their last six contests. That has lowered their season average to 57.9 points allowed, which is second in the Big Ten behind Illinois and 8th nationally.
Ohio State (15-5, 9-7 ATS) has found the going much tougher in-conference after opening up at 9-0 and being #15 in the AP poll. OSU is 5-4 in-conference and that's only after beating up lightweights Michigan and Indiana in their last two games.
The Indiana game came on Sunday and the Buckeyes got 20-plus points from three players, Evan Turner, Jon Diebler and William Buford.
Those are the three leading scorers on the team and they are all between 6'5" and 6'7". Each is needed to perform on a nightly basis as they don't rely on inside scoring from their two big men, power forward Dallas Lauderdale and 7'0" center B.J. Mullens.
Mullens was one of the most hyped freshmen coming in this year and he was supposed to be a top pick in the NBA draft come June. However, he is coming off the bench for OSU, and while he has scored in double digits in seven of his last eight, he is far from a star, even at this level.
The big issue in this game is how the inexperienced Buckeyes' team fare against a savvy Purdue squad? OSU starts four underclassmen while Purdue starts three, but there is a huge difference in the poise level of these two teams.
Ohio State can light it up offensively when they get hot, but their defense is also inconsistent. And while the Buckeyes have done a good job beating up on the weaker teams in the Big Ten (4-0 ATS against Indiana and Michigan), they have failed to cover a game against the better teams like Michigan State, Minnesota and Illinois.
That is an alarming trend for Buckeyes' backers and it's a big reason why Purdue has a great chance to keep their hot play going Tuesday.
Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
