The Purdue Boilermakers hit their high-water mark with a 90-72 win over USC in West Lafayette on February 7, improving to 19-5 with an 11-2 conference record, first place in the Big Ten. Since that win, Matt Painter’s squad has hit a lull, dropping four straight to fall from first to fifth in the conference standings at 19-9 (11-6). One of the teams looking to jump the struggling Boilermakers is Mick Cronin’s UCLA Bruins.
UCLA suffered a disappointing loss last week, upset at home by Minnesota 64-61, but the Bruins bounced back with a victory over Ohio State on Sunday. Both teams have had five days off since playing on Sunday, and maybe the extra rest can get Purdue back on track at home on Friday night. Here’s how you can watch this intriguing Big Ten matchup on FOX.
How to watch UCLA vs. No. 20 Purdue
- Date: Friday, February 28
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, IN)
- How to Watch (TV): FOX
- Streaming: fubo TV
- UCLA record: 20-8 (11-6)
- Purdue record: 19-9 (11-6)
UCLA vs. Purdue odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- UCLA +168
- Purdue -205
Spread
- UCLA +4.5 (-105)
- Purdue -4.5 (-115)
Total
- 139.5 (over -105/under -115)
UCLA injury report
- Dominick Harris, G: Questionable (undisclosed)
Purdue injury report
- Daniel Jacobsen, C: OUT (knee)
Purdue and UCLA series history
- Purdue all-time record vs. UCLA: 3-10
- UCLA 8-0 in last eight including 1980 Final Four
UCLA vs. Purdue prediction
Purdue needed an extended stretch of rest more than maybe any team in the country, but that’s not the biggest reason that I see the Boilermakers bouncing back. Purdue desperately misses Zach Edey, but not so much on the offensive end. Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn have led one of the more efficient units in the Big Ten, ranking third in the conference in offensive rating.
Defensively, though, Matt Painter’s group desperately needs a rim protector, and without Edey and 7-foot-4 freshman Daniel Jacobsen, who has been out since the second game of the season, he doesn’t have one.
Purdue allows opponents to shoot 70% on attempts at the rim (3rd percentile in the country according to CBBanalytics.com), and gives up 31.3 points in the paint a game. UCLA, however, is 1st percentile in the country in percentage of field goal attempts at the rim, barely over 20%.
UCLA leading scorersTyler Bilodeau and Eric Dailey Jr. both score fewer than 25% of their points in the paint. Sophomore guard Sebastian Mack pressures the rim as a driver, but at 6-foot-3, Kaufman-Renn and Caleb Furst should provide some resistance. Purdue is not a good defensive team, but this matchup against UCLA is favorable, so I’ll take the favorite to win failry convincingly at home.