Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Purdue Boilermakers Prediction & Game Preview - 12/3/2021

 itTime: 9 p.m. ET

Venue: Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, IN

Where to watch: Big Ten Network

DraftKings: Purdue -12

BetMGM: Purdue -11.5

Caesars: Purdue -12.5

Iowa: 7-0

No. 2 Purdue: 7-0

Iowa: won 75-74 at Virginia on Monday

Purdue: won 93-65 vs. Florida State on Tuesday

The Purdue Boilermakers are one win from becoming the new No. 1 team in the country.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are one win from capping what would be a huge week for the Big Ten.

It's a battle of the top two scoring offenses in the nation when Iowa (94.0 PPG) and Purdue (92.4) open up conference play on Friday with a statement win up for grabs for both programs trying to extend seven-game winning streaks.

Thanks to the Duke Blue Devils somehow running out of gas against an Ohio State Buckeyes team that presented matchup heaven for the top team in the nation, Purdue is in prime position to take the top spot for the first time in program history.

Purdue is coming off a 28-point win over the Florida State Seminoles, something we called earlier in the week based on the matchup in favor of Purdue's frontcourt. They didn't need Zach Edey and Caleb Furst to dominate on this night. It was star guard Jaden Ivey putting in a team-high 18 points along with four 3-pointers to propel a ridiculous offense that shot almost 60 percent from the floor.

"I think it just comes from all the hard work we put in in practice and buying in to what the coaches tell us," Ivey said. "Then when the game comes, it's executing perfectly. I think it we do that we can be a really good team. We already are."

Purdue has cleaned up nice at the books, as well as straight up. The Boilers have covered all but one game; a 25-point win over Indiana State where Purdue was favored by 27. Probably best to let that one slide. Purdue is trying for its fifth 8-0 start since 1940 and the first time since 2015-16 and, once again, has never reached No. 1 in the country.

There are questions about Purdue's opponent. While Iowa has understood the assignment and put a ton of points on the board. The Hawkeyes have scored more than 100 on three different occasions but it was against teams like Longwood, Alabama State and Western Michigan.

But the Hawkeyes are coming off what might be their most impressive win this season, defeating the Virginia Cavaliers off a winning basket from Joe Toussaint on Monday. So while the resume has not been top-tier for Iowa to this point, going to Charlottesville and getting a win like that is impressive.

Iowa received nine votes in the latest AP Top 25 and one would imagine they'd crack that threshold with a win.

We haven't seen enough of Iowa to crown them as the kings of the Big Ten yet. While that win against Virginia was great, Purdue has the greater body of work to this point and there's no reason to think the Boilers won't take care of business. One thing's for sure: Whoever wins, we're going to learn a lot about. Purdue by 15

Iowa is 18-9 ATS in its last 27 following a non-conference game.

Iowa is 10-27 ATS after shooting 45 percent or less on their free throws the previous game.

Iowa is 10-3 ATS after scoring 75 points or more in four straight games.

Purdue is 49-30 ATS after scoring 80 or more in consecutive games.

Purdue is 20-18 ATS following a game where it was favored.

PG: Joe Toussaint

SG: Jordan Bohannon
SF: Keegan Murray
PF: Patrick McCaffery
C: Filip Rebraca

PG: Isaiah Thompson

SG: Sasha Stefanovic
SF: Jaden Ivey
PF: Caleb Furst
C: Zach Edey

Points: Keegan Murray – 24.6

Rebounds: Keegan Murray – 8.9

Assists: Joe Toussaint – 4.0

Points: Zach Edey – 16.9

Rebounds: Trevion Williams – 7.4

Assists: Sasha Stefanovic – 4.9