Purdue vs. USC Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for Saturday, Jan. 17

The Purdue Boilermakers have caught fire lately and are still undefeated in Big Ten play. They'll look to improve to 7-0 in the conference on Saturday when they hit the road to take on the 14-3 USC Trojans.

USC is entering the game off wins against Minnesota and Maryland, but at just 3-3 in Big Ten play, the Trojans are looking to improve on their conference record with a Saturday upset.

Purdue vs. USC Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

Purdue -8.5 (-110)
USC +8.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Purdue -430
USC +330

Total

OVER 154.5 (-110)
UNDER 154.5 (-110)

Purdue vs. USC How to Watch

Date: Saturday, January 17
Game Time: 6:00 pm ET
Venue: Galen Center
How to Watch (TV): Peacock
Purdue Record: 16-1 (6-0 in Big Ten)
USC Record: 14-3 (3-3 in Big Ten)

Purdue vs. USC Betting Trends

Purdue is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games
The OVER is 5-0 in Purdue's last five games
Purdue is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 road games
USC is 8-1 straight up in its last nine home games
USC is 1-5 ATS in its last six games played on a Saturday

Purdue vs. USC Key Player to Watch

Braden Smith, G - Purdue Boilermakers

Braden Smith got off to a rough start to his season in the shooting department. But he has been hot of late, improving his field goal percentage to 48.9%. He has shot 54% or better from the floor in eight of Purdue's last 10 games. If he keeps shooting like that, Purdue may just win the National Championship.

Purdue vs. USC Prediction and Pick

USC can't hang with this near-flawless Purdue team. The Boilermakers are one of the few truly elite teams in the country, and after a rough start to the season in terms of shooting, Purdue now ranks sixth in effective field goal percentage. USC, on the other hand, ranks outside the top 100 in that metric.

A glaring area in which USC struggles is turnovers. The Trojans rank 215th in the country in turnover rate, turning the ball over on 17.2% of their possessions. That's going to prove to be a problem against an extremely disciplined Purdue squad.

I'll lay the points with the Boilermakers in this one.

Pick: Purdue -8.5 (-110) via FanDuel

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