michigan-1.jpg
Imagn Images

The Michigan Wolverines took over as the No. 1 team in the nation Monday, and they'll already have to prove they deserve that lofty status when they visit No. 7 Purdue on Tuesday night. The Wolverines (24-1) have been on a roll since a surprising home loss to Wisconsin on Jan. 10, with nine of their 10 victories since then by double-digit margins. The Boilermakers (21-4) have rebounded from a potentially disastrous three-game losing streak to win four in a row. Purdue is 11-2 at home, with both losses coming against current top-10 teams. Michigan won two of the three meetings between the Big Ten rivals last season, including an 86-68 victory in a conference tournament quarterfinal. 

Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. The latest Michigan vs. Purdue odds list the Wolverines as 2.5-point favorites, and the Over/Under for total points is 156.5. Michigan is the -157 favorite on the money line, with Purdue priced at +131. 

The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times, it entered Week 16 on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated Over/Under college basketball picks dating back to last season and is on a 13-7 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following its college basketball  betting advice to wager at the top sportsbooks and betting apps could have seen strong returns. Here are the model's picks for No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 7 Purdue.

Bet on Michigan vs. Purdue at Fanduel, where new users get $100 if their first bet wins:

Michigan vs. Purdue model picks for Feb. 17

Purdue +2.5

The Boilermakers are 12-13 against the spread this season but have covered in three of their past four and are 4-2 ATS in games against ranked teams. The Wolverines are 4-8 ATS in their past 12, though they were favored by at least 12 points in 10 of those. They are 1-6 ATS in road games. The SportsLine Projection Model has the Boilermakers covering the spread in 69% of its simulations, good for a "B" grade.      

Purdue money line

Purdue has won the past three meetings on its home floor, the most recent a 91-64 rout last January. The Boilermakers are outscoring opponents by an average of 14 points and have 30-point and 21-point victories during their current four-game win streak. Both teams allow just under 69 points per game and while Michigan leads the Big Ten in scoring at 90.6 points, the Boilermakers aren't far behind at 82.6. The model has Purdue winning 63% of the time, giving the plus-money play on the money line a "B" grade.

Over 156.5

The teams combine to score more than 173 points per game and while the model doesn't expect that kind of output, it does project the score to approach 160. These are the two best shooting teams in the Big Ten, with both hitting more than 50% of their shots, and Purdue is second in the conference in 3-point shooting at 37.8%. The SportsLine model has the Over hitting in 53.1% of its simulations, so the model sees only slight value on the total wager, giving it a "C" grade.