Two top 25 teams in the Big Ten Conference will square off against each other on Tuesday evening when the 3^rd-ranked Purdue Boilermakers travel to Champaign, Illinois to face the 12^th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini at the State Farm Arena with the game tipping off at 7:00 PM ET and will air on Peacock.

The Purdue Boilermakers enter this game ranked 3^rd in the AP Poll and 3^rd in the Coaches Poll with an overall record of 26-3 and won the Big Ten Conference regular season championship following Saturday’s 80-74 win at home against the Michigan State Spartans which also extended their winning streak to three games. 

The success of the Boilermakers this season can be attributed to their offensive play as they rank 8^th nationally in scoring with an average of 84.82 points per game. 

Defensively, Purdue has also been an above-average team as they are allowing an average of 70.07 points per game which ranks 120^th in college basketball this season. Zach Edey enters this game averaging a double-double with 24 points and 11.8 rebounds per game while also leading the team in blocks with an average of 2.2 blocks per game and is 2^nd in the nation in scoring and 3^rd in rebounds. 

The Purdue Boilermakers will look to extend their winning streak to four games when they travel to face the 12^th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini.

The Illinois Fighting Illini enter this game ranked 12^th in the AP Poll and 12^th in the Coaches Poll with an overall record of 22-7 and are in 2^nd place in the Big Ten Conference with a conference record of 13-5 while having won their last three games in a row including Saturday’s 91-83 win on the road against the Wisconsin Badgers. Illinois has been one of the highest-scoring teams in college basketball this season as they rank 10^th nationally in scoring with an average of 84.54 points per game. 

Defensively, the Fighting Illini have been a slightly below-average team as they are allowing an average of 72.86 points per game which is more than the national average of 71.97 points per game. Marcus Domask has played a pivotal role in the success Illinois has had this season as he is 2^nd on the team in scoring and leads the team in assists with an average of 16 points and 3.4 assists per game. 

The Illinois Fighting Illini will look to extend their winning streak to four games when they host the 3^rd-ranked Purdue Boilermakers on Tuesday evening.

JustBet has the Illinois Fighting Illini listed as 2-point favorites at home against the Purdue Boilermakers on Tuesday evening. Purdue has won seven of the last ten including the previous four meetings in a row against Illinois. 

The Fighting Illini have covered the spread in six of the last ten and two of the previous three games in the series. The Purdue Boilermakers are 15-12-2 ATS overall, 4-5 ATS on the road, 1-0 ATS as an underdog, and 8-10 ATS in conference games this season while the Illinois Fighting Illini are 15-11-3 ATS overall, 7-8-2 ATS at home, 11-10-2 ATS as a favorite, and 10-7-1 ATS in conference games on the year.

Purdue already has the regular season title in the Big Ten Conference while Illinois is in 2^nd place in the conference and has also been the better team in the series, winning seven of the last ten including the previous four meetings against Illinois. 

However, the Fighting Illini have covered the spread in six of the last ten and two of the previous three games in the series while also having been the slightly better team at covering the spread this season with a record of 15-11-3 ATS overall and 10-7-1 ATS in conference games while the Boilermakers are 15-12-2 ATS overall and 8-10 ATS in conference games which is why I am laying the points with the Illinois Fighting Illini when they host the Purdue Boilermakers on Tuesday.