The third-ranked Purdue Boilermakers will look to get back into the win column when they take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in a key Big Ten Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon. The Boilermakers (12-2, 1-2) are tied with three other teams for eighth place in the league, while the Nittany Lions (7-5, 2-2) are tied with Indiana for sixth place. 

Tipoff from Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa., is set for noon ET. Purdue is favored by 9.5 points at Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points is set at 137 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page).

Before making any Purdue vs. Penn State picks, you NEED to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,200 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen HUGE returns.

The model knows the Boilermakers have four players averaging at least 11 points per game, led by sophomore guard Jaden Ivy. Ivy has scored in double figures in 13 of 14 games, including 11 in a row. He has one double-double on the year, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a 93-84 win over No. 18 North Carolina on Nov. 20. He is coming off a 14-point effort in the loss to Wisconsin on Monday. For the year, Ivy is averaging 16.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game, and is connecting on 51.7 percent of his field goals, including 44.8 percent from 3-point range.

The model also knows Nittany Lions fifth-year senior forward John Harrar averages a double-double, one of two Big Ten players to do so, with 10.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He has reached double-figure scoring six times and has posted five double-doubles. Harrar had a season-high 16 points and 14 rebounds in the opener against Youngstown State. He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2020-21 after leading the Nittany Lions with 8.8 rebounds and a 54.9 field goal percentage.

Now, it has set its sights on Purdue vs. Penn State. It is leaning Over on the total and it also says one side of the spread hits in over 60 percent of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Purdue vs. Penn State? And which side of the spread hits in over 60 percent of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Purdue vs. Penn State spread you should be all over Saturday, all from the model on a roll on college basketball picks!