The Purdue Boilermakers are the preseason No. 1 team in both college basketball polls. The Boilermakers welcome in-state rival Evansville, coming off an 11-21 season, to town for the season opener for both teams in a game that looks like a mismatch.
My Evansville vs. Purdue predictions expect the Boilermakers to come out swinging.
Find out why in my college football picks for November 4.
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Evansville vs Purdue prediction
Evansville vs Purdue best bet: Purdue first-half -20.5 (-110)
Purdue has been a fixture near the top of the polls, spending 13 weeks at the top spot over the last four seasons.
Despite that, the Boilermakers and coach Matt Painter have no national titles to show for it. That should have a veteran Purdue squad hungry and focused.
Purdue is led by Braden Smith, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and the school’s all-time assists leader. Trey Kaufman-Renn is also a preseason All-American. The forward is a 20-point scorer with 1,000 career points and hits 60% of his shots from the field.
Shooting guard Fletcher Loyer gives Purdue a third member of the 1,000-point club, who hit more than 44% of his three attempts last year.
After a surprising exhibition game loss to Kentucky, the Boilers should come out of the gate on a mission, overlooking no one. That means a long opening 20 minutes for an Evansville team that has a brand-new roster from last season.
The Aces lost their top three scorers from last season to the transfer portal. Connor Turnbull — a defensive specialist who averaged 9.2 points per game — is the top returnee, joined by transfers from Pitt, Vanderbilt, and NC Central, as well as former German pro Leif Moeller.
The newcomers in Evansville will be playing their first real game as a unit, while Purdue’s key contributors have been together for years, and the difference will be evident from the jump.
Evansville vs Purdue same-game parlay
With a known commodity at the top of the rotation, Purdue might use the bulk of the second half to take a look at newcomers and players who didn’t get much time last season, to gauge what it has on its bench.
That's good for the Boilermakers' preparation for a long season, but not for bettors looking for them to cover. Expect the home side to ease off the brakes once the starter's push this game out of reach.
Fletcher Loyer led the Big Ten in 3-point shooting last year and was eleventh in the country. He was Purdue’s second-leading scorer in both preseason exhibitions, putting up 16 and 14, despite playing just 49 minutes in the two games combined.
Look for him to come out firing at home.
Evansville vs Purdue SGP
- Purdue first-half -20.5
- Evansville +35.5
- Fletcher Loyer Over 12.5 points
Our beyond the arc SGP: Dimes for days
Smith could compete for the NCAA career assists record this season, and he dished out 12 dimes in 54 minutes of preseason action.
Evansville vs Purdue SGP
- Purdue first-half -20.5
- Evansville +35.5
- Fletcher Loyer Over 12.5 points
- Braden Smith Over 7.5 assists.
Evansville vs Purdue odds
- Spread: Evansville +35.5 | Purdue -35.5
- Over/Under: Over 150.5 | Under 150.5
Evansville vs Purdue betting trend to know
Despite going 2-4 in their last six games, Evansville was 5-1 ATS. Find more NCAAB betting trends for Evansville vs. Purdue.
How to watch Evansville vs Purdue
| Location | Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, IN |
| Date | Tuesday, November 4, 2025 |
| Tip-off | 6:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | BTN |
Evansville vs Purdue key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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