IU and Purdue are facing off for the second time this season tonight. With football season out of the way, basketball has taken over as sports betting’s top dog.

For Hoosiers, few college games are more important than an IU-Purdue matchup.

Purdue took the last chapter of the storied rivalry with its 74-62 win at Assembly Hall earlier this month.

That win spoiled the long-awaited return of coach Bobby Knight, who hadn’t made an appearance with the program since he was fired in 2000.

Since Archie Miller took over as head coach, the Hoosiers haven’t been able to right the ship. Miller’s IU teams have never beaten Purdue.

Indiana has lost six-straight games against the Boilermakers. Since they’re heading into enemy territory tonight, ending that losing streak will be easier said than done.

The odds reflect the game’s importance for Purdue

Winning in Mackey Arena is hard enough on a typical night, much less a rivalry matchup. Purdue is 10-4 at home this season, which is on par for a typical year for the program.

The fact that Purdue is fighting for their postseason lives right now also isn’t helping IU’s case.

The Boilermakers are on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament appearance with a 14-14 overall record. Purdue is only 7-10 in Big Ten play as well, so winning as many of their last three games as possible will be crucial for them.

Although the Hoosiers certainly want to end their season on a high note as well, their postseason future is more than likely secured. This game simply isn’t as important for IU as it is for Purdue.

Purdue’s situation has certainly affected the odds. Between having their backs against the wall and home-court advantage, the Boilermakers are favored to come out on top:

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The moneyline and spread for this second matchup have a more clear favorite than these teams’ previous bout. IU was the slight favorite last time around, with most sportsbooks putting the spread around -3, and the moneyline at -110.

Betting against the spread in IU-Purdue matchups is 2-7-1 in their last 10 meetings, so the recent history backs up the idea that this could be a tough game for the Hoosiers.

Point total betting for IU vs. Purdue

Even with the favorite for these rivalry matchups switching, the point totals for both games have been nearly identical.

When these teams last met it was set at 127.5 when these teams last met. It hasn’t changed much for this second bout.

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Neither of these teams is particularly gifted at scoring the basketball. Indiana has the 142nd highest-scoring offense in Division I at 72.4 points per game.

Purdue’s outlook is even more dismal. The Boilermakers are sporting the 263rd highest mark, at 68.3 ppg.

Since both teams struggle to score at times, the point totals for their games generally trend on the lower side compared to other teams.

These rivalry games often have a higher intensity and are normally lower-scoring. The totals set at most sportsbooks for both of this season’s games between IU and Purdue fall in line with that trend.

Although the over hit last time around, it’s basically been a toss-up recently when these teams play each other. In their last 10 meetings, the over is 5-5.

DraftKings offering Scoring Special for in-state rivalry game

So far, Indiana’s sportsbooks haven’t thrown out too many promos for tonight’s game.

At least for now, DraftKings is the only sportsbook offering a promo specific to the game.

That “Scoring Special”, is a promo where bettors who place a wager of $50 or more for IU to beat the spread will win an additional $3 for every 3-pointer the team hits.

Despite the lack of promos, all of Indiana’s sportsbooks are offering prop bets for the game. Those props are pretty typical of what’s available for most games.

They range from point total bets on either IU Purdue individually, to spread bets specific to either the first or second half.

Bettors can also wager on the point totals for players like Trevion Williams and Trayce Jackson-Davis.