Purdue Boilermakers vs Kent State Golden Flashes Picks and Predictions December 29th 2025

Purdue Boilermakers vs Kent State Golden Flashes Picks and Predictions – December 29, 2025

Purdue continues its dominant non-conference run with a home matchup against Kent State on Monday night at Mackey Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM ET. The Boilermakers enter at 11–1, ranked top 5 in the country, while Kent State is 7–5 and overmatched on paper. Purdue is averaging 87 points per game and owns one of the most efficient offenses in college basketball.

The Boilermakers opened as a heavy favorite, laying -19.5 at most books, with the total set at 156.5. Purdue’s size and inside-out scoring should cause serious problems for a Kent State team that has struggled with defensive rebounding and size in the paint. The only question is whether Purdue can stay locked in long enough to cover another massive number.

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Purdue Boilermakers vs Kent State Golden Flashes Odds

Here are the current odds. For real-time line movement and totals updates, check the latest college basketball odds.

Purdue Boilermakers Betting Form

Purdue has been one of the most complete teams in the country. Zach Edey remains an impossible matchup inside, and the guards around him are shooting with confidence. The Boilermakers are averaging 87.2 PPG and rank top five in adjusted offensive efficiency. More importantly, they’ve covered four of their last five at home — even when laying big numbers.

Defensively, Purdue protects the paint and limits second-chance looks. Edey changes shots even when he doesn’t block them, and their physical style tends to wear opponents down by the second half. As long as the Boilermakers stay focused, they’ve been dominant in these tune-up games.

Get a full look at their numbers with the Purdue stats and results, and be sure to review the Purdue injury report in case of any rotation changes.

Kent State Golden Flashes Betting Form

Kent State can score — they average over 76 PPG and shoot well from deep — but they haven’t faced many teams with Purdue’s size and discipline. The Golden Flashes move the ball well and have decent guard play, but they struggle on the glass and rank outside the top 150 in defensive efficiency.

Their biggest weakness is defending the post. That’s a bad matchup against Edey and Purdue’s inside-out action. Kent State’s best shot to cover will be shooting the three at a high clip and avoiding foul trouble. If they go cold early or get physically overwhelmed, it could unravel quickly.

Check the Kent State schedule and stats, and track updates on the Kent State injury report to monitor key starters before betting.

Purdue Boilermakers vs Kent State Golden Flashes Matchup Breakdown

This matchup comes down to size, efficiency, and depth — and Purdue checks every box. They’ll run their offense through Edey early and often, and Kent State has no real answer for that. If the Boilermakers defend the perimeter reasonably well, this should get lopsided fast.

Matchup insights:

• Purdue ranks top 10 in rebounding margin; Kent State is bottom 100.
• The Boilermakers average 28 free throw attempts per game — expect contact inside.
• Purdue’s bench contributes 30+ PPG in blowouts.
• Kent State is 1–4 ATS vs top-50 KenPom teams this season.

Unless Purdue gets passive late, this looks like another game where they build and hold a 20+ point lead. Kent State’s shooting is the only potential equalizer, but they’ve yet to prove they can do that consistently against top-tier defenses.

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Purdue Boilermakers vs Kent State Golden Flashes Predictions and Best Bets

Purdue rarely lets bad teams stick around — especially at home. They’ve covered huge spreads multiple times this season and match up perfectly against a Kent State defense that lacks size and rebounding. Unless the Boilermakers get careless late, they should handle this number.

The total is tough to call. Kent State might hit some threes late, and Purdue can score 90 on their own. But if the game slows down in the second half or if Purdue empties the bench early, the Under is slightly more likely to hit.

The spread is the sharper edge here.

Best Bet: Purdue -19.5 (-110).

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