The buy sign is back on Michigan State after the Spartans won their second straight game beating 15th-ranked Rutgers, 68-45, at home this past Tuesday. It wasn't just the Spartans winning, but how they won. This probably was Michigan State's best defensive game of the season. The Spartans held the Scarlet Knights to 30.5 percent shooting from the floor and outrebounded them, 45-25. 
It has been an up-and-down season for Michigan State. Just three weeks ago, they were unbeaten and ranked fourth in the nation. Then came three straight defeats to open Big Ten Conference action. 
Now it's safe again to back the Spartans especially in this matchup being at home against Purdue. The Boilermakers are 0-3 SU, 0-2-1 ATS on the road in the Big Ten with losses to Iowa by 15 points, to Rutgers by five and to Illinois by eight. 
Purdue is 1-4-1 ATS in its last six overall away contests and has yet to cover against a foe with a winning record this season. I expect those trends to hold up here. 
Aaron Henry is playing at a high level for the Spartans and they have the depth and defensive savvy to bother Purdue star big man Trevion Williams, who is shooting 60 percent from the field in the Boilermakers' Big Ten road matchups. The rest of the Boilermakers are shooting only 37.6 percent from the field in Big Ten road contests. 

(Editor's note: Stephen Nover is one of the top basketball handicappers in the country with the record to back it up. He is 146-105-4 the past three years in college basketball after going 2-0 on Thursday and is 46-24-1 on his past 71 NBA premium plays. Stephen also is on a blazing 18-9-2 NFL run, including going 9-0-1 on his last 10 NFL totals plays! Stephen has three NFL playoff plays this weekend, including a totals play and his Playoff Game of the Year.)