Purdue (4) vs. Houston (1) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Sweet 16 Odds
The Purdue Boilermakers roll into the Sweet 16 fresh off a 76-62 win over No. 12 McNeese State, while the Houston Cougars took out No. 8 Gonzaga 81-76.
Houston opened as a 7.5-point favourite to win on the NCAAB odds, but the number continues to climb, while the total is pegged at 132.5.
Purdue vs. Houston NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
It won’t be an easy Elite Eight matchup for the winner of this game as they will face either No. 2 Tennessee or No. 3 Kentucky. Last year was Purdue’s most successful tournament run in school history after falling short against UConn in the title game. The Cougars’ best result is also tournament runner-up as they look to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2022.
At +500, Houston is tied with fellow 1-seed Auburn for the third-shortest odds to win the national championship on the NCAAB futures board. That trails the other two 1-seeds, Florida (+350) and Duke (+210). The Boilermakers are +8000 to win the tournament, tied with BYU and Ole Miss for the second-longest odds, leading only Arkansas (+10,000).
Purdue Boilermakers (4)
Trey Kaufman-Renn led the way with a game-high 22 points and 15 rebounds against McNeese as Purdue punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year. Fletcher Loyer added 15 points, C.J. Cox chipped in 11 points and Braden Smith had 10 points. The Boilermakers led for all but 19 seconds of the game.
Purdue hasn’t been tested much in this tournament as they’ve matched up against a couple of double-digit seeds, High Point and McNeese, winning by 12 and 14 points respectively. Despite ranking outside of the top-110 nationally, the Boilermakers significantly out-rebounded both opponents offensively and defensively. That will be key against a Houston team that should be much more physical.
Houston Cougars (1)
LJ Cryer matched a career-high with 30 points against Gonzaga to help put Houston in the Sweet 16 for a sixth straight year. J’Wan Roberts finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, Emanuel Sharp had 12 points and Joseph Tugler put up 10 points and 11 boards. The Cougars ended Gonzaga’s streak of nine straight trips to the Sweet 16, which had been the longest active run in the nation.
It could be Roberts’ turn to lead the charge against Purdue. The Boilermakers rank 341st in the nation in defending 2-point attempts and Roberts hasn’t attempted a 3-pointer all season. That lines up for the senior forward to exploit Purdue’s tendency to allow easy 2-point buckets.