Gonzaga (5) vs. Purdue (1) Sweet 16 Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Bulldogs opened their March Madness schedule with a pair of dominating wins, highlighted by Saturday’s 89-68 demolition of No. 4 Kansas in second round action, and have now won 16 of 18 going into the Sweet 16. The Boilermakers have taken full advantage of a relatively easy path to their fifth Sweet 16 berth since 2017 with crushing victories over Grambling State and Utah State by an average margin of 33.5 points.
Trailing only UConn and Houston as a +600 bet on the national championship odds, the Boilermakers have also emerged as 5.5-point chalk on the Sweet 16 odds, and the total in this powerhouse matchup is pegged at 154.5.
Gonzaga vs. Purdue NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The Boilermakers are unbeaten in four previous meetings with the Zags, both straight up and against the spread, capped by a 73-63 win as 5-point favourites this past November. Purdue has been effective at shutting down the Gonzaga attack, limiting the Bulldogs to just 65.8 points per game and have claimed victory by double-digit margins on three occasions over that stretch. Fresh off their highest scoring performance of the season, the Boilermakers now sit as a +135 wager to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1980.
Conversely, the Bulldogs find themselves in a somewhat unfamiliar role as March Madness betting underdogs. A fixture in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament over the past 25 years, Gonzaga has been pegged as an underdog just four times since 2014, losing outright and ATS in each of those contests while scoring an average of just 61.5 points per game. However, in the wake of their sizzling performances last weekend, the Zags are now listed as intriguing +2500 value bet to win their first ever national championship and a +400 wager to reach the Final Four for the third time since 2017.
Gonzaga Bulldogs (5)
Team leaders in scoring during the regular season, Anton Watson and Graham Ike, have continued to produce at this year’s March Madness. After recording a double-double in the Zags’ 86-65 first round win over McNeese State, Watson scored a team-high 21 points in Saturday’s victory over Kansas and has now averaged 17 points and 9.5 rebounds at this year’s tournament. Ike also tallied a double-double versus the Cowboys and has averaged 15.5 points and 9.5 boards. However, the duo have failed to gain much traction on the March Madness Most Outstanding Player odds, where Watson is listed at +6600 and Ike lags at +8000.
Purdue Boilermakers (1)
To the surprise of no one, Toronto native Zach Edey has powered the Boilermakers attack so far at the Big Dance. The top scorer in the nation this season with 24.5 points per game, Edey found a higher gear in Purdue’s first round rout of Grambling State, dropping 30 points and 21 rebounds and followed with a 23-point, 14-board performance versus the Aggies. Now averaging 28.8 points and 13.3 rebounds over his past eight games, Edey also dropped 25 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in November’s win over Gonzaga, and has emerged as +675 favourite to claim Most Outstanding Player honours. But the Boilermakers must first get past Gonzaga.
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