McNeese State (12) vs. Purdue (4) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
McNeese State almost blew a massive halftime lead against Clemson on Thursday, but the Cowboys held on for a 69-67 victory. Purdue never looked in doubt against High Point, with the Boilermakers cruising to a 75-63 win.
Purdue is a 5.5-point favourite to win on the NCAAB odds, with the total pegged at 143.5.
McNeese State vs. Purdue NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The winner of this game will face either No. 1 Houston or No. 8 Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. This is just the fourth tournament appearance for McNeese State and their first trip out of the first round. The Boilermakers have reached the Sweet 16 five times since 2017 (14 times overall) and they finished as tournament runner-up last year.
It’s no surprise to see McNeese remains a tournament long shot at +50,000 on the NCAAB futures board. I’m a little surprised there’s been no movement for Purdue, who remain +8,000 to win the national championship. You could have snagged the Boilermakers at the same price prior to the first game, so that’s pretty good value after they’ve already moved on to the second round.
McNeese State Cowboys (12)
McNeese continued the tradition of the 12 vs. 5 first round upset alive and well on Thursday. The Cowboys upset Clemson as 7.5-point underdogs, but the game came down to the wire. McNeese held a significant 31-13 halftime lead before Clemson battled back, with their comeback bid falling just short.
Brandon Murray scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half, but the story of this team revolves around head coach Will Wade. LSU fired Wade after an NCAA investigation into major recruiting violations and he took a year off before deciding to remain in Louisiana with McNeese. In Wade’s two seasons, the Cowboys have 57 wins, back-to-back national championship appearances and their first NCAA Tournament win. Unfortunately for McNeese, Wade has reportedly already lined up his next job at NC State, so they’ll have to make this year count before he moves on.
Purdue Boilermakers (4)
Purdue battled High Point in a tight first half on Thursday, before the Boilermakers pulled away with a 17-7 surge to take a 10-point lead into the break. Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with a game-high 21 points and Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith added 20 points and six assists.
Purdue continues to dominate in the paint despite the loss of Canadian and two-time national Player of the year Zach Edey. The Boilermakers out-rebounded High Point 45-24 and they outscored the Panthers 38-22 in the paint. Three seniors who were on the infamous Purdue team that became the second No. 1 seed to lose to a 16-seed in 2023 remain with the program in 2025. Smith, Caleb Furst and Fletcher Loyer have all overcome that shocking loss to become big pieces of a Purdue team expected to go on another long tournament run.