Texas vs. Purdue Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
Texas went on a run to start the second half and finished with an 81-73 victory over No. 11 Virginia Tech while Purdue maintained a solid lead throughout a 78-56 dub over No. 14 Yale.
Tip-off at Fiserv Forum Sunday goes at 8:40 EDT, with Purdue a 3.5-point favourite and the over-under at 134 on the NCAAB odds.
Texas vs. Purdue NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Both clubs covered in their Round of 64 matchups which is a big deal considering it was Texas’ first cover in their last seven games, and Purdue’s first cover since February 8. The under hit in Purdue’s bout and now is 9-2 in their last 11 games. Texas’ game went over by nearly 30 points, but looking ahead they have gone under in five of their last seven versus the Big Ten.
Purdue was one of the best shooting teams in the nation this season but shot just 43 per cent from the field and seven for 22 from deep. The Longhorns meanwhile caught fire, going 10 for 19 on their three-pointers.
Texas Longhorns (6)
Sixth-year Longhorn Andrew Jones was Texas’ sharpshooter Friday with five threes on seven attempts and a game-high 21 in the win. It was Jones’ first March Madness win as Texas snapped a three-game losing streak in the tournament.
All five of Texas’ starters finished with double-digit points; senior forward Timmy Allen stood out with 14 points, a team-high six rebounds, and two steals. Point guard Marcus Carr finished with 15 points and dished out nine assists. The Longhorns only shot 32 per cent from the arc this season so their pace Friday is likely unsustainable, but something they’ll need to continue in order to take down Purdue’s high-flying offence.
Purdue Boilermakers (3)
Despite shooting poorly from the field Purdue made their shots count from the charity stripe Friday, knocking down 27 of 33 free throw attempts. 7’4 centre Zach Edey hit on eight of his 10 attempts from the line and finished with 16 points in nine rebounds in 20 minutes of action. Projected 2022 NBA lottery pick Jaden Ivey had a big day with a game-high 22 while also making three treys. Ivey’s led Purdue in scoring in four straight games.
No Boilermaker played over 30 minutes Friday, which gave the starters some well-earned rest after a Big Ten tournament run to the final. Freshman forward Caleb Furst led the Boilermakers’ bench with 10 points in 21 minutes — half of those points coming on free throws.
