Houston vs. Purdue Prediction Tonight: Best Odds, Picks & Preview for NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
The No. 1 seed Houston Cougars (32-4) look to continue their dominant March Madness run tonight when they face the No. 4 seed Purdue Boilermakers (24-11) to conclude the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Tipoff is set for 10:09 p.m. ET (TBS/truTV) from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The Cougars are 7.5-point betting favorites to advance in the Midwest Region of the March Madness bracket, and we're buying the top seeds tonight in our Houston vs. Purdue prediction, odds, and preview as part of our March Madness predictions.
🔢 Houston vs. Purdue updated betting action
Updated betting information via BetMGM.
- 58% of ATS bets are on Houston (-8.5) to cover
- 64% of total bets are on the Over (134.5)
- Houston's moneyline odds have lengthened from -375 to -500
🏀 Houston vs. Purdue prediction & picks for tonight
Here are my best Houston vs. Purdue predictions for the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament; use our parlay calculator to get the best odds for any same-game parlay:
✅ Against the spread pick: Houston -7.5 (-115 via BetMGM) vs. Purdue ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔥 Best player prop bet: J’Wan Roberts Over 10.5 points (-125 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎯 Exact score prediction: Houston 75, Purdue 64 (+26000 via FanDuel)
👉 Want more picks? Check out our latest college basketball picks and the rest of our March Madness Sweet 16 predictions.
🏆 Best Houston vs. Purdue pick, player prop bet & score prediction
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✅ Houston to cover the spread: -7.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’ve been on the wrong side in evaluating Purdue two games in a row as the Boilermakers disposed of a pair of double-digit seeds, High Point and McNeese, by 12 and 14 points, respectively.
Although I’m not in love with the 7.5-point spread, I’m tripling down against Purdue. I’m still not a Boilermakers' believer, so I'm not using their lopsided victories in the first and second round to inform how they’ll perform against the team with the fourth-shortest March Madness odds.
Purdue benefitted from High Point and McNeese being non-existent on the glass. The Boilermakers out-rebounded both mid-major opponents by a significant margin despite ranking outside the top 110 in both offensive and defensive rebounding efficiency, per Torvik.
Houston should be more physical on both ends, and the team with the top-ranked adjusted defensive efficiency in the nation won’t allow so many easy buckets in the paint as Purdue’s previous opponents.
📊 Best odds: -115 via BetMGM ($10 to win $8.70)
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🔥 J’Wan Roberts Over 10.5 points ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Purdue ranks 341st in the nation in 2-point defense percentage. To this point in the NCAA Tournament, the Boilermakers haven’t faced anyone good enough to make them pay for that deficiency, but that changes on Friday.
And I feel the stars could align for Houston’s J’Wan Roberts.
The senior forward hasn’t attempted a 3-pointer all season, so I'm looking at Roberts to exploit Purdue’s propensity of allowing easy 2-point buckets.
At 10.9 points per game, he’s not the Cougars’ most prominent scoring presence. But he scored 18 against Gonzaga in the second-round win and should have a favorable matchup.
Roberts' Over 10.5 points is a five-star recommendation, as we believe the low projected game total reflects Purdue’s offensive issues more than Houston’s scoring output. Of our best sportsbooks, you'll want to lock this in at BetMGM.
📊 Best odds: -125 via BetMGM ($10 to win $8.00)
🎯 Score prediction: Houston 75, Purdue 64
After a pair of games in which Purdue benefited from opponents who were ineffective on the glass, I expect to see the Boilermakers getting punched in the mouth by Houston’s lock-down defense.
Purdue's offensive efficiency suffered when tasked against high-caliber defensive teams like Texas A&M, Auburn, Michigan State, Marquette and Indiana this season, as they never eclipsed 70 points.
Houston is the best of that bunch defensively, ranking No. 1 in adjusted defensive efficiency this season, per KenPom.
📊 Best odds: +26000 via FanDuel ($10 to win $2,600)
🤖 Houston vs. Purdue AI prediction
For entertainment purposes, we asked ChatGPT to analyze historical trends and live NCAA Tournament stats before predicting the winner and exact score for Houston vs. Purdue. Our AI prediction projects a final score of Houston 70, Purdue 62.
🖥️ AI score prediction: Houston 70, Purdue 62
- Houston's dominant defense: The Cougars allow just 58.4 points per game, ranking among the nation's best in defensive efficiency.
- Purdue's offensive challenges: The Boilermakers average 77.7 points per game but have struggled against top-tier defenses.
- Houston's depth bolstered by resilient players: Despite battling significant pain from a surgically repaired Achilles tendon, guard Terrance Arceneaux has played in 36 games this season, showcasing the Cougars' depth and resilience.
🤔 Betting takeaway: ChatGPT's AI prediction would mean Houston covering the spread (-7.5) and a total Under 132.5 points. ChatGPT is not a dedicated sports betting model, but it can identify data that March Madness bettors might overlook.
📊 Live Houston vs. Purdue odds
Follow the latest live March Madness college basketball odds and real-time NCAA Tournament scores for the Sweet 16.
🔢 Houston vs. Purdue opening odds
- Spread: Houston -7.5 (-115) | Purdue +7.5 (-105)
- Moneyline: Houston -375 | Purdue +290
- Over/Under: Over 132.5 (-110) | Under 132.5 (-110)
📺 How to watch Houston vs. Purdue: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
📅 Date: Friday, March 28
🕗 Time: 10:09 p.m. ET
📍 Location: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
📺 TV: TBS
💻 Streaming: March Madness Live
🆚 Sweet 16 game predictions
- Michigan State vs. Ole Miss prediction
- Tennessee vs. Kentucky prediction
- Auburn vs. Michigan prediction
- Houston vs. Purdue prediction
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