#4 Purdue vs #1 Houston: Sweet 16 Odds & Best Bets (3/28)

The Purdue Boilermakers are close to home as they face off against the top seed in the Midwest Region in Indianapolis. They face the Houston Cougars in the Sweet 16. One of these teams will move on to face either Kentucky or Tennessee in the Elite Eight on Sunday, but their focus needs to be on the task at hand.

Purdue is a very slow, very efficient offense. They were embarrassed by Michigan in the Big Ten Quarterfinals, losing by 18, but since then, they took down both opponents in the Big Dance. However, those foes were #13 High Point and #12 McNeese State. The Boilermakers covered both games, but now they face a whole different level of an opponent.

This could be the Houston Cougars’ year. I know some people say that every year, but this team could do it. Since starting 4-3, losing to Auburn, Alabama and San Diego State, Houston dominated the Big 12, winning the regular season title, the conference tournament, and 28 of their last 29 since the start of December.

While beating SIUE isn’t impressive, they took down Gonzaga in the Round of 32 to extend their win streak to 15 games. Can they make it 16 straight and advance to the Sweet 16 against Purdue?

Need any sportsbook promos to for some extra funds this weekend? Click here for tons of bonuses!

#4 Purdue Boilermakers vs #1 Houston Cougars: Sweet 16 Preview

Matchup Information – Purdue vs Houston

• Venue & Location: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN)
• Date: Friday, March 28th, 2025
• Tip Off: 10:09pm Eastern
• Broadcast: TBS/truTV

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of BetOnline, an industry leader in the sports betting world. Sign up today with promo code BNEWS for a 50% deposit bonus and $10 instantly in your account!

Spread

• Purdue +8 (-105)
• Houston -8 (-115)

Money Line

• Purdue +320
• Houston -400

Total

• Over 132 (-110)
• Under 132 (-110)

Purdue Needs Great Shooting to Take Down Houston

The Boilermakers’ offense, while hit or miss this season overall, has been hitting recently. They’ve had an eFG% of at least 50% in 9 of their L10 games and 14 of their L16. However, now they face the best defense in the country. We already have two incredibly slow teams, and the Boilermakers have been playing even slower recently.

Purdue ranks 295th in possessions per game overall this season, but over their last 10 rank in the bottom 25 in pace. They’ve recently been shooting more threes, and doing so very well, but face one of the best perimeter defenses in the country.

The Houston Cougars are the 5th slowest offense in the nation. But they take care of the basketball and crash the offensive glass. Defensively, they can shutdown even the best offenses, ranking 5th in 2P% defense and 24th in 3P% defense. If the Boilermakers can’t get it going from beyond the arc, they could get left in the dust. That’s what happened to BYU and Arizona in the Big 12 tournament, because this Cougars’ defense is the truth.

#4 Purdue Boilermakers vs #1 Houston Cougars Best Bets

Purdue vs Houston Prediction: Houston Wins, Purdue Covers, Under 132

Best Bets: Purdue/Houston Under 132 (-110) BetOnline

Ultimately I think we see minimal scoring. We have two very, very slow teams, and I expect Houston to shutdown Purdue early. Doing so will ensure they play as slow as possible on the offensive end of the court, limiting the chances given to the Boilermakers to make a comeback. Houston is a team that ranks 316th in FT Rate, and even though Purdue is playing close to West Lafayette, they won’t have a home whistle, so neither squad should shoot too many free throws.

Houston’s defense will dominate the Boilermakers, and their offense will control the pace of the entire game. Points will be at a premium, and this one should stay well under the total. Eight points is too many for me to back the Cougars, but I see them doing whatever it takes to advance to the Elite Eight.

Still Didn’t Get Your NCAA Basketball Fix?

Here at Betting News, we offer Free Expert Picks for every major sports league. We also host daily streams on our Twitch Channel with our best bets, as well as sweat out games on Playback! Be sure to tune into everything we have going on at our Youtube, TikTok, and X pages as well.

For more College Hoops action, check out these pages below.

• NCAA Basketball Expert Picks
• College Hoops Betting Guide
• College Basketball Championship Odds
• March Madness Bracket Projections

Check Out All of Our Resources at Betting News