The Purdue Boilermakers advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament after a 76-73 victory over the Butler Bulldogs on Sunday, March 18. The Boilermakers narrowly failed to cover the spread at -3.5, while the game went over the total of 143.5 points.
The Boilermakers made it to the Sweet 16 where they will take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders who defeated Florida in the Round of 32, and although Purdue should be considered as the slight favorite in that clash, despite Isaac Haas’ injury.
The odds for the tilt between Purdue and Texas Tech will be released by BetDSISportsbook in a few hours, and even though the Boilermakers are the No. 2 seeded team in the East Region, they will certainly have a tough job against the Red Raiders next Friday.
Game Recap
The Boilermakers maintained the calm head in the deciding moment last in the match to see off the resilient Bulldogs who nearly made an upset. Matt Painter’s side sealed the win thanks to Dakota Mathias’ late three-pointer that put them up by five points with just ten minutes to go, and in the end, Purdue’s better perimeter shooting played a huge part in this encounter.
Purdue shot 50% from the floor and hit 11 out of 24 attempts from downtown (45.8%), and although the teams were tied in other key segments, the Boilermakers hit five more threes.
Vincent Edwards led Purdue with 20 points and four rebounds; P.J. Thompson scored 14 points, Carsen Edwards chipped in with 13 points, while Mathias ended the tilt with 11 points, five boards, and four dimes.
Purdue’s odds to win the NCAA Tournament can be found at BetDSI and they are pegging the Boilermakers at +1250, which means that Matt Painter’s men are among the most serious contenders to lift the NCAA title this year, being ranked at the 6th place, according to odds. The Boilermakers’ next possible rivals Texas Tech (+4500) can be the dark horse of the competition.