Familiar foes match up in a 2024 NCAA Tournament Midwest Region Sweet 16 showdown when the fifth-seeded meet the top-seeded meet for the second time this season on Friday. In the first meeting on Nov. 20, Purdue earned a 73-63 win. recorded 25 points and 14 boards in that win. The Bulldogs (27-7), who finished second in the West Coast Conference at 14-2, are making their 26th NCAA Tournament appearance and 25th in a row, not counting 2020 when there was no tournament held due to the
Coronavirus. The Boilermakers (31-4), who won their second consecutive Big Ten regular-season championship, are making their 35th NCAA appearance and ninth in a row. The game from the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit will tip off at 7:40 p.m. ET. Gonzaga is averaging 84.9 points per game, while Purdue averages 83.4. The Boilermakers are 5.5-point favorites in the latest Gonzaga vs. Purdue odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 154.5. Before entering any Purdue vs. Gonzaga picks, . The model simulates every Division I college
basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the Sweet 16 round of the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 152-109 roll on all top-rated dating back to last season, returning more than $1,800 for $100 players. It also has a strong 32-21 (+890) record on top-rated spread picks this season, and it called 13 Sweet 16 teams this year. Anyone following has seen huge returns. Now, the model has set its sights on and revealed its March Madness picks and predictions. . Here are several and trends for Gonzaga vs. Purdue: Senior guard has been a solid contributor all season. The fifth-year player, who is in his first year with the Boilermakers after four seasons at , has started 34 games and is averaging 12.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, two assists and 1.4 steals in 28.3 minutes. He scored nine points, while adding four assists and three rebounds in the second-round win over . He has registered double-digit scoring in 22 games, including a season-high 26 points in a 105-96 overtime win over on Jan. 31. Sophomore guard poured in 15 points and dished out six assists in Sunday's second-round win over
Utah State. He has reached double-digit scoring in 18 games on the year, including a season-high 27 points twice. The last time came in a 92-84 win over then-No. 1 on Dec. 16. In 34 games, all starts, Loyer is averaging 10.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 27.1 minutes. . The Bulldogs, who have won 11 of their past 12 games, are led by junior forward , who nearly registered a double-double in the win over in the second round. In that game, he poured in 15 points, while grabbing nine rebounds. In the first round 86-65 win over , he had 16 points and 10 rebounds. In 34 games, all starts, he is averaging 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds in 24 minutes. Also coming up big in the NCAA Tournament so far has been senior forward . The fifth-year player poured in 21 points and grabbed six rebounds against Kansas on Saturday. He nearly registered a triple-double in the first-round win over McNeese, scoring 13 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out nine assists. In 34 starts, Watson is averaging 14.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.4 minutes. . SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting at least 157 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations. .