Houston To Send Purdue Home Friday Night

The initial wave of March Madness is over. Now, it is on to the Sweet 16. Purdue and Houston face off from the Midwest Region. Boilermakers vs Cougars bets examine some betting choices. Here are some of the particulars below

• WHAT: 4 - Purdue Boilermakerss versus 1 - Houston Cougars 
• WHEN: Friday, March 28th, 2025, TBD likely between 7 and 7:30 pm ET on CBS or TBS
• WHERE: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
• WHY: Who advances to the Elite Eight on Sunday afternoon? 

Fans and experts alike have enjoyed the intensity of the madness. At OSB., we get ready for the stakes to go even higher. Hey, March Madness Betting Online Odds 2025 roll into the next rounds.The Boilermakers vs Cougars bets get people ready for one of the big games leading into the Elite Eight weekend.

Purdue vs Houston By The Numbers

NCAAM Basketball Sweet 16
Purdue	-120	-105	-105
Houston (-8.5)	EVEN	-115	-115

Boilermakers vs Cougars Bets Were Expected

Boilermakers vs Cougars bets were very expected. Yes, Purdue and Houston were easy favorites to advance. Both teams made their second rounds games a little more difficult. Purdue got through their two games facing a 13 and 12 seed. McNeese State put up a little more fight but Purdue's defense was too much for their pace. Purdue won by 12 and 14 points respectively. Many believe the same thing would have happened if Purdue had faced Memphis, who was upset by McNeese State.

As for Houston, the Cougars cruised and won by nearly 40 points in Round 1. However, their second-round meeting with Gonzaga was a classic. The Bulldogs made a game of it in the second half and covered by the narrowest of margins. Houston opened as a 4.5-point favorite but was 5.5 at tipoff. They won by five after holding off a rally from Gonzaga. Mark Few knows how to coach a team and Kelvin Sampson's Cougars know they escaped.

Naturally, none of that matters now. Houston's defense against a Purdue team predicated on perimeter shooting will be intriguing. Purdue gets to the line nearly 20 times a game. Both teams hold on to the ball really well. Houston has the second fewest turnovers per game in college basketball.

So, can Houston score enough points to win and also cover over Purdue on Friday night? That is our first question.

Can Houston Get Past Friday?

Boilermakers vs Cougars bets ask can Houston get past Friday? This game tosses an undeniable amount of pressure on Houston. Houston is expected to go to the Final Four and potentially win it all. Purdue has no pressure and got to the Sweet 16 after a dud of a Big 10 tournament. It goes to show that winning your conference tournament does not mean everything. Every team is different and Purdue has simply taken care of business.

The one variable in all of this is the obvious. For Purdue, this is almost a home game. Purdue is 65 miles from Indianapolis and the expectation is a lot of people are going to travel that 65-75 minute drive into the big city to watch their Boilermakers. It is not that Houston travels poorly. However, they may feel like this is more of a road game than a neutral-site contest. Ultimately, this may be the best thing for the Cougars as the nerves started to get to them against Gonzaga.

Anyway, Houston does have one of those teams that can beat teams playing any style. Granted, most times the Cougars drag the pace to a crawl. Every so often, they go shot-for-shot. Often that produces the best basketball. Yes, Houston is 1-1 ATS in this tournament but people will remember the loss ATS over the cover. People forget that Purdue is 5-6 in their last 11 games and have lost five times by nine or more points. Guess how much Houston is favored by? You guessed it at 8.5 points.

Now, the wildcard could be Trey Kaufman-Renn. If Kaufman-Renn gets in early foul trouble, this game is over. Yes, the power pivot can turn up the rebounding heat. However, LJ Cryer had a 30-point game against Gonzaga. The Houston attack, more than previous years, can absorb a team's best shot. Therefore, Houston will get that cover.

Houston Cougars To cover against Purdue Friday

Even

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Boilermakers vs Cougars Bets Ponder More Early Choices

Okay, Boilermakers vs Cougarrs ponder more early choices. The two teams play kind of the same way. It can get frustrating from a bettor's point of view. This is only because both Purdue and Houston can score points at times. Houston went 3-4 games in a row scoring 85+ points. Purdue toppled 90 points against USC in February then went for 100 versus Rutgers. The Cougars, on the other side of the spectrum, can easily hold opponents to 25 or fewer points in a half. Gonzaga scored 27 in half number one on

Okay, projected numbers started at 134.5 for the opening offshore. However, that moved quickly to 132.5 just hours after the Sunday games ended. A couple choices to look into further may be Houston to score 75+ points. Early on, the team prop is only at 70.5. The over rolls in at -110. An alternate of 74.5 would be at least +150 or more. Again, if the thought process is that Houston can score, they might win by a lot.

Are there even more bets to be made? Hey, that is an excellent question. While we will not offer any parlays, one of the fun things to consider may be Houston leading wire-to-wire. This worked a few times over the weekend especially using Ole Miss. Several teams took advantage of fast beginnings to forge their path. Again, the over 74.5 is there for the taking.

Houston Cougarsr To score 75 or more points Friday

-150

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