Purdue vs Houston Picks and Prediction – 3/28/2025

The Purdue Boilermakers will be in Indianapolis, IN for a Sweet 16 matchup against the Houston Cougars. Purdue has 24 wins and 11 losses on the year having won three of the last four including two in a row after a 14 point blowout of McNeese in round two of the NCAA tournament. Defensively Purdue was fantastic in their last outing giving up just 62 points on 44.6% shooting from the floor. The Boilermakers won the rebounding battle by 17 and forced 11 turnovers in the game. Offensively Purdue scored 76 points on 45 point 1% shooting from the floor and knocked down 11 triples overall. Stay in the action with our College Basketball Picks.

Trey Kaufman-Renn led the way for the Purdue offense in Round 2 with 22 points and 15 rebounds on 12 shots and 38 minutes. Fletcher Loyer chipped in 15 points and CJ Cox was third on the roster with 11 points in 20 minutes. Point guard Braden Smith had 10 points on seven shots as the 4th Purdue starter in double digits. Myles Colvin led the way off the Purdue bench with eight points in 24 minutes of action.

The Houston Cougars roll into the Sweet 16 as the number two overall team in the country with 32 wins and four losses riding a long winning streak after a 5 point victory against Gonzaga in their last outing. Defensively Houston did just enough giving up 76 points on 50% shooting from the floor. The Cougars did win the rebounding battle by 6 and forced 11 turnovers in the game. Offensively Houston was the better team scoring 81 points on 46.8% shooting and knocked down 8 triples overall.

LJ Cryer led the way for the Houston offense with 30 points on 15 shots and 37 minutes. J’Wan Roberts wasl second on the team with 18 points and Joseph Tugler added 10 points and 11 rebounds on nine shots. Emanuel Sharp was the 4th Houston starter in double digits with 12 points on seven shots in 25 minutes of action.

This is a matchup between 2 top tier teams in the round of 16. Look for both teams to do the work on both sides of the ball as each will look for an Elite 8 bid. Houston will likely get the win with their depth and defense but Purdue will cover the big number with their ability to score. Final Score Prediction, Houston Cougars win but the Purdue Boilermakers cover 76-72.