Lucas Oil Stadium will be the site of the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 matchup between the Purdue Boilermakers and Houston Cougars. This game is set to take place on Friday, March 28, 2025 and pits the fourth-seeded Boilermakers against the top-seeded Cougars in Midwest Region competition. Both of these teams were dominant in the first two rounds of this tournament and will look to impose their will against a higher caliber of opponent in this Purdue vs Houston matchup.
The college basketball odds for this game have Houston as a 6.5-point favorite, though the location of the game could make things interesting on that front. The total for this game has been set at 130.5. Keep reading to find our analysis for this Sweet 16 contest and to find out what bet we think is best before these teams take the floor.
Can Purdue Upset Houston to Reach Elite Eight?
The Purdue Boilermakers enjoyed two double-digit wins to open their 2025 NCAA Tournament. Purdue beat High Point in their first game of this tournament before crushing McNeese in the Round of 32. In this game, Purdue faces the toughest opponent that they have seen to this point in the tournament and they will hope that a favorable location for this contest can help them to upset their region’s top seed.
Purdue is based in West Lafayette, IN, which is about one hour from Indianapolis where this game will take place. That should mean a pro-Purdue crowd, as their fans should travel in numbers. And with the game taking place in a football stadium, Houston could be playing in a truly hostile environment despite being the higher seed on Friday.
Houston Hoping For Another Dominant Performance
The Houston Cougars looked great in the first two games of their NCAA Tournament. After destroying 16-seed SIU Edwardsville in the opening round, the Cougars stormed out to an early double-digit lead against Gonzaga and held off a late comeback attempt from the Bulldogs. Houston will look to put together another quality performance in this contest with a spot in the Elite Eight up for grabs in Indy.
Houston is known for its defense, which came into this tournament ranked second in the nation in points per game allowed. But it was the Houston offense that was most impressive against Gonzaga. LJ Cryer had a great game from three-point range, while J’Wan Roberts scored in the post again and again over some solid bigs for the Zags. Another big game from that duo could lead to a trip to the Midwest regional final.
Purdue vs Houston Prediction
Purdue +6.5 (-110) over Houston
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- This is basically a home game for Purdue playing in their home state of Indiana.
- Houston should regress from the three-point line after some red-hot shooting against Gonzaga.
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