Gonzaga vs. Purdue 2024 NCAA Tournament Odds & Picks: Sweet 16 (Friday)
Four teams are heading to Detroit with the hope of making it to the Final Four. Purdue, Tennessee, Creighton, and Gonzaga have all demonstrated that they are among the best in college basketball this season. However, only one of them will emerge victorious in the Midwest Region. Their journey will continue on Friday night. Let’s review the matchups and move one step closer to Phoenix and the Final Four.
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2024 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
#5 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs #1 Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue's pursuit of their first Final Four in 44 years will come to a head in Detroit. First up is a familiar foe in Gonzaga. These two teams met in Maui in November. The Boilermakers took care of the Bulldogs in a 73-63 victory. Gonzaga could not hit a three in that contest, making only 18.8% of their 32 attempts. Purdue hit 13 of 16 from the charity stripe and Zach Edey dominated. Four months in a long time in the college basketball world so let's see how they match up today.
It's no surprise to anyone but Purdue is one of the best rebounding teams in the country. They're led by reigning national player of the year, 7-foot-4 Zach Edey. Most teams try to stop him with physicality but that leads to free throws where both he and the rest of his teammates excel. No team in the country but Kansas assists at a higher rate and they shoot over 40% from deep as a team, although they only shoot 35.1% of their FGA attempts from there. Very few teams have the offensive efficiency to keep up with Purdue.
Gonzaga is not the same team that played in November. They excel inside offensively. You won't see them attempt 32 three-point shots although they have been a much better shooting team since. The Bulldogs' two-point shooting is seventh-best in the country at 58.3%. Gonzaga likes to play fast on offense which will be something Purdue will have to adjust to in order to slow down this offense. However, I don't think they'll have as much success inside as they do against other opponents as two-point defense is one of Purdue's strengths, giving up only 54.2% of points from that area. This is good enough for 60th best in the country.
Gonzaga took advantage of an atrocious Kansas three-point defense and a banged-up interior to outlast the shorthanded Jayhawks. Purdue is a deeper and more talented team. Zach Edey and the Boilermakers should make life difficult for the Bulldogs and advance to the Elite Eight on Friday night.
Pick: Purdue -4.5 (-110)
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