The fourth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers (18-9) will battle the No. 13 seed North Texas Mean Green (17-9) in an NCAA South Region Round 1 game Friday. Tip-off is set for 7:25 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Below, we analyze the Purdue-North Texas odds and lines, with March Madness NCAA Tournament picks and predictions.
The Boilermakers won five straight games – playing exceptional defense along the way – before bowing out in overtime to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament. Purdue ranks fourth in Big Ten defense, yielding just 66.3 points per game. The Boilermakers own solid efficiency numbers at both ends of the floor and are a well-rounded team on the boards.
North Texas picked up an overtime victory against Western Kentucky in the Conference USA Tournament championship game to earn its first NCAA Tournament bid in 11 years. The Mean Green went just 5-5 in their first 10 games, but UNT rallied to go 12-4 since, including a current four-game win streak. The Mean Green play a lockdown brand of defense with a bottom-50 tempo.
Purdue vs. North Texas: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:19 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Purdue -300 (bet $300 to win $100) | North Texas +240 (bet $100 to win $240)
- Against the spread/ATS: Purdue -7 (-110) | North Texas +7 (-110)
- Over/Under: 126.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Purdue vs. North Texas: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Purdue 64, North Texas 58
Money line (ML)
Peg this contest as a full two-possession cushion for Purdue and a near-75% win probability for the Boilermakers in their home state. PASS on the money line.
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Against the spread (ATS)
PASS on the Boilers covering the 7-point spread. Figure on Purdue having the better shooting night and getting some mileage out of uncontested and untimed 15-footers. The Boilermakers as -5 or even -5.5 would bring some tilt to that side. Otherwise, pocket the sides here and look into a slow-pace Under.
Over/Under (O/U)
North Texas owns a points-per-game-allowed average of just 61.2, ranking 10th in the country. UNT has held foes to a 36.7% mark from the field over its last five games. Over/Under bettors have been slow to respond. The Under is 15-10 in the team’s 25 games.
The total here is a low. It isn’t low enough. BACK THE UNDER 126.5 (-105).
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