Purdue favored over McNeese in NCAA Tournament matchup

The second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament features a matchup between the McNeese Cowboys and the Purdue Boilermakers. The game will take place on Saturday afternoon at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island. McNeese, ranked 12th, is coming off a surprising victory against fifth-seeded Clemson. They won that game 69-67. Purdue, the fourth seed, defeated 13th-seeded High Point 75-63 in their first-round game. McNeese has struggled in past tournaments, with a 1-3 record. However, they have been strong this season, allowing fewer than 70 points in 27 games. Purdue, on the other hand, has a solid tournament history, with a record of 50 wins and 35 losses. They are making their 10th straight tournament appearance under coach Matt Painter and their 16th in the last 20 years. In betting terms, Purdue is favored to win by 5.5 points, and the total points over/under is set at 143.5. The SportsLine Projection Model, which has had successful predictions in past tournaments, has analyzed the matchup and is focusing its predictions on this game. Purdue's junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn is a key player, coming off a strong performance with 21 points and eight rebounds against High Point. Junior guard Braden Smith has also been instrumental, contributing 20 points in the same game. Meanwhile, McNeese's senior guard Javohn Garcia has been a consistent scorer, with 24 points in a recent semifinal game. The SportsLine model favors the over on the total points, predicting a total of 148 points, and suggests a strong against-the-spread pick that has won nearly 80% of its simulations. As the game approaches, many fans will be eager to see if McNeese can pull off another upset against the favored Boilermakers.