Texas Longhorns vs. Purdue Boilermakers – March Madness, Sunday, March 20, 2022

In the East Region, the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers will take on the No. 6 Texas Longhorns. The winner will advance to the Sweet 16, where a matchup with Murray State or Saint Peter’s awaits.

Neither team had much of an issue in the first round. Purdue cruised to a 22-point victory over Yale, while Texas used a big second half to earn a seven-point victory over Virginia Tech.

Bovada gives us the early odds for Sunday night’s Round of 32 matchup. Let’s check them out.

The No. 3 seed Purdue Boilermakers open as a (-3.5) point favorite. Purdue has been the class of the Big Ten, as they’ve only been the underdog once this season. That won’t change in the Round of 32.

The Texas Longhorns have struggled mightily against the spread. Their Round of 64 victory over Virginia Tech ended a streak of not covering in six straight games. Overall, they’re 13-20 against the spread. That high-scoring matchup also ended a three-game streak of hitting the under.

Texas continues to operate without Tre Mitchell. Mitchell averaged 8.7 points and 4.0 rebounds but took a leave of absence in mid-February. Purdue doesn’t have anyone on the injury report.

Let’s talk about why Texas and Purdue will advance to the Sweet 16.

The Texas Longhorns entered the season with National Championship hopes. Transfer Marcus Carr was going to put Texas over the edge as contenders. They opened No. 5 in the AP Poll but never lived up to the hype.

Texas never found their footing in the Big 12, going 10-8 in conference play. It didn’t look good when they blew a big lead against TCU in the Big 12 Tournament. Texas was on upset watch for the Round of 64, but they took care of business.

This season, the biggest issue for Texas has been their offense. They rank outside the top 200 with 68.7 points per game. However, we saw a balanced scoring attack in their victory over Virginia Tech.

As much as they’ve struggled this season, we might be seeing Texas’ offense turn the corner. This marks the third time they’ve cleared 80 points in the last month.

Texas’ offense has balance, as they have three or four players that can lead them in scoring. Timmy Allen is their leading scorer, but Andrew Jones has stepped up lately.

Jones has 20+ points in four of his last eight games. That includes his performance against Virginia Tech.

Texas has the sixth-best defense, allowing 60 points per game. If Jones and the offense can continue their success, Texas will be hard to beat. It’ll be interesting to see who will step up against Purdue.

They struggled in the regular season, but March Madness is a different game. This is their chance to live up to the hype.

Like the Texas Longhorns, the Purdue Boilermakers opened the season as a National Championship contender. They stayed in the top 10 all season, briefly holding the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll.

Purdue was the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They advanced to the final but lost to Iowa. Still, Purdue entered March Madness with National Championship hopes. Their success was on full display with a dominant 78-56 victory over Yale.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Jaden Ivey and Zach Eudy led the way. Check out their numbers from the victory.

Ivey and Eudy are the primary reason I had Purdue as one of my top Final Four bets. After Kentucky’s loss, I feel a lot better about that selection.

Ivey has been Purdue’s best player this season. He made the All-American second-team after averaging 17.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. Lately, we’ve seen him play his best basketball.

He has cleared the 20-point mark in five of his last eight games. That includes three straight games with 20+ points. Purdue’s offense ranks 12th in the country, and they’ll only be better with Ivey playing at a high level.

The Big Ten Tournament Championship Game was the only time in the last six games Purdue allowed over 70 points. The Texas Longhorns don’t have a great offense, which could play into Purdue’s hands.

We know the strengths of each team, so this matchup should come down to Purdue’s offense vs. Texas’ defense. Let’s see which one will come out on top.

I have the Purdue Boilermakers winning this matchup to advance to the Sweet 16. I have confidence in their offense, and we’ve seen their defense improve.

The Texas Longhorns have looked better on offense, but I don’t trust them as much. If one or two of their stars are struggling, they’ll have difficulty keeping up with Purdue. I’m expecting their season to end on Sunday.

Sunday’s matchup is at 8:40 p.m. ET on TNT. There are plenty of March Madness games on Sunday, so check out the top March Madness betting sites to place your bet.