Purdue Boilermakers vs UConn Huskies Prediction, 4/8/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Purdue Boilermakers vs UConn Huskies

Date: Monday, April 8, 2024

Location: State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ

TV: TBS

Odds/Point Spread: Purdue (+7)

The UConn Huskies (36-3) will try to beat the Purdue Boilermakers (34-4) at State Farm Stadium on Monday in the National Championship Game. UConn opens this contest as 7-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total has been set at 145.5.

The Purdue Boilermakers faced North Carolina State and took home the win by a score of 63-50 in the Final Four. Purdue ended the contest having earned a 40.0% field goal percentage (22 out of 55) and knocked down 10 out of their 25 shots from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Boilermakers made 9 of their 10 attempts for a percentage of 90.0%. When talking about grabbing rebounds, they compiled a total of 38 with 10 of them being offensive. They also recorded 13 assists in this matchup while forcing 11 turnovers and having 5 steals. Pertaining to defending, Purdue let their opponent shoot 36.8% from the floor on 21 out of 57 shooting. North Carolina State doled out 10 assists and had 8 steals in this game. In addition, North Carolina State snagged 28 boards (6 offensive, 22 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. North Carolina State finished shooting 75.0% when shooting free throws by converting 3 of 4 tries. They made 5 of 19 attempts from 3-point land. When it comes to fouls, the Boilermakers ended up walking away with 8 and North Carolina State totaled 13 fouls.

Zach Edey is a guy who was a factor for this contest. He went 64.3% from the floor and also distributed 4 assists. He was on the court for 40 minutes played and pulled down 12 rebounds. He accounted for 20 points on 9 out of 14 shooting.

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Purdue heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 34-4 so far this season. They are losing possession via turnover 11.4 times per game and as a unit they are committing 13.7 fouls per game. As a team, Purdue is grabbing 40.8 rebounds per game and has racked up 712 dimes on the year, which is 2nd in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. The Boilermakers are connecting on 40.6% from downtown (317 of 781) and 71.9% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 82.9 pts per contest (14th in Division 1) while shooting 48.9% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Boilermakers are forcing 9.5 turnovers every game while drawing 20.4 personal fouls. They are ranked 352nd in D-1 in allowing assists with 537 relinquished this season. The Boilermakers defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 41.6% (981 of 2,361) and they relinquish 29.1 rebounds per game as a squad. They concede 31.6% from 3-point land while they are 84th in college hoops in points per game allowed (68.8).

For their Final Four matchup, the UConn Huskies got the victory with a final of 86-72 when they played Alabama. The Huskies were able to pull down 25 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards for a total of 35 in this matchup. They turned the ball over 4 times, while getting 4 steals for this game. Alabama committed 15 personal fouls in the game which got the Huskies to the free throw line for a total of 18 shots. They were able to make 14 of those for a percentage of 77.8%. In regard to shooting from downtown, UConn converted 10 of their 25 attempts (40.0%). Overall, the Huskies shot 31 out of 62 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0%. The Huskies permitted Alabama to make 26 out of their 58 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 44.8% in the game. They finished 47.8% from distance by going 11 out of 23 and ended up going 9 out of 11 at the charity stripe (81.8%). Regarding team rebounding, UConn allowed Alabama to pull down 28 overall (7 on the offensive side).

Stephon Castle was important for the Huskies in this contest. He tallied 21 points in his 29 minutes on the court and earned 2 dimes for the contest. He made 7 out of 13 for the matchup for a rate of 53.8%, and earned 5 rebounds.

UConn has a win-loss mark of 36-3 on the season. The Huskies commit 16.2 personal fouls every game and they shoot 74.2% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 18.7 times per game (3rd in D-1) and they cough up possession 9.6 times per game. UConn has accounted for 3,181 pts for the season (81.6 per contest) and they grab 38.9 boards per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Huskies are connecting on 49.8% from the floor, which is 5th in the country.

The Huskies on the defensive side of the court are 10th in the country in PPG surrendered with 63.5. They have forced 10.6 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.1% from the field (7th in college hoops). The UConn defense allows 31.4% from downtown (233 of 742) and opponents are converting on 72.5% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 10.1 assists and 30.2 rebounds per game, which ranks them 10th and 7th in those categories on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Purdue (+7)

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