NCAA Basketball
2025-03-22 - Purdue Boilermakers at McNeese State Cowboys
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NCAA Tournament Second Round
Saturday 22nd March 2025 - Scheduled 12:10pm
4:10pm (British Time)
Preview
If you are a team set as the underdog and you win, it is an upset, and that is the case for the McNeese State Cowboys (28-6) after overcoming Clemson in the NCAA Tournament First Round. They were set as 7 point underdogs in the Number 12 vs Number 5 Seeding match up, but this has proven to be fertile ground to find an upset for those putting their Brackets together and the Cowboys have become the latest.
They are not just facing a higher Seeded team in the Second Round than the one they beat in the First Round, but the Cowboys will also appreciate that the numbers suggest the Purdue Boilermakers (23-11) are stronger than the Tigers that have been vanquished.
Four wins in their last six games, including a win and a cover in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, has given the Purdue Boilermakers momentum. Winning this game is likely going to be setting Purdue or McNeese State with a big challenge with the winner of the Gonzaga-Houston Second Round game the opponent to be met in the Sweet 16 next week, but both the Boilermakers and Cowboys have to focus on this outing.
Winning the Southland Conference Tournament earned McNeese State their place in the NCAA Tournament, but they are going to be challenged by a Purdue Offensive unit, which is unlike any that the Cowboys have faced. The Boilermakers have shown they are one of the elite Offensive teams in College Basketball and looking much stronger than Clemson on this side of the court, and that just makes it that much more testing for McNeese State as they look to back up their opening upset.
A positive for the Cowboys is that they are facing a Defensive unit that is not nearly as suffocating as Clemson's, although the underdog are going to still have a tough time. They are simply not used to playing some of the better teams in the College Basketball nation and Purdue might just show McNeese State how tough it is to string the wins together against strong teams.
These schools have not faced one another since 2016, so does not hold a lot of relevance, but Purdue can underline their advantages over the Cowboys.
With a spread that is smaller than the one that Clemson were being asked to lay, the Boilermakers look worthy of backing here.
Prediction
Lay the points with the Number 4 Seed favoured to win this Second Round game.
The Pick :
McNeese State Cowboys 61-71 Purdue Boilermakers
BEST BETTING TIP :
I'll back Purdue Boilermakers - 5.5 Points at -104 with Bookmaker.eu
