Gonzaga vs. Purdue: betting odds and predictions for Mar. 29

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March Madness continues with some Sweet 16 action between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Purdue Boilermakers. Both teams are coming off of dominant victories in the second round of the tournament and are going to battle it out for a spot in the Elite 8 in this Friday showdown in Detroit at the Little Caesars Arena. We take a look at this marquee matchup to make a Gonzaga-Purdue prediction and pick.

Gonzaga (27-7) is playing their best basketball right now as they are coming off of a dominant outing against the Kansas Jayhawks who they blew out by 21 in a 89-68 victory. They are now 9-1 in their last 10 games, covering the spread in five out of their last six games. The Bulldogs will look to keep things rolling and get back to the Elite 8 when they take on the No.1-seeded Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue (31-4) has had a ton of hype surrounding them coming into the tournament. They have now won eight out of their last 10 games, however only covering four of those 10 games.

The Boilermakers did blowout both Utah State and Grambling State covering both of those lofty double-digit spreads as they now go up against their stiffest competition in the tournament thus far when they take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in this Friday night matchup.

MARCH MADNESS: GONZAGA BULLDOGS VS. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS FANDUEL ODDS FOR MAR. 29

MONEY LINE

• GONZAGA BULLDOGS: +184
• PURDUE BOILERMAKERS: -225

SPREAD

• GONZAGA BULLDOGS: +5.5 (-115)
• PURDUE BOILERMAKERS: -5.5 (-105)

OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)

• OVER 154.5 (-115)
• UNDER 154.5 (-105)

BEST MARCH MADNESS ODDS FOR GONZAGA BULLDOGS VS. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS

• The Purdue Boilermakers are -5.5-point favorites against the Gonzaga. FanDuel currently has the best odds at (-105)

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• The Gonzaga Bulldogs are the underdogs by 5.5 points to cover the spread. ESPN BET currently has the best odds at (-110)
• ESPN BET currently has the best odds for the total, which is set at 154.5 (-105) for the over, and (-115) for the under

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GONZAGA BULLDOGS VS. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS INJURY REPORT

GONZAGA BULLDOGS INJURY REPORT

• NONE

PURDUE BOILERMAKERS INJURY REPORT INJURY REPORT

• NONE

WHY GONZAGA BULLDOGS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been taking it to the opposition and the games haven't been close at all. They have been shooting lights out. Gonzaga shot a staggering 60% from the floor and 53% from 3-point range (8-15) scoring 89 points in that matchup.

This Bulldogs offense is led by star forward Anton Watson who averaged 17.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on 54% shooting from the field per game during their tournament run. He put up 21 points with six rebounds in their win against Kansas.

Watson wasn't the only contributor, as the Bulldogs have been a team of scorers all around with players like Graham Ike (16.9 ppg, 7.3 reb - leading scorer), Nolan Hickman (14 ppg, 41% 3P), and Ryan Nembhard (12.8 ppg, 6.4 apg) adding to the scoring onslaught.

Gonzaga ranks 6th in the nation with 85.6 ppg and 2nd in shooting 51.9% from the floor. That along with their defense which has limited their opponents to just 68.7 ppg with a +16.9 point differential makes them a formidable opponent to knock out yet another No. 1 seed in this March Madness tournament.

WHY PURDUE BOILERMAKERS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The No. 1-seeded Purdue Boilermakers are playing exactly how many expected them to play as they head into this year's tournament. They dominated both Grambling State and Utah State to advance to the Sweet 16.

Purdue is one of the top teams in the league in scoring averaging 84.2 points per game which was 11th in the nation during the regular season with a point differential of +14 per game.

Their star center Zach Edey, who's projected to be a top pick in the NBA draft, has been doing the heavy lifting during their run in the tournament averaging 27.5 points to go along with 3 assists and 14.5 rebounds.

However, it hasn't been just a one-man show for the Boilermakers as they have been a cohesive unit with players like Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer their presence known on both sides of the ball. It's up to this Boilermakers offense to put this Gonzaga defense on the heels if they want to advance to the Elite 8 and make a run at a National Title.

FINAL GONZAGA-PURDUE PICK & PREDICTION

This game should be a good one from start to finish. Seeing as how the Gonzaga Bulldogs have been in the most form that they have been all season long it's hard to not take them with the points here, especially when Purdue has failed to cover the spread in four out of their last 10 games. The Bulldogs have covered in at least six of their last 10 and five out of their last six and that was against much better opposition.

It will not be a shock if we see Gonzaga go out there and not only stifle Zach Edey who is the main focal point of this Boilermakers offense but also cover this spread, get the win, and position themselves for a chance at another National Title.

FINAL GONZAGA-PURDUE PICK & PREDICTION: GONZAGA BULLDOGS +5.5 (-115)

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