Purdue vs. McNeese odds, time, March Madness predictions: 2025 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model

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The 12th-ranked McNeese Cowboys will look to register their second consecutive upset win when they battle the fourth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers in a Midwest Regional second-round matchup in the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon. McNeese stunned fifth-seeded Clemson 69-67 in the first round, while Purdue outlasted 13th-seeded High Point 75-63. The Cowboys (28-6), who are 1-3 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, have allowed fewer than 70 points in 27 games this season, the most in the Southland. The Boilermakers (23-11), who are 50-35 all-time in the tournament, are making their 10tth consecutive appearance and 16th in 20 seasons under coach Matt Painter. McNeese head coach Will Wade will reportedly take over at NC State following the tournament, though the Cowboys did not appear to be distracted in their first-round upset.

Tipoff from Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I., is set for 12:10 p.m. ET. This will be the second meeting between the teams, with Wisconsin posting a 109-65 win in their last meeting in 2016. Purdue is a 6.5-point favorite in the latest Purdue vs. McNeese odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 142.5. Before making any McNeese vs. Purdue picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2025 NCAA Tournament on a 228-166 roll (+2025) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. This model has also produced brackets that have beaten over 91% of CBS Sports entries in four of the last six tournaments and nailed 24 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on McNeese vs. Purdue and just locked in its March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college basketball odds and lines for Purdue vs. McNeese:

McNeese vs. Purdue spread: Purdue -6.5
McNeese vs. Purdue over/under: 142.5 points
McNeese vs. Purdue money line: Purdue -275, McNeese +221
MCN: The Cowboys have hit the money line in 26 of their last 33 games (+9.95 units)
PUR: The Boilermakers have covered the spread in 23 of their last 39 games (+5.40 units)
McNeese vs. Purdue picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Purdue can cover

Junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn has been red hot. He is coming off a 21-point and eight-rebound performance in the win over High Point. He scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds in an 86-68 loss to Michigan in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. In 34 games, all starts, he is averaging 20.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 30.4 minutes.

Also powering the Boilermakers is junior guard Braden Smith. He scored 20 points, dished out six assists, grabbed three rebounds and made two steals in the win over High Point on Thursday. He registered a double-double with 18 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in an 88-80 loss at Illinois on March 7. In 34 games, all starts, he is averaging 16.2 points, 8.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 36.8 minutes. See which team to pick here.

Why McNeese can cover

Senior guard Javohn Garcia has reached double-digit scoring in 23 games this season, including a 24-point, four-assist and two-block performance in an 83-64 win over Northwestern State in the Southland Tournament semifinals. He had 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks in a 63-54 win over Lamar in the Southland Tournament championship. In 34 games, all starts, he is averaging 12.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals in 28.9 minutes. He is connecting on 42.8% of his field goals and 80.9% of his free throws.

Junior guard Sincere Parker is one of five Cowboys scoring nine or more points per game. Parker, who comes off the bench, is averaging 12.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 19.8 minutes. In Thursday’s win over Clemson, he finished with 12 points and four rebounds. He had 25 points and four rebounds in a 68-66 win at Lamar on March 1. See which team to pick here.

How to make McNeese vs. Purdue picks

SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 146 combined points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that hits in nearly 70% of simulations. You can only get the model’s picks at SportsLine.

So who wins McNeese vs. Purdue, and which side of the spread hits in nearly 70% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the McNeese vs. Purdue spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned more than $2,000 on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.