Purdue vs. McNeese Prediction, Odds & Preview Today: NCAA Tournament Second Round Best Bets

The No. 4 seed Purdue Boilermakers (22-11) meet the No. 12 seed McNeese Cowboys (28-6) in today's NCAA Tournament second round. Tipoff from Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I., is at 12:10 p.m. ET (CBS) in the first game of the day.

The Boilermakers are 5.5-point favorites to advance in the Midwest Region of the March Madness bracket. Still, the underdog Cowboys could make things interesting for a second time in the opening week according to our Purdue vs. McNeese prediction, odds, and preview as part of our March Madness predictions.

🏀 Purdue vs. McNeese prediction & picks today

Here are my best Purdue vs. McNeese predictions for the second round of the NCAA Tournament; use our parlay calculator to get the best odds for any same-game parlay:

✅ Against the spread pick: McNeese +5.5 (-110 via BetMGM) vs. Purdue ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔥 Best player prop bet: Fletcher Loyer Under 1.5 made 3-pointers (+150 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎯 Exact score prediction: Purdue 73, McNeese 69 (+23000 via FanDuel)

👉 Want more picks? Check out our latest college basketball picks and the rest of our March Madness second-round predictions.

🏆 Best Purdue vs. McNeese pick, player prop bet & score prediction

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✅ McNeese to cover the spread: +5.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

So much for Will Wade looking ahead to his next gig. His McNeese team played inspired basketball against Clemson, staking out a massive lead before holding on for dear life at the end of the Tigers’ furious comeback attempt. Purdue was moderately tested by High Point in its opening round game but pulled away as its talent and physicality won the day.

Purdue dominated on the boards against High Point, which could challenge McNeese and its 261st defensive rebounding rate. The Cowboys handled themselves well on the glass in the first round, out-rebounding the Tigers 43-36. 

The question of whether McNeese’s style can translate against high-major competition was answered as the Cowboys held Clemson to 13 first-half points. Too many easy buckets were High Point's downfall against the Boilermakers. That McNeese has demonstrated a sustained stretch of tough defense already in this tournament makes me believe Saturday’s game could be another tight one if the Cowboys bring that same commitment defensively.

📊 Best odds: -110 via BetMGM ($10 to win $9.09)

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🔥 Fletcher Loyer Under 1.5 made 3-pointers ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s uncharacteristic, but Loyer has been cold with his outside shooting lately. Although this is the type of prop wager that we could see fail before the first TV timeout of the game if the Purdue guard locks it in, the odds on Under 1.5 made 3-pointers have gotten to a range where they have our attention.

Loyer has failed to make a 3-pointer in three of his last four games, only attempting one triple against High Point. He has fallen short of two made 3-pointers in 14 of his 34 games played this season, a rate of 41.2%. With the +150 odds at bet365 on Under 1.5 made 3-pointers carrying a 40.0% implied probability, we see some value on Under despite the risk that it loses before halftime if Loyer snaps out of his funk.

McNeese ranks 78th nationally in 3-point defense.

📊 Best odds: +150 via bet365 ($10 to win $15)

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🎯 Score prediction: Purdue 73, McNeese 69

McNeese actually ranks one spot higher than Purdue in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric, 59th in the nation to 60th.

While Purdue has the more efficient offense over the course of the season, if McNeese can limit the frequency of easy second-chance buckets that Purdue enjoyed against High Point, we could see another dose of madness from these Cowboys.

Purdue could also struggle to close out the Cowboys if it comes down to free throws, as the Boilermakers went just 14-for-22 (63.6%) from the line in Thursday’s opener.

📊 Best odds: +23000 via FanDuel ($10 to win $2,300)

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🤖 Purdue vs. McNeese AI prediction

For entertainment purposes, we asked ChatGPT to analyze historical trends and live NCAA Tournament stats before predicting the winner and exact score for Purdue vs. McNeese. Our AI prediction projects a final score of Purdue 74, McNeese 63.

🖥️ AI score prediction: Purdue 74, McNeese 63

• Purdue’s Frontcourt Advantage: Purdue’s size and rebounding edge is significant - Trey Kaufman-Renn’s physicality and Caleb Furst’s presence on the boards will wear down McNeese’s smaller front line
• McNeese’s Perimeter Threat: Despite a quiet game against Clemson, DJ Richards Jr. is usually lethal from beyond the arc. If he catches fire, McNeese could keep it close, but Purdue’s perimeter defense (Top 20 in opponent 3P%) should limit its efficiency
• Experience vs. Momentum: Purdue’s battle-tested Big Ten schedule gives it an edge in a high-pressure setting. McNeese’s first-ever tournament win was impressive, but facing a disciplined, higher-seeded team is a major step up

🤔 Betting takeaway: ChatGPT's AI prediction would mean Purdue covering the spread (-5.5) and a total of Under 143.5 points. ChatGPT is not a dedicated sports betting model, but it can identify data that March Madness bettors might overlook.

📊 Live Purdue vs. McNeese odds

Follow the latest live March Madness college basketball odds and real-time NCAA Tournament scores for the second round.

Latest Purdue vs. McNeese odds

Here are the latest odds for Purdue vs. McNeese from BetMGM ahead of tipoff:

Spread

Purdue is a 6.5-point betting favorite against McNeese. The McNeese side (+6.5) is juiced slightly to -115 odds.

Total

The Purdue vs. McNeese betting total sits at 142.5 ahead of tipoff. That Over/Under is down a point from the opening line.

Moneyline

Purdue is a -275 moneyline favorite with an implied win probability of 73.53% against McNeese.

🔢 Purdue vs. McNeese opening odds

• Spread: Purdue -5.5 (-110) | McNeese +5.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Purdue -250 | McNeese +200
• Over/Under: Over 143.5 (-105) | Under 143.5 (-115)

📺 How to watch Purdue vs. McNeese: NCAA Tournament second round

📅 Date: Saturday, March 22
🕗 Time: 12:10 p.m. ET
📍 Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion (Providence, R.I.)
📺 TV: CBS
💻 Streaming: March Madness Live

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