Go With Purdue ATS vs Gonzaga
Purdue and Gonzaga are set to meet for the second year in a row as the Boilermakers and Bulldogs are part of a star-studded Maui Invitational bracket. No 2 Purdue is listed as the favorite by the college basketball betting lines.
This will be the first-ranked opponent for both teams this season. Gonzaga topped Yale and Eastern Oregon while Purdue has posted wins over Samford, Morehead State, and Xavier. The winner of this game will meet the winner of the Syracuse-Tennessee game.
The NCAAB lines have Purdue as a five-point favorite.
The last time the teams met was in the 2022 Phil Knight Legacy Tournament semifinals, with Zach Edey scoring 23 points as Purdue won 84-66 as a 6½-point underdog. It was the first meeting between the programs since the 2000 NCAA Tournament.
Steele Venters, a transfer from Eastern Washington who averaged 16.7 and 15.3 points, is expected to miss the season for Gonzaga as a result of a knee injury.
Purdue is second only to Kansas in the two national polls and has received a total of 10 first-place votes. Gonzaga is 11th in the Associated Press poll and 12th in the coaches poll.
When looking at the college basketball futures odds, Purdue is tied with Kentucky for second at +1200 in the odds of winning the college basketball title. Gonzaga comes in at +3000 in the championship odds.
No. 1 Kansas and No. 4 Marquette join UCLA and Chaminade in the other half of the bracket of the Maui Invitational. Thel championship game is set for Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET.
Boilermakers Dialing Long Distance
Most of the attention is paid to the Boilermakers due to the return of 7-foot-4 national player of the year candidate Edey. However, Purdue has surrounded Edey with a host of 3-point shooters.
The Boilermakers are fourth among Division I teams in 3-point shooting.
Freshman Melvin Colvin leads the way as he is 5-for-5 from 3-point range in his last two games. Braden Smith is 5-for-10 from deep, Fletcher Loyer is 5-for-12 on 3-pointers and Southern Illinois transfer Lance Jones is 4-for-13. Smith is not only the No. 2 scorer for Purdue behind Edey, but he has gone from averaging 4.4 assists as a freshman to 8.3 this season.
IT’S GAME DAY! #BOILERUP!!! BEAT GONZAGA!! pic.twitter.com/vcDZI6K6rs
— Purdue Boilers on SR (@SRBoilermakers) November 20, 2023
Purdue has won nine of its last 10 games against West Coast Conference teams,
New-Look Bulldogs Lighting It Up
Even with Drew Timme and Julian Strawther, the top two scorers for Gonzaga, heading off to start their professional careers, the Bulldogs are second nationally in scoring offense, third in field goal percentage and second in rebounding.
Braden Huff, a 6-foot-10 freshman, is leading the way as he is averaging 21 points and 7.5 rebounds in just 17 minutes per game. Wyoming transfer Graham Ike is contributing 18 points and seven rebounds while returning starters Anton Watson, Nolan Hickman and Creighton transfer Ryan Nembhard are other double-digit scorers.
Four of the last six games that Gonzaga played against NCAA Division I opponents finished under the Las Vegas odds total.
Go With No 2 Purdue to Seal the Deal
There are new players on both sides playing key roles but, based on what happened in the 2022 meeting between Purdue and Gonzaga, it is hard to go against Purdue in this matchup.
It is a little concerning that Purdue is just 3-7 against the college basketball odds in its last 10 games and failed to cover the last time out versus Xavier.
Gonzaga has covered in just one of its last five games against Big Ten opponents.
Eleven of Gonzaga’s last 15 games have gone over the total. Purdue could slow things down and that has played a role in some of the early money coming in on this game going under the 155-point total.
Purdue was pushed a little bit by Xavier while Gonzaga did get somewhat of a test when it faced Ivy League power Yale. Look for Purdue to win once again against Gonzaga when looking at the NCAAB picks today.
It would be smart to tread carefully when it comes to the 155-point total heading into this matchup.
CollegeBasketball Pick: Purdue Boilermakers -5
Gonzaga vs Purdue Game Information
- Game: Gonzaga (2-0) vs Purdue (3-0)
- Location: Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Date/Time: Monday, Nov. 20, 5 p.m. ET
- Gonzaga vs Purdue Live Stream: ESPN2, TBS.com
Gonzaga vs Purdue Betting Lines
Questions Of The Day
Will the Purdue Boilermakers cover the spread against the Gonzaga Bulldogs?
After the way Purdue handled Gonzaga in the 2022 meeting, the Boilermakers are looking good to cover yet again.
Is there any injury update that could affect the NCAAB lines for the game?
Purdue is in good shape injury-wise but Gonzaga is without transfer Steele Venters.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
