“Unlikely Heroes: How the Cougars Plan to Topple the Boilermakers in an Unexpected Showdown”

By the end of this game, the Elite Eight will be set. Then we start breaking down those games and getting to the Final Four next week. I’m going to make it a goal to have a bet on the remaining seven games and share that with everyone here. Before we get to that point, though, let’s lock in a play on this Sweet 16 matchup that has a ton of potential to be an exciting game. This one is between Purdue and Houston, two of the better looking teams in the country this season.

Purdue has had a unique season in that they were kind of discounted to start the year after losing Zach Edey. Then they played really well and made some heads start to turn. They have done a very nice job of reinventing themselves this year and finding a way to balance their offense without one guy taking up a ton of space and having to get touches. They still have height, they still have outside shooting, and they still have a good defense, that didn’t just disappear with the NBA Draft last year. Perhaps we should’ve been more confident in their team coming into this year, but either way it doesn’t really matter. All that matters is where they are now. They put together a nice season, did well in the Big 10 Tournament (until they were blasted by Michigan), and have won twice in the NCAA Tournament already. Those two losses though were not against exactly impressive teams. They beat High Point… who a lot of people thought would win the game outright, but Purdue never struggled. They also beat McNeese. McNeese never did anything to make Purdue really sweat. If you can’t get to a team early as an underdog, it is hard to overcome that lead and make the opponent sweat. Purdue turned the ball over a ton in this game and still won by 14. 

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