The Sweet 16 matchup pits the Purdue Boilermakers against the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

 

Purdue Boilermakers (31-4, 18-4 Big Ten) vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs (27-7, 15-3 WCC)

LINE: Boilermakers -5.5; over/under is 154.5

BOTTOM LINE: No. 3 Purdue and No. 18 Gonzaga meet in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

The Boilermakers have a record of 13-0 in non-conference play and 18-4 versus Big Ten opponents. Purdue’s record versus teams that are above.500 is 27-4.

The Bulldogs are 15-3 overall in WCC competition. With an average of 42.8 points per game in the paint this season, Gonzaga leads all college basketball teams in inside scoring. With 10.8 points per game in the paint, Graham Ike tops them.

This season, Purdue has made 8.4 3-pointers on average per game, which is just 0.8 more than Gonzaga’s average of 7.6 made field goals. This season, Gonzaga has made 7.0 3-pointers on average per game, 0.2 lower than Purdue’s average.

TOP PERFORMERS: Braden Smith leads the Boilermakers with an average of 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.6 steals. Over the past ten games, Zach Edey has averaged 27.7 points.

For the Bulldogs, Nolan Hickman is averaging 13.9 points and shooting 41.8% from beyond the arc with 2.2 made 3-pointers per game. Over the last ten games, Ike is averaging 19.1 points and shooting 63.0%.

LAST TEN GAMES: Boilermakers: 8-2, shooting 48.9% from the field and averaging 81.0 points, 39.5 rebounds, 19.8 assists, 5.1 steals, and 3.6 blocks per contest. The average point total for their opponents is 68.7 per game.

Bulldogs: 9-1, shooting 55.3% from the field and averaging 85.3 points, 35.1 rebounds, 18.7 assists, 5.4 steals, and 4.5 blocks per game. The opponents’ point average is 70.0.