#2 Purdue vs. #1 Arizona Picks and Predictions: Elite Eight
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Fri Mar 27, 2026, 11:35 am ET
Read Time: 6 minutes
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The West Region Championship game is all set in San Jose. The top two teams in this region battled through the bracket and meet in this Elite Eight matchup with a shot at the Final Four on the line. Matt Painter leads his No. 2 ranked Purdue Boilermakers against Tommy Lloyd and the top seeded Arizona Wildcats. Will the Boilermakers keep the train rolling after having won seven straight games? Or do the Wildcats assert their dominance? Let's get into our expert picks and find out.
Check out our March Madness Betting Guide to get in on all the action this month!
Best Bet: Arizona Team Total Over 79.5 (-106) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Go check out what else I've got on my daily card, and view the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks.
#2 Purdue Boilermakers vs. #1 Arizona Wildcats NCAA Basketball Insights
Fletcher Loyer and Purdue are one win away from the Final Four, but can they get past Arizona?
All year long, Purdue failed to beat good teams. Obviously they took down Michigan in the Big Ten Championship in Chicago, and they also have wins over Texas Tech and Alabama, but other than that, who have they beat? They lost to Iowa State, to Illinois, to Michigan, to Michigan State and to Wisconsin. Plus all of those games were at home, where they are supposed to be VERY tough to beat. That was simply not the case. Now they are on the West Coast taking on possibly the best team in the tournament.
Arizona has been incredible all year long, and they made easy work of John Calipari's Razorbacks last night. Do they have a few more wins in them? I absolutely think so. But it won't come easy. Let's look at these odds as see how we should wager on this game.
Matchup Information – Purdue vs. Arizona – March 28
- Venue & Location: SAP Center (San Jose, CA)
- Date: Saturday, March 28, 2026
- Tip Off: 8:49 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: TBS/truTV
Purdue vs. Arizona Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of March 27, 2026 at 11:12 a.m. eastern. Sign up today with and get a $1,250 deposit bonus, as well as 50 slot spins immediately. Lucky Rebel Sportsbook offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.
Spread
- Purdue +6 (-109)
- Arizona -6 (-111)
Moneyline
- Purdue +205
- Arizona -260
Total
- Over 152 (-113)
- Under 152 (-107)
#2 Purdue vs. #1 Arizona NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions
Jaden Bradley, the Big 12 Player of the Year, leads the Wildcats against Purdue
Purdue vs. Arizona Prediction: Arizona Wins and Covers, Over 152
Best Bet: Arizona Team Total Over 79.5 (-106) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Arizona scores. Plain and simple. No one has been able to slow them down and stop them. In their two losses this year, they still managed to score 78 and 75 against the Jayhawks and Red Raiders. This team even scored 73 in wins over Iowa State and Houston, and their lowest total of the season was scoring 68 against San Diego State. They won that game by 23. This team is rock solid on both sides of the ball, and I simply don't trust Purdue's defense to put up a fight.
The Boilermakers are north of 245 in forcing turnovers, and are No. 232 in the nation in opponent effective FG%. This season alone, they allowed 81 to the Cyclones, 88 to the Illini, 91 to Michigan and 97 to Wisconsin. Arizona is faster than all of those teams, and are more efficient on offense. They're going to put the ball in the hoop, especially down low.
The Wildcats take very minimal threes. In fact, nearly 75% of their offensive shots come from inside the arc, where they shoot over 55% as a team. Purdue ranks north of 245 in 2P% defense, so I doubt they are able to stop them. Plus, the Wildcats have been more battled tested this tournament. The Boilermakers beat No. 15 Queens, No. 7 Miami, and No. 11 Texas on their way to the Sweet 16. Arizona took down No. 16 Long Island, No. 9 Utah State (who should've been seeded higher than Miami), and No. 4 Arkansas. They covered every spread and scored plenty along the way.
This team will have no problem doing the same against Matt Painter's phantom defense.
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Check Out the Other March Madness Content from Betting News
For college basketball bettors, March Madness is the most wonderful time of the year. And at Betting News, we have you covered for this festively fun season with expert picks throughout the tournament from Nate Hornung and Eddie Griffin, consensus picks for every March Madness game from the First Four to the Final Four, a rundown of the best March Madness betting sites, and more.
Also, through our streams and social media channels, you can get even more insight from Nate and other members of the Betting News team, as well as offer your own thoughts and tips for the tournament.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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