Purdue Is Going To Crush McNeese's Glass Slipper

McNeese vs. Purdue, 12:10 ET

I played more games than I listed on Thursday and it made for a profitable day. However, I only shared two of those plays on Outkick with you lovely readers and they went just 1-1. Not a bad day, but nothing to write home about. I'll detail one of those bets in a moment, but right now, let's get down to what matters most: today. Today, we kick off the basketball action with a game between McNeese and Purdue. 

You might've been both lucky and unlucky about the McNeese article I wrote with their game against Clemson. I had the under in that game and with 32 minutes gone from the game, the teams had combined for 80 points. Surely they wouldn't put up 50+ points in the final eight minutes, right? I was wrong about that one. Clemson stormed back to make it a game, and McNeese barely held onto the win. Unfortunately for my bet, they scored 57 points in the final eight minutes of the game and pushed the final to 136. It was a brutal way to lose a game, but it happens. Now, why might you have been lucky? I detailed McNeese's schedule in the game and shared that I actually thought they were getting too many points in this one. When they lose, typically it is a close enough game. They coasted the majority of the game against Clemson, and after being down 6-4 in the first half, they never trailed again. They were the better team for the majority of the game. Their defense, or maybe Clemson's offense, just wasn't what it was in the first half of the game. 

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND - MARCH 20: Will Wade, head coach of the McNeese Cowboys, celebrates with his team's win over the Clemson University Tigers during the first round of the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Amica Mutual Pavillion on March 20, 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

I actually did cash a winner with Purdue on Thursday. I thought the hype around High Point was, well, a little too high. I'm not taking anything away from the team. They actually played fairly well, against Purdue, but I wouldn't say they truly had a chance to win. For Purdue they have all the pieces they need to make a decent run in the tournament. Last year they fell to the UConn Huskies in the championship game and lost Zach Edey, but they transformed the program into keeping what was effective without Edey on the court last year. They ended the regular season at 21-10 with a 13-7 record in the Big 10. The word of caution about them is that they played their worst basketball in the month of February. Since February started, they were just 5-6. Two of those games were in the Big 10 tournament with them beating USC before losing to Michigan. The one part of Purdue that concerns me is the inconsistency of the team. For a while they played so well and then I'm not sure if they fell because they were tired, or because the schedule got tougher, or what. 

This isn't a game to panic about Purdue though. The team has been through this before. McNeese looked great… but did they really? Or did Clemson just struggle significantly? Don't forget, McNeese let Clemson get back into the game and only won by two points. That's a stressful contest for them. Purdue didn't have that issue. They didn't have an emotional win. Everyone likes a Cinderella story, but keep in mind, her carriage turned back into a pumpkin. Purdue will crush them -5.5.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024