Purdue vs. High Point odds, March Madness predictions: 2025 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model

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The 13th-seeded High Point Panthers battle the fourth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers in a Midwest Regional first-round matchup in the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon. High Point is coming off an 81-69 win over Winthrop to win the Big South Tournament championship, while Purdue dropped an 86-68 decision to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. The Panthers (29-5), who finished 14-2 in the Big South, are making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers (22-11), who finished tied for fourth in the Big Ten at 13-7, are making their 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 36th overall.

Tipoff from Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I., is set for 12:40 p.m. ET. Purdue won the only meeting between the teams, a 67-65 win in 2011. Purdue is an 8-point favorite in the latest High Point vs. Purdue odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 153.5. Before making any Purdue vs. High Point picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2025 NCAA Tournament on a 228-166 roll (+2025) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. This model has also produced brackets that have beaten over 91% of CBS Sports entries in four of the last six tournaments and nailed 24 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on High Point vs. Purdue and just locked in its March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college basketball odds and lines for Purdue vs. High Point:

Purdue vs. High Point spread: Purdue -8
Purdue vs. High Point over/under: 153.5 points
Purdue vs. High Point money line: Purdue -347, High Point +274
HP: The Panthers have hit the money line in 29 of their last 35 games (+15.90 units)
PUR: The Boilermakers have covered the spread in 22 of their last 38 games (+4.40 units)
Purdue vs. High Point picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Purdue can cover

The Boilermakers are led by the 2024-25 Big Ten Player of the Year in junior guard Braden Smith. He ranks second in Division I in assists per game this season at 8.7, and is on track to break his own program record set in 2023-24 at 7.5. Smith has nine double-doubles on the year, the second most in Division I. In 33 games, all starts, he is also averaging 16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 36.7 minutes.

Also helping power Purdue is junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. He is coming off a near double-double with 24 points and nine rebounds in the Big Ten quarterfinal loss to Michigan. He scored 30 points, grabbed seven boards and two assists in a 76-71 win over USC in the second round of the conference tournament. In 33 starts this season, he is averaging 20.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 30.4 minutes. See which team to pick here.

Why High Point can cover

Senior guard Kezza Giffa leads all Big South players with 1,074 points since coming to High Point for the 2023-24 season. He earned All-Big South first-team honors this past year. In 33 games, all starts, he is averaging 14.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 28.2 minutes. He is connecting on 44% of his field goals and 85.9% of his free throws. In an 85-64 Big South quarterfinal win over Gardner-Webb, he poured in 25 points, while adding four assists and three rebounds.

Senior transfer D’Maurian Williams also help power the Panthers. He is in his first season at High Point after playing the past two years at Texas Tech. In 31 games, all starts, he is averaging 13.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26.8 minutes. In an 88-66 win at Winthrop on Feb. 15, he finished with 15 points and three rebounds. See which team to pick here.

How to make High Point vs. Purdue picks

SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 158 combined points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that hits in well over 60% of simulations. You can only get the model’s picks at SportsLine.

So who wins Purdue vs. High Point, and which side of the spread hits in well over 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the High Point vs. Purdue spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned more than $1,700 on its college basketball picks this season, and find out.