The Purdue Boilermakers seek the first national title in program history when they face the UConn Huskies in the National Championship Game of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Monday. Purdue (34-4) posted a 63-50 victory against North Carolina State on Saturday to reach the title game for just the second time. The Boilermakers lost to UCLA in their only other appearance in 1969. UConn (36-3), which defeated San Diego State for the championship last year, is looking to become the first team to repeat since Florida in 2007 after beating Alabama 86-72 in the Final Four.
Tipoff from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. is set for 9:20 p.m. ET. The Huskies are 6-point favorites in the latest UConn vs. Purdue odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 145.5. Before making any Purdue vs. UConn picks, you need to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Larry Hartstein.
A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed while working for Pro Football Focus. Larry also excels in college basketball and is coming off a 116-98 season, earning $825 for $100 players with every bet being 1 unit. Over the past four seasons in college hoops, he has gone 494-426 against the spread for a $2,465 profit. Hartstein is on an impressive 82-63-3 run on his college basketball spread picks, returning over $1,200 for $100 players. Anyone following him has seen huge returns.
Now, Hartstein has his sights on UConn vs. Purdue and just locked in his national championship game predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for Purdue vs. UConn:
- UConn vs. Purdue spread: Huskies -6
- UConn vs. Purdue over/under: 145.5 points
- UConn vs. Purdue money line: Huskies -303, Boilermakers +242
- UCONN: The Huskies are 17-1 against the spread in their last 18 neutral-site games
- PUR: Big Ten teams are 0-7 ATS in their last seven national championship game appearances
- UConn vs. Purdue picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why UConn can cover
The Huskies became the fifth team in history to record five wins by 13 or more points in one NCAA Tournament in 2023 and have repeated the feat this year. They have defeated their five opponents by an average of 25 points and posted a pair of wins by at least 30. UConn has a plus-125 point differential, the second-highest by a team entering the National Championship Game in Tournament history behind Duke’s plus-126 mark in 1999.
All five starters scored at least 12 points against Alabama on Saturday, making UConn the first team accomplish that feat in a Final Four contest since Duke did so in the 1994 title game. Freshman Stephon Castle, who is averaging 11 points this season, matched his career high with 21 after recording only two against Illinois in the Elite Eight. Sophomore center Donovan Clingan scored 18 points, sophomore forward Alex Karaban and Cam Spencer had 14 apiece and fellow senior guard Tristen Newton produced 12 while adding nine assists. See which team to pick here.
Why Purdue can cover
After being eliminated by 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, the Boilermakers have defeated their first five opponents this year by an average of 19.6 points. They are looking to follow in the footsteps of Virginia, which lost to No. 16 UMBC in the opening round in 2018 but bounced back to win the national championship the following year. Purdue is led by Zach Edey, who has posted five double-doubles during March Madness thus far.
After setting a career high with 40 points against Tennessee in the Elite Eight, Edey scored 20 and pulled down 12 rebounds versus NC State for his seventh straight double-double and 29th of the season. It was the senior center’s sixth consecutive 20-point, 10-rebound performance in the NCAA Tournament, the longest streak since Elvin Hayes had a six-game run from 1967-68 with Houston. Edey is averaging 28 points and 15.4 boards in this year’s “Big Dance,” making him the fifth player since 1968 with at least 25 and 15 per game in a Tournament over a minimum of four contests. See which team to pick here.
How to make Purdue vs. UConn picks
Hartstein has analyzed UConn vs. Purdue from every angle, and while we can tell you he’s leaning Under the point total, he also has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.
Who wins UConn vs. Purdue, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Purdue vs. UConn spread hits hard, all from the expert who is 82-63-3 on his college basketball picks, and find out.
