Midwest Sweet 16 predictions: March Madness, NCAA picks are in for Little Caesars Arena

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With top-seeded Purdue’s 106-87 victory over eighth-seeded Utah State on Sunday afternoon, the final four squads in the Midwest region are set and coming to Little Caesars Arena for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight this weekend. Here are the matchups:

Purdue Boilermakers vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs

Matchup: 1-seed Purdue (31-4) vs. 5-seed Gonzaga (27-7), Midwest region Sweet 16.

Fast facts: 7:39 p.m. Friday; Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.

TV: TNT, truTV.

At stake: A win for the Boilermakers would send them to their first Elite Eight appearance since 2019; Purdue hasn’t advanced to the Final Four since 1980. A win by the Bulldogs would mean a return to the Elite Eight, where they lost to UConn last year; they’ve made the Final Four twice, losing to Baylor in the 2021 title game and to North Carolina in the 2017 title game.

Purdue center Zach Edey boxes out Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler on Saturday, March 2, 2024, in West Lafayette, Indiana.

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About Purdue

Location: West Lafayette, Indiana.

Coach: Matt Painter (444-202 in 19 seasons at Purdue; 469-207 overall).

School tournament record: 46-34 in 35 tournaments.

Past 10 games: 7-3.

Scoring leaders: Zach Edey, 24.6 points per game; Braden Smith, 12.5; Lance Jones, 12.1.

Rebounding leaders: Edey, 12 rebounds per game; Smith, 5.8; Trey Kaufman-Renn, 4.1.

Assist leaders: Smith, 7.4 assists per game; Edey, 2.1; Jones, 2.

3-point leaders: Mason Gillis, 47.3%; Camden Heide, 45.7%; Fletcher Loyer, 44.8%.

The buzz: Perhaps no squad has more to prove this year than the Boilermakers, who infamously are coming off a stunning first-round loss to 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson in last year’s NCAAs. It all runs through Zach Edey at center; the 7-foot-4 Canadian — in shoes, not skates — is a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, the reigning Wooden Award winner and a former hockey player growing up. (Maybe the Wings will let him on to their training ice this…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/midwest-sweet-16-predictions-march-101012670.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2024-03-25 10:10:12

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