In the No. 2 vs. No. 11 matchup in the NCAA Tournament West Region, Purdue vs. Texas is the Sweet 16 game at 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 26 with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line.

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How to Watch Purdue vs. Texas

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When: 7:10 pm ET on Thursday, March 26

Where: SAP Center in San Jose, CA

Watch: CBS

Odds for Purdue vs. Texas

(odds current at time of publish)

Spread: Purdue -7.5 (-110), Texas +7.5 (-110)

Total: Over 148.5 (-110), Under 148.5 (-110)

Purdue vs. Texas Prediction & Preview

There is no right or wrong answer, but you have to wonder if Texas would have rather kept playing instead of having a few days to reflect on what has happened. After getting sent to Dayton for the First Four, the Longhorns beat NC State to earn a cross-country trip to Portland, where they beat BYU and Gonzaga to push forward into the Sweet 16. They’ve drawn another West Coast assignment here in San Jose against No. 2 Purdue.

By seed, Texas is the closest thing we have to a Cinderella as a No. 11, but they are from the SEC with one of the biggest athletic department budgets in the nation. So this isn’t really the No. 11 vs. No. 2 game we’d normally envision. This run is a little bit out of left field for Texas, as they lost by 10 to No. 15 seed Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament after losing four of the last five regular season games. But, timing is everything and the Longhorns won three games in five days to set up this Sweet 16 appearance, despite posting TO% marks of 10.3%, 10.5%, and 10.9% over those games.

This is Matt Painter’s seventh Sweet 16 appearance in the last 10 years, besting Queens U. and Miami (FL) to get to this point. Initial testing showed that sophomore guard C.J. Cox, who looked to suffer a major knee injury against the Hurricanes, just hyperextended his knee, but additional imaging will come to rule out anything serious. Cox is a 38% 3-point shooter and one of the team’s most responsible ball-handlers.

There are some similarities between these two teams, but also some major differences. Both the Boilermakers and Longhorns rank in the top 40 in ORB% and DRB%. Both teams are efficient inside the arc and play at a below average tempo, especially Purdue, who ranks in the 320s in that department. As far as some differences, Texas gets to the free throw line a lot, while Purdue is among the best defensive teams in the nation at contesting shots without fouling. Texas also sells out to run teams off the 3-point line with a 33.1% 3P Rate against, while Purdue’s 3P Rate against of 44.3% ranks in the 320s.

The Boilermakers take a lot of jump shots and force a lot of jump shots. Purdue’s 28.3% shot share on Close Twos is among the lowest in the nation, but their 29% shot share allowed on Close Twos is one of the best. The Big Ten representative is also a far better team from 3, ranking sixth in the nation at 38.8%, while Texas is closer to the national average at 34.8%.

If we look at performance exclusively against Quadrant 1 or Quadrant 1-A competition, Purdue is better across the board on offense and better in a few defensive categories. Opponents in those games shot over 39% from 3 on the Longhorns, so that’ll be a very important area where they need to improve in hopes of pulling the upset.

Estimated Score: TBD

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