The No. 16 seed Grambling State Tigers attempt to become the latest team to upset Purdue when they take on the top-seeded Boilermakers on Friday in a first-round matchup in the Midwest Region of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Grambling (21-14) made the first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in school history on Wednesday, when it defeated Montana State 88-81 in overtime in a First Four showdown. The Tigers now hope to join North Texas (No. 13 in 2021), Saint Peter's (No. 15 in 2022) and Fairleigh Dickinson (No. 16 in 2023), who recorded shocking victories over Purdue in the last three installments of "The Big Dance." The Boilermakers (29-4) were eliminated in the first round twice in that span and are looking to bounce back from an overtime loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals last weekend.
Tipoff from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. is set for 7:25 p.m. ET. The Boilermakers are 27-point favorites in the latest Purdue vs. Grambling odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 139. Before making any Grambling vs. Purdue picks, you need to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Div. I college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Purdue vs. Grambling and just locked in its March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines and trends for Grambling vs. Purdue:
- Purdue vs. Grambling spread: Boilermakers -27
- Purdue vs. Grambling over/under: 139 points
- Purdue vs. Grambling money line: Boilermakers -7283, Tigers +2258
- PUR: The Boilermakers are 14-16-1 against the spread as favorites this season
- GRA: The Tigers are 11-7 ATS as underdogs away from home in 2023-24
- Purdue vs. Grambling picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Purdue can cover
The Boilermakers are among the elite teams in the nation in shooting from beyond the arc and on the boards this campaign, ranking second in both 3-point percentage (40.8%) and average rebound margin (plus-10.7). They'll be looking to continue their dominance and match the school record for wins in a season (30), which was set in 2017-18. One key to accomplishing the feat is Zach Edey, who became the leading scorer in school history in his last game with his 10th consecutive outing with at least 22 points.
Edey scored 28 points in the Boilermakers' 76-75 overtime loss against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals to raise his career total to 2,339 and pass Rick Mount (2,323) for first place on Purdue's all-time list. The senior center has a 61.9 field-goal percentage, the fourth-highest by a 2,000-point scorer in Division I history and best since Patrick Ewing's mark of 62.0% from 1981-85. Edey isn't the only member of the Boilermakers to set a program record in 2023-24 as sophomore guard Braden Smith, who is second on the team with an average of 12.5 points, has registered 240 assists to shatter the previous school mark of 207 set in 1974-75 by Bruce Parkinson. See which team to back at SportsLine.
Why Grambling can cover
The Tigers got off to a rough start this season, losing 10 of their first 12 contests. But they've made a tremendous turnaround as they've gone 19-4 since and have won 10 of their last 11 games. Grambling has recorded back-to-back 20-win Division I campaigns for the first time in school history and captured its first SWAC Tournament crown with a 75-66 triumph over Texas Southern last Saturday.
Six different players have led the Tigers in scoring over their last nine games, with sophomore guard Jimel Cofer taking charge in the victory against Montana State with a career-high 19 points off the bench. Jourdan Smith topped the team three times on his own and shared the honor with sophomore forward Antwan Burnett on one occasion and fellow senior guard Tra'Michael Moton was the high scorer twice while junior guard Kintavious Dozier and senior guard Terrence Lewis both led Grambling once in that span. Dozier is averaging a team-best 12.9 points this season and has scored at least 20 on eight occasions, with the Tigers winning six of those contests. See which team to back at SportsLine.
How to make Purdue vs. Grambling picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 144 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time. You can see the picks only at SportsLine.
So who wins Purdue vs. Grambling, and which side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Grambling vs. Purdue spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 148-106 roll on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.
