- The #12 McNeese Cowboys will face the #4 Purdue Boilermakers in a heavyweight second-round matchup
- McNeese demolished Clemson as big underdogs while Purdue routed overmatched High Point
- See the opening McNeese vs Purdue odds and betting lines for Saturday’s second-round game in Providence
A rising mid-major power, the #12 McNeese Cowboys (28-6, 16-17 ATS) put the entire Midwest Region on notice on Thursday afternoon with a 69-67 victory over #5 Clemson as 7.5-point underdogs. Now the Cowboys get set to face the #4 Purdue Boilermakers (23-11, 18-16 ATS) in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament in Providence, RI. While the Cowboys’ win on Thursday might stand up as the most-impressive of the entire first round, it’s the Boilermakers who are favored in the opening McNeese vs Purdue odds.
McNeese vs Purdue Odds
Purdue has opened as a 7.5-point favorite and is priced at -325 on the moneyline to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season. The Southland-champion Cowboys are +260 underdogs to advance to the first Sweet 16 in school history. The game total has opened at 139.5 with -110 odds each way.
Odds as of March 20 at DraftKings. Get the top March Madness betting apps for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Purdue Sees Off High Point
The Boilermakers were a popular pick to be upset in the first round by #13 High Point, the Big South champions. But Purdue controlled the game almost from the opening tip, building a ten-point lead by halftime. Their win probability never dipped below 75% at KenPom.
Trey Kauffman-Renn was too much in the post for the High Point frontline, dropping 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting with eight rebounds.
Purdue is now 14-1 on the season against teams that rank outside the KenPom top 50. And the bad news for Cowboy fans is that, even after the win over Clemson, Mcneese is still not a top-50 team according to the analytics. They will make a jump from 59th, but they won’t go ten spots higher.
Purdue’s odds to reach the Final Four now sit at +1000.
McNeese vs Purdue KenPom Ratings
McNeese stats from prior to win over Clemson.
McNeese Takes It to Clemson Early
The Cowboys only wound up winning by two against Clemson but it was a comfortable win. McNeese led by 18 at halftime and stretched it to over 20 early in the second half. Clemson put up a good fight in the final 15 minutes to close the gap but the score wasn’t within a bucket until a buzzer-beater from the Tigers trimmed the lead to two.
McNeese’s win over Clemson was powered by a 13-point, 11-rebound performance from forward Christian Shumate, plus a team-high 21 points from Brandon Murray off the bench.
Clemson’s big advantage going in was supposed to be its size. But the Cowboys outworked the Tigers at both ends of the court and wound-up with a +6 edge on the glass. McNeese also registered six blocks to Clemson’s zero.
The only common opponent between McNeese and Purdue this season was Alabama. McNeese fell to the Tide 72-64 in a true road game, while Purdue beat Bama 87-78 at home.
Keep an eye on the March Madness betting splits for the latest lines and trends.
-
BET365 SPORTSBOOKBET $5 & GET $150 IN BONUS BETS WITH CODE DIME365
-
BETMGM SPORTSBOOKUSE CODE SBD1500 & GET $1,500 BACK IN BONUS BETS
-
CAESARS SPORTSBOOKUSE CODE SBD2DYW & BET $1 TO DOUBLE THE WINNINGS ON YOUR FIRST 10 BETS!
-
DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOKBET $5 & GET $250 IN BONUS BETS INSTANTLY!
-
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOKBET $5 & GET $200 IF YOUR BET WINS
-
FANATICS SPORTSBOOKBET & GET UP TO $1,000 IN BONUS BETS!
-
Must be 21+. GAMBLING PROBLEM? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, IL, KS, KY, MD, MI, NC, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA, VT, WV, WY); (800) 327-5050 or gamblinghelplinema.org (MA); (877) 8-HOPENY (NY); 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ); (888) 789-7777 (CT); 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA); 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN); mdgamblinghelp.org (MD); morethanagame.nc.gov (NC); 1800gambler.net (WV)
The college football season is right around the corner, and one of the first matchups on the schedule is between McNeese State and Purdue. The Boilermakers are heavily favored in the opening betting lines, with oddsmakers giving them a wide margin over their opponents.
Purdue is coming off a solid 2020 season, finishing with a 4-4 record in the Big Ten. They return several key players on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Aidan O’Connell and wide receiver David Bell. Head coach Jeff Brohm has been working hard to improve the team’s defense, which was a weak spot last season.
On the other hand, McNeese State is a FCS team that competes in the Southland Conference. They had a disappointing 2020 season, finishing with a 3-4 record. The Cowboys will be looking to bounce back this year and pull off an upset against Purdue.
Despite McNeese State’s best efforts, oddsmakers are not giving them much of a chance in this matchup. The Boilermakers are currently favored by a wide margin, with some betting lines showing Purdue as much as a 30-point favorite.
While anything can happen in college football, it’s clear that Purdue is the stronger team on paper. However, upsets do occur in the sport, so McNeese State will be looking to play spoiler and prove the oddsmakers wrong.
Fans of both teams will be eagerly anticipating this early-season matchup, which will provide an exciting start to the college football season. Purdue will be looking to start their season off on the right foot with a convincing win, while McNeese State will be looking to make a statement and show that they can compete with the big boys.
No matter the outcome, this game is sure to be an exciting one for college football fans everywhere. Stay tuned for more updates and analysis as the season gets underway.
