Miami Hurricanes vs Purdue Boilermakers Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 03/22/26

The #2 seed Purdue Boilermakers will take on the #7 seed Miami Hurricanes in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Purdue was dominant in their win over #15 seed Queens, shooting 63.1% from the floor while controlling the glass 41-19. As for the Hurricanes, they handled business against Missouri, shooting 43.3% and outrebounded the Tigers 46-30. Purdue enters this matchup playing some of their best basketball of the season, coming off a Big Ten Tournament title and an impressive first-round performance. However, they can’t afford to overlook this Hurricanes team that can beat them inside. 

Malik Reneau, Ernest Udeh Jr., and Tre Donaldson have been fantastic for the Hurricanes this season, and they bring plenty of talent that could give Purdue a tough time. According to KenPom, the Hurricanes rank 31st in adjusted offensive efficiency (121.3) and 36 in adjusted defense (100.3). Purdue leads the nation in adjusted offense (131.9) and sits 38th in defense (100.4). The Boilermakers are weak when it comes to defending inside the arc (53.3%) and that’s good news for the Hurricanes as they shot 57.2% from 2-point range this season. However, Purdue is an elite 3-point shooting team and Miami is allowing opponents to shoot 35.4% from beyond the arc. This should be a great matchup, but Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn will be too much for the Hurricanes to handle as Purdue pulls away late. 

Miami vs Purdue prediction: Purdue -7.5 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.