The Sweet Sixteen is already upon us! After a relatively boring first two rounds due to a lack of upsets, the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight should provide a bit more excitement. There are several awesome matchups that we are looking forward to, and we’re committed to putting our favorite Underdog props together for as many games as possible.
The next game we’re breaking down is the battle between Purdue and Houston, a game that many believe could be one of the best matchups of the Sweet Sixteen.
The total projected over/under is the lowest of any game in this round, so the bookmakers are expecting a defensive battle. Let’s get into our favorite player props and try to project what’s going to happen from an individual perspective!
Trey Kaufman-Renn was awesome in Purdue’s first two games of the tournament, having 21 points in the first round and 22 in the second round, which might lead a lot of people to ride the wave and take the over on his PRA tonight.
However, we’re going the opposite direction, especially considering how strong Houston’s defense is. Kaufman-Renn was powered by high-percentage shooting in the first two rounds, going a combined 60.7% from the field.
We don’t think he’s going to be as efficient as he was in those contests, which is why we’re taking the under on his PRA total.
We are expecting a bounce-back game from Fletcher Loyer tonight, who has been abysmal in the first two rounds of the Tournament. He went 4-12 from the field against McNeese and just 1-4 against High Point.
He’s usually much more efficient from the floor, so we believe those first two games were the exception to the rule, not his standard moving forward. Look for Loyer to make a lot of his shots in this matchup, scoring at least 11 points in Purdue’s quest to upset Houston.
If Houston is going to beat Purdue tonight, they’ll need L.J. Cryer to put up some big numbers in the scoring column. Cryer is coming off an awesome, 30-point game against Gonzaga, a matchup that came down to the wire.
He was clutch in crunch time during that game, and with a projected defensive battle, he’ll have to come up with big shots against Purdue as well to help Houston reach the Elite Eight.