Purdue Boilermakers vs N.C. State Wolfpack Prediction, Picks, Odds, News, Injury Report for 4/6/24

The surprising N.C. State Wolfpack and the Purdue Boilermakers have reached the Final Four of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. In the first of two Saturday semifinal games, the Wolfpack are considerable underdogs against Purdue. 

That hasn’t stopped the Pack from winning big games to land in the Final Four, but the Boilermakers’ confidence is just as elevated! Can the Wolfpack pull off another massive upset to bring their win streak to 10 games in the post-season, or can the Boilermakers end their Cinderella run?

Our resident college hoops expert Ej Garr will be covering both of the semifinal games, and he’ll be back with his best bet for the title game on Monday. Let’s see where the Final Four will take us as the excitement level rises for fans and teams alike. 

For more free basketball tips, visit the bettingexpert community, and for more expert tips, visit our Expert Insights section. 

PURDUE VS N.C. STATE PREDICTION and Picks: Who let the Dogs out?

• Selection: N.C. State Wolfpack +9.5
• Best Odds: 1.91
• Bookmaker: Bet365
• Stakes: 4/10

Odds available as of April 5th 2024. Odds may now differ. 

The Wolfpack carried a 17 – 14 record into the ACC Tourney, and here they are now with a 9 – 0 post-season win streak and a 26 – 17 record in the Final Four!  After winning 5 games in 5 days to win the ACC Tournament, the Wolfpack has been the underdogs in 7 of their 9 games during this magical run to the Final Four.

DJ Burns in the middle of that paint is a force, and his ability to find open players when he is double-teamed is just as impressive. If you plan on letting him get the ball within six feet of the hoop, that little sky hook he has is going in the basket.

The Wolfpack has four players averaging double-digits in the post-season, as Burns is scoring 16.8 PPG while the other DJ in the lineup is pouring 17.1 PPG. DJ Horne is just a stud, and his confidence might be the real reason that this team caught fire when they did.

The NCAA Player of the Year for Purdue will have his say in all of this, and this is why he decided to return for another season with the Boilermakers. Zach Edey is a game-changer in the paint, and his 118 games of experience in four years exudes confidence to this entire team.

Edey is averaging 29.5 PPG in the post-season, and those 14.7 Rebounds a night sure look damn impressive too. 

You know me by now, and when I get that many points to ride a team this confident, I am all over it. We’re going Wolfpack, and I hope they land in the title game to face either UConn or Alabama. I will have that game covered for you on Monday, so stay tuned!

Purdue Boilermakers vs N.C. State Wolfpack Game Info

• Time: 22:09 UK Time, Saturday, April 6
• Location: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
• Game Lines: Purdue -9.5, O/U 145.5

Purdue Boilermakers News, Injury Report, Schedule:

Purdue is reporting no injuries.

The Boilermakers won 14 of the last 15 regular season games before entering the Big Ten Conference Tournament. Purdue only beat Michigan State before falling to Wisconsin, and they have been favoured in all six of their NCAA Tournament games. 

N.C. State Wolfpack News, Injury Report, Schedule

Dennis Parker is the only Wolfpack player who is absent from the squad due to entering the transfer portal before the NCAA Tournament. Parker averaged just over 4 PPG this campaign.

The Wolfpack are riding a 9-game post-season win streak into the Final Four, and playing the underdog role has suited them just fine. We have seen many a post-game announcer ask them about being a Cinderella in this dance, but they deny all of it because they feel as if they belong here now.

Purdue vs N.C. State H2H: Wolfpack Better Historically

The Wolfpack has won four of the six meetings with Purdue since they first met in 1971. N.C. State won the first four meetings, and Purdue has won the last two games in the series. 

These two programs last met in December of 2021 in Brooklyn, and Purdue star Zach Edey only played 12 minutes scoring 9 points in that clash. Purdue went on to win that game in overtime, 82 – 72.

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