Mar 15, 2026
3 min read
Matchup picks, odds and predictions for Boilermakers at Bruins on Saturday 03/14 at 7:30pm on Bruins
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Purdue had an easy win over the Cornhuskers yesterday.UCLA is still dealing with an injury to Tyler Bilodeau, who is expected to return for the big dance.The Bruins won the only meeting between the two, and that was at home.UCLA has struggled on the road all season, but they have won four straight and are playing their best basketball of the season under Donovan Dent.The Bruins defend the perimeter better than Purdue, and it looked like Mick Cronin's players were back down the stretch.
It's a Big Ten Conference semifinal at the United Center in Chicago, with Purdue a 7.5-point favorite against UCLA.This will be the second meeting of the season between the two schools, with UCLA winning 69-67 in Los Angeles by 5.5 points.Purdue played well on the day with just seven turnovers, but UCLA shot 57% from the field to win.Purdue won and shut out yesterday against Nebraska, ending their 0-5 ATS run.They lost four of their last eight games.UCLA is playing their best basketball of the season with a win to close out Michigan State.UCLA.
UCLA reached the semi-finals of the Big Ten no surprise.The Bruins have been playing the light lately.But there was also Purdue, who beat second-placed Northwestern and Nebraska by a combined 29 points in Chicago.To make matters worse for UCLA, its most productive player, Tyler Bilodeau (18.1 points, 5.8 rebounds per game), is likely to miss Friday with a knee injury.The Boilers know him well as he endures the late Bilodeau ball that beat them last season.UCLA has announced that they are satisfied with a decent NCAA Tourney seed and that should allow Bilodeau to rest for something more important.After the Bruins close Michigan with him on the bench, Purdue will enter the game plan knowing his absence is likely.
