Arizona vs. Purdue odds, March Madness predictions: 2026 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight picks from proven model

A spot in the Final Four is on the line when the second-seeded Purdue Boilermakers battle the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats in a 2026 NCAA Tournament West Region Elite Eight matchup on Saturday. Purdue is coming off a 79-77 win over 11-seeded Texas on Thursday in the Sweet 16, while Arizona defeated fourth-seeded Arkansas 109-88. The Boilermakers (30-8), who placed sixth in the Big Ten at 13-7, have won seven in a row. The Wildcats (35-2), who finished first in the Big 12 at 16-2, have won 12 straight games. 

Tipoff from the SAP Center at San Jose is set for 8:49 p.m. ET. After opening at -6.5, the Wildcats are now 5.5-point favorites in the latest Purdue vs. Arizona odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 152.5 Before making any Arizona vs. Purdue picks, check out the Purdue vs. Arizona predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 Elite Eight on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks.

Now, the model has simulated Purdue vs. Arizona 10,000 times and just revealed its college basketball picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several college basketball odds and college basketball lines for Arizona vs. Purdue:

Basketball Top Purdue vs. Arizona predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Purdue vs. Arizona, SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (152.5 points). The Over has hit in four of the five games for Purdue. The over has also hit in four of the last five games for Arizona. 

The model projects the Boilermakers to have four players score 11.8 points or more, including Trey Kaufman-Renn, who is projected to score 15.9 points. The Wildcats are projected to have four players score 11.2 points or more, led by Brayden Burries, who is projected to score 15 points. The model is projecting 157 combined points as the Over clears in 60% of simulations. You can get the spread pick at SportsLine.

Basketball How to make Purdue vs. Arizona picks

Now, the model simulated every possession of Purdue vs. Arizona 10,000 times and says one side of the spread hits in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Purdue vs. Arizona, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Purdue vs. Arizona spread to back, all from the advanced model that just simulated this game 10,000 times, and find out.