No. 11 Texas vs. No. 2 Purdue NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 predictions: Odds, recent stats, trends, and best bets

Cinderellas are at a premium in this year’s NCAA Tournament. One of the few remaining is Texas. The Longhorns were in the First Four game a little over one week ago.

Yet here they stand in the Sweet 16 after upsets of BYU and Gonzaga. Their unlikely run continues Thursday when they take a step up in class against the Purdue Boilermakers. Braden Smith and the Boilermakers arrive in San Jose following wins over Queens and Miami (FL).

Texas may be a Cinderella, but Purdue will need a better night out of Smith than they got vs. Miami should they hope to advance and push their overall win streak to seven games. In their second round win, the NCAA’s all-time assist leader did tally eight assists but he also turned the ball over eight times and scored a mere 12 points.

His night included going scoreless from three-point range on four attempts. The Longhorns have ridden on the back of Matas Vokietaitis to reach the Sweet 16. The sophomore center has scored 40 points and pulled down 25 rebounds over the last two games.