Two college basketball behemoths clash when the defending national champion UConn Huskies and the Big Ten regular-season champion Purdue Boilermakers meet in the 2024 NCAA national championship game on Monday. The Boilermakers (34-4), who have won 11 of their last 12 and 20 of 22, are making their first title game appearance since 1969. The Huskies (36-3), who won the Big East regular season and tournament championships, are seeking to become the first back-to-back champions since Florida in 2006 and 2007. UConn is a five-time champion, while Purdue is seeking its first title.

Tipoff at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. is scheduled for 9:20 p.m. ET. The Huskies are 6.5-point favorites in the latest Purdue vs. UConn odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 143.5.

Before making any UConn vs. Purdue picks or NCAA Tournament predictions, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model. (See up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page.)

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 152-109 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,800 for $100 players. It also has a strong 32-21 (+890) record on top-rated spread picks this season, and its bracket picks rank in the 92nd percentile among all CBS Sports Bracket Challenge entries so far in 2024. Anyone following has seen HUGE returns!

The model knows senior guard Tristen Newton leads a balanced Huskies attack, which sees five players averaging 11 points per game or more. The fifth-year player has started all 39 games, and is averaging 14.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 33.1 minutes. He is coming off a near double-double in Saturday's 86-72 win over Alabama in the national semifinals. In that game, he scored 12 points, dished out nine assists and grabbed three rebounds. His best tournament game was a 20-point and 10-assist effort in a second-round 75-58 win over Northwestern.

The model has also taken into account that senior center Zach Edey continues to dominate the opposition, registering his eighth consecutive double-double and 29th of the year in Saturday's 63-50 national semifinal win over North Carolina State. In that game, he scored 20 points, while adding 12 rebounds and four assists. He poured in 40 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 72-66 win over Tennessee in the Elite Eight. In 38 games, all starts, he is averaging 24.9 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.1 assists in 31.8 minutes.

For Monday, the model has set its sights on Purdue vs. UConn. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time! You ABSOLUTELY need to see the model before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Purdue vs. UConn, and which side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Purdue vs. UConn spread you should be all over Monday, all from the model on a 32-21 roll on top-ranked college basketball spread picks!

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