Purdue vs. Arizona odds, prediction: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven expert on 44-28 run

The second-seeded Purdue Boilermakers battle the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats in an NCAA Tournament West Region Elite 8 matchup on Saturday. Purdue advanced with a 79-77 win over the 11th-seeded Texas Longhorns on Thursday, while Arizona defeated fourth-seeded Arkansas 109-88 in the Sweet 16. The Boilermakers (30-8), who tied for sixth in the Big Ten Conference at 13-7, have won seven in a row. The Wildcats (35-2), who won both the Big 12 Conference regular season and conference tournament championships, have won 12 straight.

The game from SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., tips off at 8:49 p.m. ET. Purdue leads the all-time series 8-5, including a 92-84 win in their last meeting on Dec. 16, 2023. Arizona is a 6.5-point favorite in the latest Purdue vs. Arizona odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 138.5. 

Before making any Purdue vs. Arizona picks, check out what SportsLine college basketball expert Bob Konarski has to say.

Konarski specializes in college basketball, displaying in-depth knowledge of hundreds of Division I teams. He is a regular presence in the SportsLine Discord, co-hosts a weekly Twitter Spaces with fellow CBB expert Tom Casale and can be seen on the "Early Edge" breaking down his college hoops plays. He enters the NCAA Tournament Elite 8 on a 44-28 run on college basketball picks, returning $1,308 for $100 players. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.

Now Konarski has broken down Purdue vs. Arizona from every angle and locked in his picks. He's leaning Over on the total, and he's also found a critical X-factor that has him jumping on one side the spread! 

So who covers in Purdue vs. Arizona, and what critical X-factor do you need to know about? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the expert on a sizzling 44-28 run on CBB picks!