Purdue vs. UCLA odds, prediction: 2026 Big Ten Conference Tournament men's college basketball picks from proven model

For the third time in five years, the seventh-seeded Purdue Boilermakers will look to reach the Big Ten championship game when they battle the sixth-seeded UCLA Bruins on Saturday afternoon. Purdue is coming off a 74-58 quarterfinal win over second-seeded Nebraska on Friday, while UCLA downed third-seeded Michigan State 88-84. The Boilermakers (25-8), who have won two in a row, are looking to win their third conference tournament championship and first since 2023. The Bruins (23-10), who have won four straight, are competing in just their second Big Ten Tournament after winning four Pac-12 tournament titles, the last coming in 2014.

Tip-off from the United Center in Chicago is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Paramount+. UCLA leads the all-time series 11-4, including a 69-67 win on Jan. 20. Purdue is a 7.5-point favorite in the latest Purdue vs. UCLA odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 147.5. 

Before making any Purdue vs. UCLA picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered conference tournament week on a sizzling 14-2 run on top-ranked over/under picks dating back to last year, and is on an 28-21 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following could have seen HUGE returns!

The model has simulated Purdue vs. UCLA 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations!

So who wins Purdue vs. UCLA, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times!