How to watch, stream Houston basketball vs. Purdue in NCAA Sweet 16: TV, predictions
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Houston may be the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Region and still a strong national title contender.
But this weekend, the Cougars won’t likely have the crowd on their side inside Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium for the Midwest Regional. While Friday’s Sweet 16 game will officially go down as a neutral-site game, it will feel like more of a road atmosphere for the Cougars as they play Purdue, a team that will travel about an hour from its campus.
Can Houston tap into its road mentality for at least one more weekend?
The Cougars will be making their sixth straight trip to the Sweet 16, now the nation’s longest active streak after Houston denied Gonzaga a 10th straight Sweet 16 trip in the Cougars’ second-round victory last weekend.
Houston (32-4) goes into Friday’s game on a 15-game winning streak, and now have won 28 of its past 29 games after its second-round win against Gonzaga behind 30 points from graduate guard LJ Cryer.
Cryer, who also made six 3-pointers in that win, leads Houston in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game and also tops the Big 12 with a .428 3-point percentage.
Purdue (24-11), last season’s national runner-up and the No. 4 seed in the Midwest, made it back to the Sweet 16 after defeating High Point in the first round and then McNeese in the second round. The Boilermakers are led by junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who leads the team in scoring (20.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg), while junior guard Braden Smith averages 16 points and 8.5 assists, which leads the team.
It will be the fourth time Houston has faced Purdue, and the first time in an NCAA tourney game. The Boilermakers lead the all-time series 2-1. It’s also the fourth time Houston coach Kelvin Sampson has taken on Purdue coach Matt Painter, with Sampson owning a 2-1 advantage, all coming during his stint at Indiana.
Kelvin Sampson still receiving support - and a gift - from one of his former bosses
Friday’s winner advances to the Midwest Regional final on Sunday against the winner between No. 2 seed Tennessee and No. 3 seed Kentucky, which plays the first game of the Friday twin bill at Lucas Oil Stadium. Should Houston win its game Friday, the Cougars will likely face another virtual road environment on Sunday as Kentucky and Tennessee also are within close proximity to Indianapolis.
Houston vs. Purdue TV Channel, Live Stream, Predictions
Who: No. 1 seeded Houston (32-4) vs. No. 4 seeded Purdue (24-11) in the Sweet 16 of the Midwest Regional in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
When: 9:28 p.m. CST | Friday, March 28
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium | Indianapolis, Indiana
ESPN FPI Prediction: Houston has a 79.4% chance to win
Our Prediction: Houston 76, Purdue 67
TV Channel: TBS/truTV
Live Stream: Stream the game live online on the MAX app, Sling, DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu, YouTube TV and the March Madness app.
Radio Station: Listen on SiriusXM channel 202 (Houston broadcast).
Live Audio Stream: Listen online on The Varsity Network App
