In the first game of the doubleheader in the Midwest Region in the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the 5-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs will face the 1-seed Purdue Boilermakers in Detroit, Michigan, at the Little Caesars Arena with the game tipping off at 7:39 PM ET on Friday evening and will air on TBS.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have looked like one of the best teams in the 2024 NCAA Tournament as they have won their first two games of the tournament by 21 points apiece with an 86-65 win against the McNeese State Cowboys in the 1^st round by a score of 86-65 and the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2^nd round by a score of 89-68. 

The game against the Jayhawks in the 2^nd round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament was close in the 1^st half as both teams would take the lead on multiple occasions with the Bulldogs trailing 43-44 at halftime following a two-point layup by Ben Gregg with 1 second left in the first half and Kansas would extend their lead to four points following a three-point shot made by Nicolas Timberlake at the 19:29 mark of the 2^nd half, however, the Bulldogs would answer with a 5-0 run to take a 48-47 lead in the game and would go on a 15-0 run following a basket made by KJ Adams Jr which would give Kansas their final lead in the game at 49-48 as the Bulldogs would outscore the Jayhawks 32-4 over a 12-minute span which games the Bulldogs an 80-53 lead. 

Gonzaga has been one of the best mid-major teams in college basketball over the last few decades. They will be playing in their 14^th and 7^th consecutive Sweet 16s in the NCAA Tournament, having advanced to six Elite Eights in the previous seasons. The Gonzaga Bulldogs will look to advance to their second consecutive Elite Eight with a win against the Purdue Boilermakers.

The Purdue Boilermakers have looked even more dominant in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. They have won their first two games by an average margin of 33.5 points per game, including a 39-point win in the second round against the Utah State Aggies by a score of 106-67. 

Purdue started off sluggish in their game against Utah State in the second round, as the Aggies started the game on a 6-2 run. However, the Boilermakers answered with a 6-0 run to take the lead. After the Aggies regained the lead at the 8:46 mark left in the first half, the Boilermakers never trailed in the game, going on a 16-0 run to take a 39-24 lead with less than three minutes left in the first half. 

Zach Edey has lived up to the pressure he had entering the 2024 NCAA Tournament. He has averaged a double-double in the tournament, with an average of 26.5 points and 17.5 rebounds per game. This will mark the 14^th time the Boilermakers have played in the Sweet 16; however, Purdue has only advanced to five Elite Eights in the previous 13 trips to the Sweet 16. 

The Purdue Boilermakers will look to advance to their first Elite Eight since the 2019 NCAA Tournament when they face the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday evening.

BetOnline has the Purdue Boilermakers listed as 5-point favorites against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday evening. This will be the 2^nd meeting between Gonzaga and Purdue this season, with the first contest occurring at the beginning of the season and resulting in a 73-63 win for the Purdue Boilermakers in the Maui Invitational.

Both teams have been dominant in their first two games of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, winning by an average margin of at least 20 points per game. However, Purdue won the matchup earlier this season by double-digits. 

I look for Purdue to advance to the Elite Eight with a win and a cover against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Sweet 16, which is why I am laying the points with the Purdue Boilermakers when they face the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Sweet 16 on Friday.