Purdue vs. UConn Player Props & Prediction: Clingan X-Factor in Men's National Championship

The Purdue Boilermakers look to pull off the upset against the title favorite UConn Huskies in Monday's March Madness championship, and we have our top Purdue vs. UConn player props based on the top March Madness odds.

The best matchup of March Madness tips off Monday at 9:20 p.m. ET, as the top-seeded UConn Huskies (36-3) face off against the fellow No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers (34-4) in the national championship game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The Huskies are 6.5-point favorites across our best sports betting sites to win their second straight title.

While the matchup itself presents so many fascinating angles, all eyes will be on Purdue's Zach Edey - the frontrunner by the Wooden Award odds - as he squares off against UConn's Donovan Clingan, who remains the favorite for March Madness MVP odds at most of our best sports betting apps.

Those two have helped carry their team to Monday's title game, and their clash down low conjures images of Godzilla vs. King Kong on the court. It all adds up to a must-watch contest in the title game - but which of those two stars will get the last laugh?

To complement our Purdue vs. UConn prediction, men's national championship expert picks, and Zach Edey player props, here are our best Purdue vs. UConn player props (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Purdue vs. UConn player props

Zach Edey Under 37.5 points + rebounds ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds:

All season, Edey (7-4, 300 lbs) has used his size to bully defenders in the paint and pluck rebounds with relative ease, just as he did throughout the regular season to claim his second consecutive Naismith Award as college basketball's most dominant player.

Coming off his least impressive performance of the NCAA Tournament — 32 combined points and rebounds against NC State — Edey is set to face his toughest opposition yet. Clingan, known as "Cling Kong" for his size at 7-foot-2, 280 pounds, is the perfect player to extinguish Edey's scoring and rebounding pace.

Behind Clingan, UConn is fourth in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, per , and it allows the seventh-fewest rebounds per game to opponents (30.2). This matchup could also wear on Edey, with Clingan's scoring skill (16.2 PPG in the NCAA Tournament) putting more pressure on the Boilermakers star on the defensive end.

This same prop is set at 36.5 at  with the Under at -125, making  line an incredible value. The -125 odds imply a 55.56% probability it will hit, according to our odds calculator, but at -111, a $10 bet leads to a $9.01 profit.

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Donovan Clingan Over 0.5 steals ⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: 

All eyes will be on Edey vs. Clingan in the national championship. It's the best player in college basketball against one of the top 2024 NBA Draft prospects, and both happen to be built like Kaiju. While Edey is a prolific scorer, he's been prone to turnovers, leaning on power rather than grace, opening the door for Clingan to pickpocket him. 

The UConn center ranks as the best defender in the country by DBPR, per . While he's better known for his rim-protecting skills than his finesse, he's shown he can create turnovers with steals. With Edey averaging 2.3 turnovers per game and coming off a five-turnover performance against the Wolfpack, Clingan is poised to pick up at least one steal.

He's averaging 0.5 steals per game this season and has had at least one in three of five March Madness games - he's averaging 1.0 per game in the NCAA Tournament. The +105 odds at  would turn a $10 wager into a $10.50 profit if the Over hits, with the odds representing a 48.78% probability.

Tristen Newton Over 5.5 assists ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds:

The two mammoths duking it out in the paint may make the headlines, but UConn's best player this season has been All-American guard Tristen Newton. Despite Newton's inconsistencies as a shooter throughout the NCAA Tournament, he's been able to compensate by setting up others.

With Newton as the Huskies' lead guard, they're first in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, and he's leading the team with 6.2 per game. He's been even better during March Madness with 7.2 apples per outing, and he's coming off a 9-assist game against Alabama in the Final Four.

Even with Purdue's defense ranking 12th in adjusted efficiency, it's struggled against playmaking guards this season. The Boilermakers allow the second most assists per game in college basketball (14.1). These -115 odds via  imply a 53.49% probability Newton finishes with at least six assists, and a $10 bet would turn a $8.70 profit if he does.

Purdue (1) vs. UConn (1) game info

• When: Monday, April 8
• Tip-off: 9:20 p.m. ET
• Where: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Az.
• How to watch: TBS
• Favorite: UConn -6.5 ()

Purdue vs. UConn odds

Purdue-UConn player props made Sunday at 11 a.m. ET.

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