March Madness Team Betting Preview: Purdue Boilermakers
The 4-seed in the South Region of this year’s NCAA Tournament bracket is Purdue. Matt Painter’s teams have been a mainstay in the March Madness field in recent seasons. This year’s Boilermakers squad brings a suffocating defense and a whole lot of size to the table.
The road will not be easy for Purdue in the South Region. Nonetheless, Purdue has an intriguing t list of ingredients that could combine to be the perfect recipe for an extended tournament stay. Read on for an overview of the Purdue Boilermakers and a prognosis for how they’ll fare in the NCAA Tournament.
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Purdue Boilermakers Betting Preview
Record: 18-9 overall, 13-6 Big Ten
ATS: 14-11-2
O/U: 14-13
Points Scored/Game: 71.1 (162nd overall, 7th in Big Ten)
Points Allowed/Game: 66.3 (57th overall, 4th in Big Ten)
Outright Odds: +6500 (BettingPros Consensus)
Purdue Boilermakers Starters and Key Reserves
| Name | Position | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG |
| Eric Hunter Jr. | G | 8.8 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 |
| Sasha Stefanovic | G | 9.3 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| Trevion Williams | F | 15.6 | 9.0 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Brandon Newman | G | 8.3 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Jaden Ivey | G | 10.5 | 3.4 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| Mason Gillis | F | 5.1 | 3.9 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Aaron Wheeler | F | 3.9 | 4.6 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Isaiah Thompson | G | 4.0 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Zach Edey | C | 9.0 | 4.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 1.0 |
Team Strengths
Purdue’s greatest strength is Trevion Williams. Not to pin the Boilermakers March Madness hopes all on one player, but the 6’10â€, the 256-pound big man is a total stud. Williams led all Purdue players with 15.6 points per game. Add in his 9.0 rebounds, and he nearly averaged a double-double on the season. Williams combines with a formidable backcourt to create one of the best defensive teams in the Big Ten.
Matt Painter Purdue teams have been known to play tough defense over the years. They have also had comparable big men to Williams that they have leaned on offensively in the past (Caleb Swanigan, anyone?). Another strength for the Boilermakers is rebounding. Purdue crashes the glass hard as a team. While Williams leads the way statistically, rebounding is a full team effort. Purdue will have a home-state advantage with the entire NCAA Tournament being played in Indiana. They also come into the dance plenty battle-tested after playing in the loaded Big Ten Conference this season.
Team Weaknesses
The biggest question mark for Purdue coming into the tournament is the offense. Trevion Williams will get his each night, but who else can be consistently counted upon to score alongside him? Purdue’s 71.1 points per game average as a team is far from amazing. The NCAA Tournament would not be an ideal time for the shooting to go cold. As a team, the Boilermakers only shot 33.5% from three-point range this year. The inability to stretch the floor consistently could also spell trouble in a tournament setting.
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Why They’ll Win it All
Purdue has the leader in Trevion Williams, the coach in Matt Painter and the team defense to enjoy an extended March Madness stay. For the Boilermakers to win it all, Williams will have to be special, and another player or two will need to emerge as a reliable scorer.
Why They Won’t Win it All
Purdue finished the year ranked 22nd in the College Basketball Net, yet the boilermakers only went 6-7 against Quad 1 opponents. That isn’t exactly a record that bodes well for them, knowing the quality of competition that awaits in the NCAA Tournament. Purdue’s poor shooting from deep also makes it difficult for them to play from behind. Falling big early and coming back is easier said than done for the Boilermakers.
Purdue Boilermakers March Madness Prediction
Purdue will enjoy a massive size advantage over their First Round opponent, North Texas. They should have little trouble getting through to the Second Round, at which point things get a bit dicier. Whether Purdue draws 5-seed Villanova or 12-seed Winthrop in the Round of 32, they’ll be in for a fight. Should they survive to the second weekend, they won’t be able to hide any longer from the South Region’s top seed, Baylor, the most likely Sweet 16 opponent.
I tend to believe Purdue gets through the first weekend, especially given Villanova’s concerns on the injury front. But as good as the Boilermakers are defensively, they’ll have a very hard time slowing down the Bears in the Sweet 16.
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Henry John is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Henry, check out his archive and follow him @HankTimeSports.