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Updated Purdue vs. Yale Odds, Spread, Pick & Predictions for 2022 NCAA Tournament

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Purdue Boilermakers vs. Yale Bulldogs 2022 NCAA Tournament Game Preview

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Purdue Boilermakers Preview

Oh man, what a talented and fun offense this Boilermakers team possesses. Jaden Ivey could be one of the most electric players to watch in the tournament, and with the combination of Ivey’s playmaking ability, Zach Edey’s size down low, sharpshooting wings, and impressive depth, Purdue can run any team out of the building.

Despite their lethal offense, however, we haven’t seen Purdue dominate many opponents. The Boilermakers’ 84-68 win over Illinois in February was impressive, but it was followed immediately by an 82-58 loss to Michigan in which they only averaged 0.94 points per possession.

Purdue has had some unlucky losses, with a couple of buzzer-beaters going against them. If a couple of bounces had gone their way, we’d be talking about Purdue as a clear 1 seed.

I’ve never trusted a team that is only offense, and Purdue is no exception. Their 102nd-ranked defense makes me doubt they can string together six straight wins. Still, there are about 20 teams in the championship tier, and Purdue is absolutely one of them. Ivey would have to go nuclear, and Purdue’s defense would seriously have to step up for the Boilermakers to cut down the nets in New Orleans.

Yale Bulldogs Preview

Yale played resiliently down the stretch, especially in the conference finals, to grab the Ivy League title and an automatic bid. While they held a comfortable lead throughout the last game against top-seeded Princeton, they let it to dwindle in the final minutes but fought to become back-to-back conference champions.

The Bulldogs were one of the best defensive teams in the conference, as they allowed the second-fewest points (69 ppg). Their standout offensive player is guard Azir Swan, as the offense runs through him and he can do it all — drive into the lane, shoot from the perimeter, or dish off. He came up big in the Ivy League championship, with a team-high 25 points and hit some clutch shots late in the game.

Yale is a physical on the boards and were second in the conference with 36 total rebounds per game and 26.9 defensive rebounds. If their opponent doesn’t have a good shooting day, Yale could win the rebound margin and come away with an early tournament win.

Rapid Prediction for Purdue Boilermakers vs. Yale Bulldogs

Yale has been a pest in the NCAA Tournament before, knocking off Baylor as a 12 seed in 2016 and losing by five points to LSU in 2019 as a 14 seed. Now, the Bulldogs will try to give another 3 seed fits as they matchup with the highly talented but highly frustrating Purdue Boilermakers. When Purdue is on, they are as good as anyone in the country, They possess one of the best offenses in the country and rank fourth in effective field goal percentage, per Bart Torvik. The problem is that Purdue doesn’t defend, ranking 90th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. Yale’s lone calling card is its three-point defense, which ranks 34th in the country. However, the Bulldogs struggle to put points on the board and don’t have a player taller than 6-foot-8, which could be problematic against Purdue’s Zach Edey and Trevion Williams. Purdue is certainly susceptible to tournament letdowns, but this Yale team isn’t as capable as past groups. Other than senior guard Azar Swain, this Yale team doesn’t have much of a scoring punch. Talent should prevail here.

Purdue Boilermakers vs. Yale Bulldogs Round 1 Game Pick

Purdue -16

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