The Purdue Boilermakers secured a comfortable victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament East Region after a 74-48 thrashing of the Cal State Fullerton Titans on Friday, March 16. Purdue successfully covered the -20.5 spread, while the game went way under the total of 144.5 points.
The Boilermakers qualified for the Round of 32 where they will take on the winner of the matchup between Arkansas and Butler, and whoever gets a win in that tilt, should be considered as an underdog against Purdue on Sunday.
The odds for the clash between Purdue and Arkansas and Butler will be released by BetDSI Sportsbook in a few hours, and considering the opening round and easy win over Fullerton, the Boilermakers shouldn’t have problems to progress to the Sweet 16.
Game Recap
The Boilermakers controlled the tilt from the start and had a 9-point lead at intermission and performed even better in the offense in the second half, while the defense did its job pretty well.
Purdue shot 39% from the floor and hit nine out of 22 attempts from the perimeter, while they dominated the boards (44-34) and committed just nine turnovers in opposite to Fullerton’s 17. Also, Matt Painter’s squad made 19 free-throws, while they allowed only nine in return.
Vincent Edwards led Purdue with 15 points and seven boards; Carsen Edwards also scored 15 points with four rebounds, while P.J. Thompson chipped in with 11 points and a couple of steals.
Purdue’s odds to win the NCAA Tournament can be found at BetDSI and they are pegging the Bulldogs at +1250, which means that Matt Painter’s side is among the favorites to lift the NCAA title this year. The Boilermakers’ next possible opponents Arkansas (+22000) and Butler (+20000) are not considered as serious contenders in this year’s tournament.
