NCAA Tournament: Purdue vs. Villanova fearless prediction and game preview.
Broadcast
Date: Saturday, March 23
Game Time: 8:40 ET
Venue: XL Center, Hartford, CT
Network: TNT
All You Really Need To Know About Villanova (26-9)
(Big East), NCAA NET Rank: 26. South 6-seed
The Wildcats got pushed hard by a plucky Saint Mary’s team, but they managed to get out alive by doing what they do – hit threes. They only took nine – that can be a half for them – but they connected on five of them. They had problems on the boards against the big Gaels, but they gutted it out against a team that lived on getting into slugfests.
There aren’t enough steals, and there will be problems on the board, but they’re dearly when they unleash the three. They know how to take over games, and they’re just fine at keeping games slow and low scoring.
All You Really Need To Know About Purdue (24-9)
(Big Ten), NCAA NET Rank: 12. South 3-seed
The Boilermakers got out to a great start, and they put it on cruise control from there in a 61-48 win over Old Dominion. They got 26 points and a tough game out of Carson Edwards, and 7-3 Matt Haarms was 7-3 Matt Haarms hitting 5-of-6 from the field while not getting too taxed.
But to get by Villanova, they’re going to have to crank up the firepower. They led the Big Ten in three pointers, and they weren’t afraid against ODU, jacking up 30 and hitting nine. They’re going to have to do better than that, considering they finished 12th in the Big Ten in three point defense. And …
What’s Going To Happen
Purdue can’t hit free throws. It struggled all year, and it hit just 12-of-18 against ODU.
The problems at guarding the three are going to be extra problematic. This is a flawed Villanova team, and it’s not the one of the last few seasons, but it knows how to pull a slew of rabbits out of its hat.
The Wildcats won’t get killed on the boards, but in the end, they’ll move on because they’ll make more free throws and come up with a few more threes in what should be a fun up-and-down scoring battle.
Fearless Prediction & Line
Villanova 78, Purdue 75
Line: Coming, o/u: Coming
ATS Confidence: Coming
5: Watching games by Vegas pool working on fruity drink No. 3
1: Watching game online while doing TPS reports in your cubicle
