NCAA First Round: Queens vs Purdue Preview, Odds, Predictions (March 20)
- The Royals make their first D-I NCAA Tournament appearance.
- The Boilermakers won their third Big Ten tournament title in program history.
- This marks the first all-time matchup between the two squads.
The final matchup of the March 15 slate will happen in the Big Ten Tournament when the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines take on the No. 18 Purdue Boilermakers in the championship game on Sunday afternoon. The former comes out as the slight favorite, paving the way for a strong matchup to conclude the conference tournament and allow Selection Sunday to take over.
How to Watch
- When: Friday, March 20, 7:35 pm ET
- Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
- How to Watch: truTV
NCAA Matchup Odds & Lines
| Team | Odds | Spread | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queens | -108 | +25.5 | O159.5 |
| Purdue | -112 | -25.5 | U159.5 |
Game Preview
The Royals (21-13) are going Dancing for the first time as Division I program. They took down top-seeded Central Arkansas in a thrilling overtime clash in the ASUN Tournament Championship. Queens shoots 47-percent of their attempts from behind the arc, and rank 67th in the country in 3-point field goal percentage, according to KenPom. However, the Royals can also score down low, ranking 15th in the nation in 2-point field goal percentage. Nasir Mann leads Queens this season with 13.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The athletic guard brings tournament experience from his time at McNeese State and was named the ASUN Tournament MVP after averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and three assists per game.
The Boilermakers (27-8) have been successful as one of the top squads in the country, beating Michigan to take the Big Ten Championship. The Boilermakers offense is one of the best in the nation as Purdue ranks 55th in the nation in scoring. A key to that success has been taking care of the ball, as the Boilermakers rank first in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. Braden Smith won the Big Ten Player of the Year Award and landed on the First Team All-America team. Smith is two assists away from breaking Bobby Hurley’s all-time NCAA record set back in 1993. This year, he is averaging a team-high 14.0 points, 9.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
Queens vs Purdue Head-to-Head
The two programs are facing each other for the first time in their respective histories.
Queens vs Purdue Predictions
The winner of this matchup will take on the victors between Missouri and Miami in the second round. Queens has exceeded expectations as they look to enjoy their first time in March Madness as a D-I program. Purdue are the dominant favorite for many reasons, prompting many factors for them to prevail over the Royals’ underdog status. Our betting pick here is for the Boilermakers to defend a 25.5-point spread.
- Free NCAAB pick:Â Purdue Boilermakers -25.5
