The No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers (28-6) clash with the No. 15 Cal State Fullerton Titans (20-11) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at Little Caesars Arena. The game is scheduled to start at 12:40 p.m. ET on Friday, March 16, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 144.5 points with Purdue set as a 20.5-point favorite.
Cal State Fullerton Titans vs. Purdue Boilermakers Free Prediction
The Titans come in on a high note after beating the UC Irvine Anteaters in the , 71-55. The Titans had an absurdly low turnover percentage of 7.1 (better than their season average of 18.4), while the Anteaters had a free throw rate of 0.197 (below the 0.263 mark opponents have averaged against Cal State Fullerton this season). Cal State Fullerton was led by Kyle Allman Jr., who was the top scorer from either team with 26 points on 8-for-16 shooting.
In the , the Boilermakers were beaten by the No. 15 Michigan Wolverines, 75-66. Michigan’s 7.4 turnover percentage was their biggest advantage over Purdue, who had a rate of 15.0. The Wolverines’ mark was better than their season average of 12.5. Purdue’s Isaac Haas had a solid performance, leading both teams in scoring with 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting.
This matchup pits one of the NCAA’s top offenses against one of its elite defensesPurdue currently ranks fifth in effective field goal percentage (0.581), while Cal State Fullerton is 36th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.472). Moreover, the Titans are among the NCAA’s elite at getting to the line, ranking first in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.320). The Boilermakers, however, rank third at keeping opponents off the charity stripe with an opponents’ FTA rate of 0.161.
Carsen Edwards has averaged 27.6 points, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals over the last five games for Purdue.
Cal State Fullerton Titans vs. Purdue Boilermakers Free Pick
Pick: SU Winner – Purdue, ATS Winner – Purdue, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Purdue ranks 114th in three pointers attempted per game (22.8) while Cal State Fullerton ranks 298th (15.5).
The Boilermakers rank 18th in assists per game (16.7) while the Titans rank 199th (12.8).
Purdue ranks 15th in blocks allowed per game (2.4) while Cal State Fullerton ranks 151st (3.6).
The Boilermakers rank 34th in steals allowed per game (5.2) while the Titans rank 75th (5.6).
Purdue ranks 50th in rebounds allowed per game (32.5) while Cal State Fullerton ranks 82nd (33.2).
Bettings Trends:
The Titans’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 7.8, up from 3.2 for the season.
During their last five games, the Boilermakers have scored an average of 80.6 points per game (0.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 73.2 points per game (7.6 above their season average).
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