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Charlie Grant
Old Dominion vs. Purdue Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
Carsen Edwards came back for his junior year at Purdue with the hopes of seeing his Boilermakers get past the Sweet Sixteen. The unanimous Big Ten first teamer will have to find a cure for the Boilermakers’ road struggles when he and his teammates play Conference USA champion Old Dominion on Thursday in Hartford.
Old Dominion (14) vs. Purdue (3) NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The Monarchs won their first two conference tournament games by a combined three points, but still won the Conference USA tourney. They are just 1-6 against the spread in their last seven games and 5-14 ATS in their last 19.
Old Dominion was a good bet for under players this season. The team played under the total in 20 of its 33 games and the under is a perfect 7-0 in its last seven contests. The Monarchs are 9-4 against the number in non-conference games this season, but Thursday’s matchup against Purdue marks just the fifth time they’ll be underdogs in a game this campaign.
Purdue enters the Tournament with a sour taste in its mouth after Minnesota bounced Matt Painter’s side early in the Big Ten tourney. The Boilermakers were on a 6-1 straight up run before the Golden Gophers upset them as 9.5-point underdogs.
The team still finished with a share of the Big Ten regular season crown with Michigan State.
Old Dominion Monarchs
Old Dominion are back in the Big Dance for the first time since 2011 and the program hasn’t won a game in the Tournament since 2010 when it down Notre Dame 51-50.
Head coach Jeff Jones uses a three-guard starting lineup and senior guard B.J. Smith leads the Monarchs in scoring (16.9 points per game) and rebounds (7.4 rpg). Smith enters the Tournament in the midst of a shooting funk. He’s connecting on just 26 percent of his attempts from the field over his last five games.
Purdue Boilermakers
The Boilermakers are the third-highest seeded Big Ten team in the Tournament, and they have some warts outside their early departure from their conference tourney. Purdue is a perfect 15-0 straight up on its home court but just 8-9 away from the cozy confines of the Mackey Complex.
The team went 7-4 straight up in non-conference games but failed to win against any of its big-name out-of-conference foes (Texas, Virginia Tech and Florida State).
