Purdue vs. Old Dominion NCAA Tournament Prediction, Game Preview

By Pete Fiutak | March 18, 2019 8:57 pm CT

NCAA Tournament: Purdue vs. Old Dominion fearless prediction and game preview.

Broadcast

Date: Thursday, March 21
Game Time: 9:50 ET
Venue: XL Center, Hartford, CT
Network: TBS

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All You Really Need To Know About Purdue (23-9)

(Big Ten), NCAA NET Rank: 12. South 3-seed

The co-regular season Big Ten champ couldn’t get to the conference title game after getting bounced out by Minnesota, but that’s not the worst thing in the world – the team is fine, and the rest is a plus. The Boilermakers went on a 14-3 run to close things out, but lost twice to the Gophers.

Led by 7-3 Matt Haarms, this is big team with a fantastic inside presence that’s strong on the boards to allow the bombers to keep on firing. Purdue led the Big Ten in three-point shots, partly because the big guys can lean up the mess. However, stunningly, the defensive boards aren’t quite there and the perimeter D is lacking. Get them on the free throw line, and there’s a problem.

All You Really Need To Know About Old Dominion (26-8)

(Conference USA), NCAA NET Rank: 100. South 14-seed

The Monarchs rolled through the Conference USA regular season and overcame a few late-season losses to win the tournament championship. The guard combination of BJ Stith and Ahmad Caver carries the O, there’s a whole lot of help on a team that goes nine deep.

They win on defense and the boards, starting with seven-footers Dajour Dickens and Elbert Robinson creating a tough presence inside. They can’t shoot free throws, and they’re shockingly bad from the field considering what they have inside, but you’re not getting a rebound against them.

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What’s Going To Happen

Purdue is a whole lot better, but Old Dominion is nasty enough on the interior to negate the Boilermaker size and toughness. But the Monarchs can’t shoot, and they’ll go through just enough dry spells to let Purdue move ahead. A tight game will turn into a blowout in the last ten minutes – ODU won’t have the threes get back in it.