Is Purdue giving up too much to Vermont? March Madness Predictions 3/16/17

Vermont vs. Purdue Pick

No. 4 Purdue hopes to have a smooth ride in its NCAA Tournament opener today at 7:27PM ET when it faces No. 13 Vermont.

According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Purdue is favored in this game, as the Boilermakers are getting odds of -10 points against Vermont. The over/under total for the game is listed at 134.5 points. These two actually met last season with Purdue getting a 107-79 victory at home. This game will take part in the Midwest Region and air on TruTV from the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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Purdue went 25-7 this season and won the Big Ten regular-season title. The Boilermakers were 14-4 in Big Ten play while going 17-10-2 against the spread. Purdue is averaging 80.1 points per game on offense this season while allowing 67.2 on defense. Away from home, the offensive average drops to just 73.7 points per game. Caleb Swanigan is a handful for opponents to deal with. He averages 18.5 points and 12.6 rebounds per game to lead the team while Isaac Haas is adding 12.8 points and 5.1 boards per contest.

Vermont is 29-5 on the season and winners of the America East regular-season and tournament titles after going 16-0 in conference play in the regular season. Vermont is 4-4 against the spread this season in eight lined games. The Catamounts average 73.4 points per game while allowing 62.8 on defense. Anthony Lamb is averaging 12.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while Payton Henson and Trae Bell-Haynes each average over 11 points per contest.

Bet on March Madness

This isn’t a good matchup for Vermont. While the Catamounts won’t lack confidence given their long win streak, they are not a team that can battle inside. Vermont will have a lot of trouble defending Swanigan, and Purdue also has tremendous outside shooting to combine with their force inside. Purdue shoots 40.6 percent from the arc, and that balance of outside and inside scoring will be difficult for Vermont to defend.

MARCH MADNESS PREDICTION: PURDUE -10