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The Davidson Wildcats take on the Purdue Boilermakers. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Davidson Purdue prediction and pick.
The Purdue Boilermakers are unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the country. They were ranked No. 1 in December of last year, but they didn't handle the pressure or scrutiny particularly well. By the end of the season, Purdue had fallen to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, meaning the Boilermakers were no better than the No. 9 team in the country on a 1-68 seed list. This season, Purdue hopes to maintain top form and carry itself as a heavyweight throughout the regular season and into March Madness. Purdue has not made the Final Four since 1980. Painter's mentor, Gene Keady, had a very successful multi-decade run as Purdue's head coach, but he never made the Final Four. Painter himself has had a long and very successful Keady-like run at Purdue, but he is still waiting on his first Final Four appearance. It's the goal for the program, an elusive prize everyone in West Lafayette is desperate to attain. It forms part of the backdrop to this game against Davidson, and to the Boilermakers' larger journey as they move toward Christmas and then the heart of Big Ten Conference play at the start of 2023.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Davidson-Purdue College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Davidson-Purdue Odds
Davidson Wildcats: +15.5 (-114)
Purdue Boilermakers: -15.5 (-106)
Over: 141.5 (-110)
Under: 141.5 (-110)
Why Davidson Could Cover the Spread
This is a big spread, for one thing. Second, Purdue has been known to lose focus or not handle pressure particularly well when it attains a top national ranking. Here is a remarkable fact about Purdue: The Boilermakers have not been a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1996. That's 26 years.
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Let's be clear here: We're not talking about being the No. 1 team in the whole country, just a No. 1 seed, which is commensurate with a top-four national ranking. Purdue has not been able to establish a top-four placement in the NCAA Tournament for 26 years. This tells you that the Boilermakers, despite having a lot of good and talented teams, hit a rut or two during the regular season and fall into enough traps that they fail to land that No. 1 seed. It's part of why the Boilermakers have not made the Final Four: They don't have the best possible bracket and the best possible matchups in March. Davidson can take advantage of a Purdue lull and cover the very fat spread here.
Why Purdue Could Cover the Spread
Purdue is simply a better and more cohesive team than it was last season. Matt Painter couldn't put multiple big men on court because Purdue suffered on defense when Painter went to a big lineup. Purdue didn't have enough speed on defense to keep up with mobile, agile guards and wings. Now, Purdue has a more streamlined and balanced lineup. The Boilermakers have a better five-man defensive unit and don't have as many holes in their starting five or their overall rotation, including their bench. The pieces simply have a more compatible fit this season, and that is a big reason for the team's success.
Davidson is also not as strong as it was last season. Matt McKillop is the new head coach, taking over for his dad, Bob McKillop, who led the program for more than 30 years and coached Stephen Curry to greatness. Davidson has been blown out by Charleston and has lost to Charlotte and Delaware. That's not a team which is going to be competitive against Purdue.
Final Davidson-Purdue Prediction & Pick
This is a game in which Purdue will romp. Davidson is an average team, Purdue a great team. There is a Grand Canyon-level chasm between these two squads.
Final Davidson-Purdue Prediction & Pick: Purdue -15.5
