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The Yale Bulldogs are set to face the Purdue Boilermakers. Check out our March Madness odds series, which includes our Yale Purdue prediction, odds, and pick.
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The Yale Bulldogs led the Princeton Tigers by nine points late in the Ivy League Championship Game this past Sunday. It seemed as though Yale was about to return to the NCAA Tournament and finish off a relatively low-stress game. Then the Bulldogs briefly unraveled, and Princeton pulled within two points and had the ball with a chance to tie or win. Princeton couldn't score, and Yale hung on for dear life. That experience could tell some people that Yale is a shaky team, but it could also be viewed as a sequence of events in which a good team had a bad minute and yet lived to tell the tale. Escaping disaster often liberates a team in its next game. Yale, which has scored March upsets before — remember a win over Baylor a few years ago in the NCAA Tournament — should enter this game with joy and confidence, a potent combination for anyone thinking about a Yale Purdue prediction.
The Purdue Boilermakers have not made the Final Four since 1980. Four decades have come and gone since then, and a proud program with a rich basketball heritage is trying to end this agonizing drought. John Wooden played at Purdue. The state of Indiana is basketball-crazy, and Purdue — which made the 1969 national championship game before falling to Lew Alcindor in the legend's final college game (before becoming an NBA icon as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) — is itching to put this 42-year drought behind it. The journey to history and glory begins with this first-round game against Yale.
Purdue has size and power. Zach Edey is a mountain of a man in the middle, and Trevion Williams is a skilled big who can bang and bruise in the low post. Jaden Ivey is a hugely talented scorer for the Boilermakers who will be trusted to have the ball — and do something with it — in big moments. Purdue has a lot of high-quality pieces on its roster. This team has considerable potential and the ability to reshape the March Madness odds in its favor.
The problem: Purdue hasn't realized that potential yet.
The Boilermakers gained the No. 1 ranking for the first time in school history in December … and then promptly lost at Rutgers. That's the kind of season it has been for Purdue, which got swept by eventual Big Ten co-champion Wisconsin and has not been able to sustain a high level of play for a long period of time. Purdue takes one step back for every step forward. The Boilermakers have a thin bench and have not found a way to play their best defense with any regularity. Purdue struggles to guard on the perimeter, which is something to remember when making a Yale Purdue pick. This team can transform the way it is remembered with a strong March, but the Boilermakers are not entering this month with the level of form one would want from a team with championship aspirations.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Yale-Purdue odds:
March Madness Odds: Yale-Purdue Odds
Yale: +16.5 (-110)
Purdue: -16.5 (-110)
Over: 144.5 (-110)
Under: 144.5 (-110)
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Why Yale Could Cover the Spread
Purdue doesn't play very strong defense. Yale will be able to score. This is why the total is 144.5 and not 134 or 124.
Why Purdue Could Cover the Spread
The Boilermakers' size and power will completely overwhelm Yale.
Final Yale-Purdue Prediction & Pick
Purdue will win the game, but the Boilermakers' defense is nowhere near good enough to make a huge spread hold up. Purdue by 10.
Final Yale-Purdue Pick: Yale +16.5
