Although the Purdue Boilermakers lost out to the two Michigan schools for the Big Ten regular season and conference championship, the Selection Committee awarded them with the best seed of any of the Big Ten teams. Purdue has been consistent all year long with a number of quality wins against marquee programs, and the team had a 19-game winning streak at one point. The CBB betting lines have the Boilermakers as the largest favorite of the No. 2 seeds when they take on the Cal State Fullerton Titans.
This war on the floor will go down Friday, March 16, 2018, at 12:40 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The game will be televised live on truTV. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game throughout March Madness.
Opening NCAAB Basketball Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Purdue -20.5
CS Fullerton +20.5
Over/Under 145
The Big West Conference was filled with quality teams this season, but the Titans were the best over the course of three days in Anaheim. In all three games, Cal State Fullerton was a virtual pick ‘em per the NCAAB betting odds. The Titans gutted out close wins over Long Beach State and UC Davis in their first two games before hammering UC Irvine to take the Big West title.
Purdue’s three-game losing streak after winning 19 straight cost it a chance at a No. 1 seed. The Boilermakers losses to Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin came by a combined eight points, so they were in every game, but they just couldn’t come through in the end. Purdue did make it to the Big Ten Championship Game, but it was stopped in its tracks there by a very good Michigan team
Player to Watch
Kyle Allman is the player that needs a big game in order for CS Fullerton to pull off the upset. Allman gets to the line a ton. He has taken the 15th-most free throws of any player in the country this season and usually makes opponents pay when he gets to the line. Allman is hitting 75 percent of his freebies, so Purdue can’t allow him to live at the line.
Unlike a few other players on that list, Allman is not someone that needs to draw contact in order to be successful though. He is extremely efficient from the floor, sinking 48.8 percent of his field goals and 43 percent of his three-pointers on the year.
Key Stat
In years past, Purdue killed you down low with its big men, but this year it’s the three-point shooting that is doing the damage. The Boilermakers are the second-best three-point shooting team in the country this season at 42 percent. Rather than just one or two guys doing all the damage though, the whole team has been fantastic at connecting from range.
The Boilermakers have five players that have shot at least 95 three-pointers this season, and all five are hitting at last 39 percent from beyond the arc. That’s an incredible number and makes it impossible for opponents to lock any one player down. Dakota Mathias is the leader in tis department, hitting 46.4 percent, but there are no bad options for the Boilers.
Free March Madness ATS Picks
As good as Purdue has been this season, the Boilermakers didn’t really blow anyone out down the stretch. Per the college basketball betting odds, Purdue went 1-8-1 ATS over its last ten games and couldn’t really put teams away like the oddsmakers expected them to.
With that in mind, take the Titans and the points. Cal State Fullerton has been decent at defending the three and won’t provide Purdue with an abundance of clean looks. The Boilermakers will get the win, but they won’t cover the spread.
NCAAB Basketball Betting Odds: Purdue 81, Cal State Fullerton 67
BookMaker.eu offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu!
