Purdue basketball vs. High Point prediction, picks in NCAA Tournament

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WATCH: Purdue’s Braden Smith at Wednesday’s open practice in Providence

Purdue’s point guard has the top assist rate in the nation. Purdue will face High Point on Thursday in the NCAA tournament in Providence, RI.

Purdue basketball opens the 2025 NCAA Tournament against High Point in Midwest Regional action this afternoon at Providence, Rhode Island.

The No. 4 seeded Boilermakers (22-11) have lost six of their last nine games. They rely heavily on Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith, All-Big Ten first-teamer Trey Kaufman-Renn and 3-point shooter Fletcher Loyer, who account for 64.3% of their scoring. Purdue is top 10 in the nation in field-goal shooting (49.0%) and takes care of the ball (16.0 assists vs. 10.4 turnovers per game).

The No. 13 Panthers (29-5) have won 14 straight games on their way to the Big South tournament championship but have played just one March Madness team. High Point relies on depth and balance, using a 10-player rotation. It’s among the nation’s highest-scoring (81.7 points, 17th) and best-shooting (49.3%, No. 5) teams.

Here are game picks and predictions:

Purdue basketball vs. High Point picks, predictions

The Panthers did not play a single high-major opponent all season. The Boilermakers need to show them what one looks like early via Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn doing what they’ve done all year.

Despite two teams trending in different directions, the caliber of opponents is drastically different. Purdue gets in the win column.

The Boilermakers have the talent advantage and the matchup advantage, which means they should be able to hold off the upset. Purdue may not replicate its Final Four run from last year, but it feels like the Boilermakers got a good break facing a team whose defense is its biggest weakness.

I like the over in this one as both offenses should feast in the half court against one another.

The Boilermakers know what it takes to win in March, and this is a veteran team led by guards Braden Smith and Fletcher…

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Publish date : 2025-03-20 07:00:00

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