Purdue Boilermakers – March Madness Team Predictions, Odds and Preview 2016

No. 5 Midwest – Purdue Boilermakers (Overall: 24-7, Conf: 12-6)

Team Strengths

Purdue’s offense and defense has been relatively efficient overall. The Boilermakers are posting 77.9 PPG and allowing 64.9 PPG in the regular season. Their success, though, will ultimately depend on A.J. Hammons (14.8 PPG and 7.8 RPG), who has accumulated eight double-doubles already under his belt. He has the size, strength and the touch that really makes him almost impossible to stop once he receives the rock down low. And besides him, the Boilermakers also have two other reliable options in Vince Edwards (10.5 PPG) and Caleb Swanigan (10.4 PPG) that can stretch the floor for them.

Team Weaknesses

Yes, Purdue’s size has made it difficult for opposing teams to execute their offense properly or even find any small gaps in the paint. But when going up against high-scoring clubs that live in die through their speed or outside shooting, the Boilermakers’ size turns into a disadvantage because they’ll be too slow or exhausted to get back in time for defense. And with that in mind, it’ll be interesting to see how head coach Darrell Hazel will adjust his team during these kinds of situations.

Team Statistics

Category	Stat	NCAA Rank
Points Per Game	77.9	49
Rebounds Per Game	41.2	11
Blocks Per Game	4.7	41
3-Point Percentage	36.8%	71
Free Throw Percentage	74.1%	37

Starting Lineup

Position	Name	PPG
F	Caleb Swanigan	10.4
F	Vince Edwards	10.5
C	A.J. Hammons	14.8
G	P.J. Thompson	5.9
G	Rapheal Davis	8.6

Writer’s Prediction

Purdue gets eliminated in the Round of 32.

Comments

comments