It’s start to be talking a lot more about the Purdue Boilermakers, who are being led by one of the hottest players in the NCAA Tournament. Will the Boilermakers be hot enough to send the Virginia Cavaliers crashing out of the tournament? Or will the Cavs book a ticket to the Final Four? There’s not a lot of history to go on with this one, as the last time the two teams met was way back into 2006 with Purdue getting the 61-59 win. Things are much different here in 2019, but with Virginia nearly giving their Sweet 16 game away to Oregon, they may have shown a weakness that Purdue can capitalize on.
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Betting Preview for the Purdue Boilermakers vs Virginia Cavaliers Elite 8 College Basketball Game on March 30 2019
Where: KFC Yum Center, Louisville
When: Saturday, March 30, 2019, 8:49 PM ET
Line: Purdue Boilermakers (odds) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Purdue Boilermakers (26-9 Overall / 16-4 Conference)
How about Carsen Edwards? Purdue’s star point guard had yet another mesmerizing performance in the NCAA Tournament, as he dropped 29 points with five 3-pointers, four rebounds, and three assists in an electrifying 99-94 overtime win over the Tennessee Volunteers on Thursday. Edwards’ explosion in the Tennessee game came after he erupted for 42 points with 9 3-pointers in a win over the Villanova Wildcats in the second round. Purdue’s 3-point shooting has been poisonous in the NCAA Tournament, as the Boilermakers now have 40 made shots from downtown in three games in the Big Dance. Another Boilermaker who’s been waxing hot on offense is Ryan Cline, who is coming off a 27-point performance (7-10 3FGM) in the win over the Volunteers. Their outside sniping will be critical in countering Virginia’s stout defense. In the regular season, Purdue shot 37.1 percent from deep.
Purdue is 3-0 against the spread (ATS) in its last three games, is 20-14-1 ATS overall this season, and is 14-11 ATS after a win, covering 56% of the time.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (32-3 Overall / 16-2 Conference)
Virginia’ continues its road to total redemption a year after becoming the first No. 1 seed to fall to a No. 16 seed, as the Cavaliers ended the Oregon Ducks’ Cinderella run in the Big Dance with a 53-49 win on Thursday. It was a typical win for the Hoos, who limited the Ducks to only 35.7 percent shooting from the field. Not many teams can have their way against what Virginia’s defense has to offer. Purdue can’t expect to score 90 points for the second game in a row, as Virginia has not even allowed an opponent to score more than 56 points in the tournament thus far. Virginia surrendered just 54.8 points per game in the regular season — the fewest in the nation. Moreover, Virginia has limited opponents to fewer than 50 points 11 times this season. Another thing that’s going Virginia’s way is its familiarity with the KFC Yum Center, where they play road games against fellow ACC team, Louisville Cardinals.
The under is 3-0 in Virginia’s last three games. The Cavaliers are 21-10 ATS after a win, and are 24-11 ATS overall this season, covering 68.6% of the time which makes them the sixth best in NCAA Division 1 for the category.
Writer’s Prediction
Virginia wins, 67-63.
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