Purdue vs High Point Prediction, Preview & Odds: NCAA Tournament First Round

Originally posted on College Football News
By Pete Fiutak | Last updated Mar 18, 2025 9:42 PM ET

High Point was the best team in the Big South all year, and it showed through the run though the conference tournament.

On a 14-0 run since early January and 17-2 in 2025, the Panthers know how to win. Now they’re trying to do something special in their first NCAA Tournament appearance.

Purdue was knocked out in the first round two years ago, played for the national title last year, and now have an interesting team with lots of scoring punch, but with a 3-6 record over the last nine games.

The winner plays the Clemson-McNeese winner in the 5-12 game.

Purdue vs High Point Game Preview

Purdue vs High Point How To Watch

Date: Thursday, March 20
Venue: Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, RI
Time: 12:40 pm ET
TV: truTV
Teams: (13) High Point (29-5), (4) Purdue (22-11)
Region: Midwest
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Why High Point Will Win

It’s a senior-loaded team with a good mix of parts. There’s size coming off the bench, great depth, and lots and lots of scoring hitting close to half of its shots.

The Panthers are happy to get on the move, fire away from three, and do everything in between, and that includes getting to the rim.

Without Zach Edey, Purdue doesn’t have any presence this year on the inside, there aren’t any blocks, the defense was among the worst in the Big Ten, and …

Why Purdue Will Win

This is the first game this season for High Point against a power conference team.

It does a little of everything right, but it hasn’t dealt with anyone close to as strong as what Purdue will bring.

The Boilermaker threes come in bunches, the D from three overcomes a slew of problems everywhere else, and there won’t be enough turnovers for easy points.

High Point can’t go into any sort of a lull. It has to hit at least ten threes to pull this off, but Purdue allowed that many or more just seven times.

Purdue vs High Point: Who Will Win?

Get ready for a ton of points, lots of runs, and a High Point team that won’t go away.

Just when it seems like there’s a shot at something amazing, Purdue will go on a quick nine-point run and finally put it away. It’ll have to work, though.

Purdue vs High Point Prediction, Betting Lines

Prediction: Purdue 83, High Point 73
Purdue vs High Point Betting Lines
BetMGM Line: Purdue -8.5, o/u: 153.5
DraftKings Line: Purdue -7.5, o/u: 153.5
FanDuel Line: Purdue -7.5, o/u: 153.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3

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