Grambling State vs. Purdue March Madness Preview and Prediction

In the No. 16 vs. No. 1 matchup in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region, the Grambling State Tigers face the Purdue Boilermakers in first-round action.

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How to Watch Grambling State vs. Purdue

When: 7:25 pm ET on Friday, March 22nd

Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana

Watch: TBS

Odds for Grambling State vs. Purdue

(odds current at time of publish)

Spread: Purdue -26

Total: 140.5

DraftKings Betting Splits | Live College Basketball Odds | Grambling State vs. Purdue Matchup

Midwest Region No. 16 Grambling State Tigers

Grambling State was able to earn a First Four win over a miserable Montana State team, but the Tigers are in real danger of getting blown out by a real basketball team. And the Tigers’ offensive issues are the reason for that. They’re outside of the top 300 in adjusted offensive efficiency, and that’s a problem considering they aren’t all that good defensively. It will take an uncharacteristically hot shooting performance in order for Grambling State to remain competitive. One of the only things the Bulldogs were good at during the year was getting to the free throw line. But the smaller teams don’t usually have the whistle when it comes to March.

Midwest Region No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers

Everybody is quick to get their jokes off about Purdue, as last year’s Boilermakers became the second team in NCAA tournament history to lose a 1-16 game. But Purdue should be taken very seriously in this tournament. The Boilermakers still have 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey, the most dominant player in college basketball. And Purdue has snipers surrounding him, as the Boilermakers are a top-five team when it comes to 3P% this season. Matt Painter has still never made it to the Final Four, but that will change if he keeps giving himself chances. And this might be his best chance yet, as this Boilermakers team is loaded and plays the right way on both ends of the floor. 

Grambling State vs. Purdue Preview & Prediction

Grambling is one of the top stories of this year’s NCAA Tournament. Not only did head coach Donte’ Jackson lead the school to their first-ever appearance, but they also emerged victorious from Dayton. It was an emotional win for Jackson, both professionally and personally, as he played his college ball at Central State University in the Dayton area and got his coaching start there. He also got his start in life, where he met his wife and had his kids.

Now, though, the task at hand for Grambling gets bigger. Literally and figuratively. Despite some very impressive athleticism from 6-foot-7 Jourdan Smith against Montana State, the assignment down low for the Tigers is 7-foot-4 Zach Edey. They’ll also have to contend with a Purdue perimeter shooting nearly 41% on 3s. The Boilermakers had 12 Quadrant 1 wins this season. Grambling lost by 32 to Colorado, 55 to Iowa State, 30 to Dayton, 18 to Washington State, 12 to Drake, and 39 to Florida in their Q1 games.

The Tigers are playing with a vault full of house money here, so they can just see what happens and those teams can sometimes be dangerous. Just ask Purdue what happened last season with Fairleigh Dickinson, a team that rated just a little bit lower than Grambling, but didn’t need the play-in game to qualify for the Round of 64.

Purdue scored .906 points per possession in that game and had a 25% TO%. Grambling’s TO% is close to 19% and they’ll be looking to play as fearlessly as possible in the face of long odds.

Estimated score: Purdue 83, Grambling 55

For expert predictions, check out our college basketball best bets page.

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