Purdue vs Virginia 3/30/19 - NCAA Tournament Picks & Predictions

Last Updated: 08/21/2019 at 11:12 AM ET

On Saturday, the No. 3 seeded Purdue Boilermakers meet the No. 1 seeded Virginia Cavaliers at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky for an NCAA Tournament South Region Elite 8 showdown. The Boilermakers defeated the Tennessee Volunteers 99-94 in overtime on Friday. Carsen Edwards led Purdue with 29 points as the Boilermakers squandered an 18-point lead but regrouped to win in OT.

The South Region’s top seed Virginia defeated the Oregon Ducks on Thursday night 53-49 to punch its ticket to the Elite 8. Ty Jerome led the Cavaliers in the win with 13 points, which included a 3-pointer to put the Cavaliers ahead late in the game. However, it was the Cavaliers defense that won the game holding the Ducks scoreless during the second half for a stretch of more than five minutes.
Carsen Edwards leads Purdue in scoring with an average of 23.0 points per game. Nojel Eastern is the leading rebounder with an average of 5.8 per game, while Ryan Cline leads the team in assists with an average of 3.3 per game. Purdue is shooting 44.6% from the field and 36.4% from 3-point territory.

De’Andre Hunter is leading in scoring with an average of 15.1 points per game. Ty Jerome is the third leading scorer and leader in assists for Virginia with averages of 13.0 points and 5.4 assists per game. Braxton Key leads in rebounds with an average of 5.5 per game. Virginia is shooting 47.8% from the field and 40.9% from 3-point territory.

Virginia has the nation’s second-best defense evidenced by holding Oregon to 49 points. The Cavaliers offense has been spotty at best but comes through enough with De’Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy to win. Purdue has a scoring machine in Carsen Edwards, but the Boilermakers guard will face the toughest defense of the season and come up short. Final Score Prediction, Virginia Cavaliers win and cover ATS 67-61.

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