NCAA tournament picks: Purdue has 'toughest path;' Boilers' predictions all over the place
Purdue basketball is the No. 1 seed in the East Region, and it opens NCAA tournament play at 6:50 p.m. Friday on TNT against the winner of the play-in matchup between Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson.
The Boilermakers have the likely National Player of the Year in Zach Edey, but they have a propensity to struggle mightily against full-court pressure. Their 17-point lead over Penn State dwindled to one in the closing seconds of the Big Ten tournament championship game.
That makes some college basketball observers wary as March Madness begins this week, though FiveThirtyEight gives the Boilers a 5% chance of winning the national title.
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Mike DeCourcey, Sporting News: Purdue reaches the Elite 8
Purdue opponents will fret about how to defend the Sporting News Player of the Year, Zach Edey, but his companions just are not contributing enough regularly for them to defeat a team as gifted as Duke.
Matt Norlander, CBS Sports: Final season ranking of 3rd
The Boilermakers have the biggest difference-maker in college basketball: 7-foot-4 Zach Edey. But the long-established frontrunner for National Player of the Year isn't the only thing Matt Painter's team has going for itself. Far from it. Purdue has a pair of fearless freshman guards (Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer) flanked by multi-dimensional forwards (Mason Gillis, Caleb Furst, Ethan Morton) who can score in a variety of roles and do so all over the floor. Purdue hasn't made a Final Four since 1980. Painter's had some terrific teams. This group seems as well-equipped to take four wins in the Big Dance as any he's had. The Boilers have been bumpier overall in the past month, but on balance this has been a top-five team since its coming out party at the PK85 in November.
Andy Katz, NCAA.com: National champion
A Purdue-UCLA final would be a great game. … I'm just going to ride (Purdue). He is a unicorn, there is no one like Zach Edey in the country. He has taken his game, with multiple 30-point games, to another level. I think Purdue wins the national championship over UCLA.
NCAA printable bracket:Print and fill out your 2023 March Madness picks
Ricky O'Donnell, SB Nation: Eliminated in the second round
Purdue ended up getting a No. 1 seed after all. The Boilermakers won the Big Ten tournament to earn the top seed in the East region, but their path won’t be easy with a tough second round matchup looming. The 8-9 matchup features Memphis vs. Florida Atlantic — two teams who could give the Boilermakers trouble in the round of 32. We’ll take Memphis over FAU, and we’ll take the Tigers over the Boilermakers to make the Sweet 16.
Ryan Fagan, Sporting News: Purdue reaches the Elite 8
Memphis is tough, and that No. 1-vs.-No. 8 game with Purdue should be fun, but unless Zach Edey gets hurt or in foul trouble, Purdue’s moving on.
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John Fanta, Fox Sports: Purdue has toughest path for a No. 1 seed
Big Ten champion Purdue has what I would call a manageable pathway, but potentially drawing Memphis in the second round could cause a tight game. Having a red-hot Marquette team, a Kansas State team stacked and a Duke team that I think is the most dangerous in the region offers serious challenges. The Boilers more than deserved a 1, their first in 27 years, but I think they have the hardest path to a Final Four, fitting because they were the last 1-seed.
Bill Bender, Sporting News: Purdue loses to Duke in Sweet 16
Purdue hasn't made the Final Four since 1980, and Zach Edey will test that front line. Edey has the capability to carry a team like Boilermakers legend Glenn Robinson did in 1994, but ultimately Purdue will meet the same fate in an earlier round. The Blue Devils will beat the Boilermakers in a thriller.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball predictions for March Madness 2023 are mixed
