No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 North Texas preview for NCAA Tournament first-round matchup

The NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday, March 18th with the First Four, and then moves on to the first round on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16. No. 4 seed Purdue will face No. 13 seed North Texas in the first round. Game time has yet to be announced but we will update this article with that and game odds as soon as it comes available. For now, we’ve got a preliminary preview of the two teams to get you ready for March Madness!

Once March Madness odds are made available for this game, we’ll add that information below. We’ll also add the game time and TV channel once it’s settled.

Game date: Friday, March 19
Game time: 7:25 p.m.
TV channel: TNT
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium

Odds: Purdue -8
Over/Under: 125.5

No. 4 Purdue

The Purdue Boilermakers put together a solid regular season to find themselves as a regular in the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers rank No. 23 in the latest KenPom ratings on both the offensive and defensive end. Matt Painter’s team had won five in a row before falling to Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

The Boilermakers are led by junior forward Trevion Williams, who averages 15.8 points and nine rebounds per game, both of which are team highs. Purdue has a deep roster as Painter can go with up to 10 players in the regular rotation this season. As a team, the Boilermakers defend the three-pointer very well. Opponents are shooting below 32% from beyond the arc, which is the second best in the Big Ten.

Record: 18-9, 13-6
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 23
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 23
ATS: 14-11-2
Over Total: 14-13
Odds to win NCAA Championship: +3000

No. 13 North Texas

North Texas will be a part of March Madness for the fourth time in school history. The Mean Green knocked off the formidable Western Kentucky in the Conference USA Tournament. They aren’t an elite offensively or defensively, but boast one of the country’s best team three-point shooting percentages (37.6%).

Javion Hamlet is the heart of North Texas and leads the team in points (15) and assists (4.5) per game. He was the 2019 Conference USA Player of the Year and has plenty of help on offense this season. Three other players — James Reese, Zachary Simmons, and Thomas Bell — average double-digits in points per game.

Record: 17-9, 9-5 C-USA
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 118
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 42
ATS: 14-9-1
Over Total: 10-14
Odds to win NCAA Championship: N/A