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2017 NCAA Tournament: Vermont vs. Purdue preview, prediction, TV schedule

By Michael Foy

Mar 11, 2017; Burlington, VT, USA; Vermont player Darren Payen celebrates after the America East Championship against the Albany Great Danes at Patrick Gym. Mandatory Credit: Ryan Mercer/Burlington Free Press via USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2017; Burlington, VT, USA; Vermont player Darren Payen celebrates after the America East Championship against the Albany Great Danes at Patrick Gym. Mandatory Credit: Ryan Mercer/Burlington Free Press via USA TODAY Sports /
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On Thursday night in the NCAA Tournament, the Vermont Catamounts take on the Purdue Boilermakers in the first round.

TV Schedule: Thursday, Mar. 16, 7:27 p.m. ET, TruTV

Arena: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This is a trendy 13-seed upsetting a 4-seed pick amongst nearly everyone making a bracket. Are these people right or not? Let’s preview this game to help you decide.

Vermont is a very good basketball team and hasn’t lost since late-December against Butler. That right there is an incredible feat that makes this game intriguing. What makes this game even more interesting is the fact that Vermont boasts four players from the state of Indiana on their roster. You best believe those guys will have a chip on their shoulder come Thursday night.

Vermont’s team isn’t dominated by one player, which makes them extremely dangerous. The Catamounts have seven players who average at least 6.5 points per game, and their rotation goes 10 players deep at times.

Purdue has disappointed their fan base as of late in the NCAA Tournament — most notably last season when the Boilermakers lost to Arkansas-Little Rock after leading by 14 points with 4:06 left in the game.

This isn’t last year’s Purdue team by any means, and we shouldn’t expect a repeat of what happened. Speaking of last year, Purdue and Vermont actually faced each other last season. A game the Boilermakers won 107-79 on their way to setting a school record for made three-pointers.

Purdue should win this game. Vermont’s tallest player is 6-foot-8 and that spells trouble for the Catamounts. If you didn’t know, Purdue boasts some behemoths down low. Isaac Haas is 7-foot-2, 300-pounds, while Big Ten Player of the Year, Caleb Swanigan, is 6-foot-9, 250-pounds.

Next: Ranking the entire field of 68

Vermont is going to inevitably double the post (like they did last season), and, if Swanigan and Haas can find the open man, the Boilermakers should win this match-up. I’m going the opposite of the trendy picks and saying that Purdue wins this one by a comfortable margin. Purdue remembers what happened last year, and, when they get up on Vermont, they will make sure that they finish the job this time.

Prediction: Purdue 78, Vermont 65

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