Purdue Basketball: Preview of Round of 64 matchup with Yale Bulldogs

This Friday, 3-seed Purdue basketball will take on 14-seed Yale in the Boilermakers’ Round of 64 contest. The victor will face the winner of Texas vs. Virginia Tech in the second round of the NCAA tournament. 

What to expect from the Boilermakers

After a rocky few weeks for Purdue basketball, the Boilermakers are set to make a run in the NCAA tournament. After falling just short of a Big Ten title and Big Ten tournament title, Purdue comes into the tournament with something to prove.

The Boilermakers will need to play their best ball to move on — even against an Ivy League school like Yale — and it seems they are ready to do so on paper. So far this season, Purdue leads the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency behind their lethal combination of big men and agile guards.

Expect Purdue to come out of the gate with offensive flurries and learn from their mistakes against Iowa by limiting turnovers against Yale. With the Boilermakers’ lack of success in recent tournaments, expect Purdue to play with a chip on their shoulder this tournament.

Previewing Yale

Yale comes into this year’s tournament as a 14-seed, one of the lowest seeds in the Big Dance. The Bulldogs are ranked 2nd in the Ivy League with a 19-11 overall record and an 11-3 conference record. On March 13th, Yale defeated 1-seed Princeton to take home the Ivy League tournament title and is riding high on a three-game win streak. To say the Bulldogs are playing with confidence would be an understatement.

Yale averages 72.3 points per game while only giving up around 69 points per game. The Bulldogs have appeared in five NCAA tournaments — boasting a 1-6 all-time tournament record — and will make their sixth appearance this weekend against Purdue.

Yale features three dangerous guards: Azar Swain, Bez Mbeng, and Jalen Gabbidon. Swain averages 19.2 points per game, Mbeng averages 1.8 assists per game, and Gabbidon shoots over 48% from the field this season. These three guards will be the focal point of the Bulldog offense and will be the biggest challenge for the Boilermakers’ defense.

The biggest thing that Yale struggles with is passing — averaging a mere 11.9 assists per game. This statistic ranks them 326th in the nation in assists and will be a hindrance against a quicker and more prominent Purdue team.

How Purdue wins

The Boilermakers are heavy favorites against Yale — and rightfully so. Purdue comes into this matchup with better bigs, guards, offense, and talent. If the Boilermakers come ready to play, they should run the Bulldogs out of the gym; however, this is March, and anything can happen.

Purdue will need to slow down the Bulldogs’ swift guards and establish themselves inside the paint. Forcing Yale into taking three-pointers, something the Bulldogs are not very good at will need to be a priority for Purdue’s defense.

Author’s prediction