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The 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (20-15) face the No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers (29-5) Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The East Region game tips off from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, at 6:50 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Purdue odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
The Knights routed Texas Southern in the First Four game Wednesday night, winning 84-61 as a 2.5-point underdog as the Under cashed. FDU shot 50% (23 of 46) from the field, while cashing in at 41% (11 of 27) on 3-pointers. It was also sharp at the free-throw line, hitting 27 of 31 (87%). Ansley Almonor scored 23 points with 8 rebounds, while knocking down 5 triples.
The Boilermakers won the Big Ten Tournament, edging Penn State in the title game. Purdue has won 5 in a row since falling 79-71 at home against Indiana. The Boilermakers are just 2-7 ATS in the last 9 games.
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Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Purdue odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:48 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Fairleigh Dickinson +1600 (bet $100 to win $1,600) | Purdue -4000 (bet $4,000 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Fairleigh Dickinson +23.5 (-105) | Purdue -23.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 144.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Purdue picks and predictions
Prediction
Purdue 82, Fairleigh Dickinson 61
Moneyline
Purdue (-4000) is a silly play. It shouldn’t have to be said, but that’s not a recommended betting strategy for such a small return.
AVOID.
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Against the spread
FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON +23.5 (-105)
The Knights looked awfully impressive in Dayton against Texas Southern. However, beating a sub-.500 team from the SWAC is a much different animal than slaying a No. 1 seed.
It’s going to be checkmate for the Knights, as Purdue -23.5 (-105) picks up the victory in Columbus behind a pro-Boilermakers crowd in Big Ten country. However, Purdue has failed to cover its last 3 games when favored by 20 or more points.
Over/Under
UNDER 144.5 (-105) is worth a look, as Purdue should be able to keep FDU’s scoring below its season average.
The Under has cashed in 5 of the last 7 games overall for Fairleigh Dickinson. The Over has dominated for Purdue lately, going 9-4-1 in the last 14 games overall, while going 12-4 in the previous 16 NCAA Tournament games. However, the Under is 4-1 this season when Purdue is favored by 20 or more points.
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