Purdue vs Fairleigh Dickinson Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 17 NCAA Tournament Game (Underdogs Can't Hang)

The 2022-23 NCAA Tournament continues on Friday, March 17 with a first-round East Region matchup between the No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers and No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.

Purdue vs Fairleigh Dickinson Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Tournament Game
• No. 3 Purdue (29-5) vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (20-15)
• Date: Friday, March 17, 2023
• Time: 6:50 PM ET
• Venue: Nationwide Arena -- Columbus, Ohio
• Coverage: TNT

Purdue has momentum on its side after defeating Penn State 67-65 to capture the Big Ten Championship, marking the Boilermakers' fifth straight win in the process. Meanwhile, Fairleigh Dickinson scored an 84-61 blowout win over Texas Southern in the First Four to make it to the first round.

Will Purdue cruise to the second round? Or does Fairleigh Dickinson have what it takes to pull off the unthinkable upset?

Purdue vs Fairleigh Dickinson Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: PURDUE: (-8000) | FDU: (+2200)
• Spread: PURDUE: -22.5 (-120) | FDU: +22.5 (-102)
• Total: 145.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Purdue enters this contest as a massive favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 6:50 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 145.5 points with both sides available at -110 odds.

Purdue vs Fairleigh Dickinson Betting Trends

• Against the spread, Purdue is 14-20-0 this year.
• The Boilermakers have won once ATS (1-4) as a 22.5-point favorite or more this year.
• There have been 15 Purdue's games (out of 34) that went over the total this year.
• Fairleigh Dickinson is 14-19-0 against the spread this season.
• The Knights have covered every time (1-0) as a 22.5-point underdog or more this year.
• This season, 19 of Fairleigh Dickinson's 33 games have gone over the point total.

Purdue Rank	Purdue AVG		Fairleigh Dickinson AVG	Fairleigh Dickinson Rank
143rd	73.1	Points Scored	78.0	38th
20th	62.7	Points Allowed	74.5	304th
9th	36.2	Rebounds	31.1	229th
16th	11.0	Off. Rebounds	10.0	54th
231st	6.9	3pt Made	8.2	87th
30th	15.5	Assists	14.9	54th
40th	10.4	Turnovers	11.2	110th

Purdue vs Fairleigh Dickinson Prediction & Pick

Upsets are fun, but I don't see one occurring here. Purdue is too good to lose to a team like Fairleigh Dickinson. The Knights' defense is awful, allowing 75.5 PPG (No. 299) on 48.2% shooting (16th-worst in NCAA). The Boilermakers' attack is far from flawless, but a unit that averages 73.1 PPG (No. 115) is still good enough to get things done.

Purdue is also going to dominate Fairleigh Dickinson in the paint. Closing out opposing possessions is something that the Knights struggle with, highlighted by their 20.6 defensive rebounds per game (No. 338). With the Boilermakers averaging the 15th-most offensive boards and having the 7-foot-4 Zach Edey in the paint, I expect an offensive onslaught.

Back Purdue sending Fairleigh Dickinson home with ease.

Final Score Prediction: Purdue: 83 | Fairleigh Dickinson: 68

Purdue vs Fairleigh Dickinson Best Bet

Although I predict a blowout, I don't see Purdue covering the massive 22.5-point spread. The Boilermakers have struggled to cover lately, going 1-5 ATS in their last six games. Furthermore, they're just 1-4 ATS in their last five outings as the favorite.

Fairleigh Dickinson, meanwhile, has covered in four of its last five outings, as well as in six of its last seven as the underdog. With Knights head coach Tobin Anderson looking to make an impact in his NCAA Tournament debut, expect the underdog to keep things slightly closer than expected.

Bet: Fairleigh Dickinson +22.5 (-102)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.