#13 High Point vs #4 Purdue NCAAB Pick: Is Purdue On Upset Alert Again? (Mar 20)

• The Boilermakers finished the regular season with a 22-11 record.
• High Point concluded their season with a 29-5 mark, including 14-2 in conference play.
• These teams last played on Nov. 14, 2011, with the Boilermakers claiming a 67-64 victory.

One of the games on Thursday’s NCAA slate features the Purdue Boilermakers taking on the High Point Panthers. Will Purdue advance to the next round in our Boilermakers vs Panthers pick?

Purdue Looks To Regroup From Blowout Loss To Michigan

Following a four-game losing streak, the Boilermakers concluded the season with a 3-2 mark in their last five games. This includes an 86-68 defeat at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines on Friday.

Trey Kaufman-Renn scored a game-high 24 points on 9-for-24 shooting from the field and 6-for-10 from the charity stripe. He also tallied nine assists and five rebounds.

Big Ten player of the year Braden Smith finished with 12 points, six assists, and four rebounds, while Gicarri Harris contributed 11 points and four rebounds off the bench.

At the break, Purdue trailed by just four points (40-36). Unfortunately, Michigan opened the second half with a 12-5 burst, extending its lead to 52-41 en route to snapping their three-game losing streak.

Panthers Coming Off Double-Digit Win Over Winthrop

High Point suffered an 82-80 setback against Longwood on Jan. 16 but has not lost a game since. Their most recent triumph was an 81-69 victory against the Winthrop Eagles on Mar. 9.

Bobby Pettiford guided an offense in which three players reached double figures. His 17 points, four assists, and three rebounds led the bench unit and the team.

Kezza Giffa logged 16 points and three rebounds, and Abdoulaye Thiam chipped in with 12 points, connecting on three of his five shot attempts.

High Point faced a 10-point deficit in the first half and trailed 48-33 with 15 minutes left to play. Pettiford knocked down a 3-pointer and converted a layup, which keyed a 14-0 run that trimmed Winthrop’s lead to one point.

Trae Benham’s 3-point play broke a 52-52 tie, giving the Panthers their first lead since early in the contest. Leading 75-69 with a minute to go, High Point went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, providing the final margin of victory.

Boilermakers vs Panthers Pick: Purdue Wins A Close One

The Boilermakers, who advanced to last year’s title game, concluded the regular season with a 4-6 record in their previous 10 games and have dropped two of their last three.

On the other side of this matchup, the Panthers have not lost a game in nearly two months. And looking at their last five victories, four of them have been by double-digit margins.

Purdue will ultimately win, but the Panthers will give them all they can handle in this first-round matchup.