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NCAA Tournament 2017, Purdue vs Vermont: Highlights, score and recap

By Will Schreefer

Mar 5, 2017; Evanston, IL, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Vincent Edwards (12) goes up for a shot against Northwestern Wildcats center Dererk Pardon (left) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Evanston, IL, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Vincent Edwards (12) goes up for a shot against Northwestern Wildcats center Dererk Pardon (left) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Highlights, score, and recap of the contest between Purdue and Vermont in the NCAA Tournament

Purdue is led by Caleb Swanigan, who has been one of the best players in basketball this season. The versatile big man is comfortable from outside the arc – he’s swished 43.1 percent of his 3-point attempts on the year. But he does his heavy lifting inside, where he’s one of the best post players and rebounders in the game. Swanigan pairs with Isaac Haas and Vincent Edwards to make the Boilermakers one of the biggest teams in college basketball.

RELATED: Updated 2017 NCAA Tournament Bracket

John Becker’s Vermont Catamounts are good on both ends, posting top-70 efficiencies on both offense and defense. They’re led on offense by Anthony Lamb, a 6-foot-6 freshman power forward who excels at getting to and finishing at the rim. To pull the upset, they’ll need resident marksmen Kurt Steidl and Ernie Duncan to sink some 3’s – they’re the only high volume shooters from outside on the team.

The Catamounts were good enough from three to keep it close for most of the game. They were within a couple scores as late as the five minute mark. But Purdue pulled away at the end to close out a game they were comfortable favorites in.

Three Stars

Vince Edwards took his turn as a star today. Though he usually takes a back seat to Swanigan and Haas, he carried the day for Purdue today. He hit 10 of his 16 shots, and finished with 21 points and five rebounds. He was key in helping Purdue hold off Vermont’s upset bid.

Caleb Swanigan wasn’t quite his dominant self, but he was quite good. Though he only took 11 shots, he scored 16 points on them and grabbed 14 rebounds for yet another double-double. He also dished 4 assists. He may need to be more assertive in future rounds, but he was a big part of their win today.

Anthony Lamb was incredible for the Catamounts. He hit 8 of his 12 shots, including 3 of his 6 3-point attempts. His overall play and 20 points scored was big for Vermont, though they couldn’t quite pull it off today.

Highlights

Next Game

Purdue will take on the winner of the Iowa State-Nevada game, which tips off later Thursday night. Their expected opponent would be Iowa State, by seed, though we all know 5-12 upsets are a staple of the NCAA tournament. Should Iowa State advance, it would be a clash of great offense versus Purdue’s balanced team. Stay tuned on Saturday for the next game.

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