The NCAA Tournament is finally upon us and Friday’s Cal State Fullerton vs. Purdue game could be one of the more intriguing matchups of round one.
Purdue was one of the nation’s top teams all season long and it wasn’t until the end of Big Ten play when the Boilermakers began to look fatigued and came back down to earth. After a 23-2 start to the season, Purdue went 5-4 in its final nine games and finished the regular season with a 28-6 record.
Despite that poor finish to the regular season, the Boilermakers earned a 2-seed and a matchup with Cal State Fullerton in the first round. With a number of talented players like Carsen Edwards, Vincent Edwards and Isaac Haas, the Boilermakers are poised to make the Big Ten proud with a deep run.
CS Fullerton, on the other hand, wasn’t exactly a dominant team all year. The Titans finished the season with a 20-11 record and went just 10-6 in Big West Conference play before winning the league tournament. At one point in the year, they were 11-8, but they finished the season strong with a 9-3 spurt.
Although the Titans aren’t a very popular upset pick as a 15-seed over Purdue, they could give the Boilermakers some problems — especially their top three scorers. Could the Titans catch fire on Friday and down the Boilermakers in a shocking upset? Anything is possible in March Madness.
Here’s how you can watch Friday night’s Cal State Fullerton vs. Purdue game:
Date: Friday, March 16
Time: 12:40 p.m. ET
Location: Detroit, Mich.
Venue: Little Caesars Arena
TV: truTV
Live Stream: March Madness Live
Next: NCAA Tournament 2018: First round tip times, TV schedule
Can Purdue prove itself worthy of that No. 2 seed and take care of Cal State Fullerton or will there be a major upset in Detroit on Friday?