March Madness 2019: Predicting the First Round upsets

CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 15: Ohio State Buckeyes forward Andre Wesson (24) looks on in action during a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan State Spartans on March 15, 2019 at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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NORFOLK, VA – MARCH 06: B.J. Stith #3 of the Old Dominion Monarchs takes a shot over Cortez Edwards #1 of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles during a college basketball game at the Ted Constant Convocation Center on March 6, 2019 in Norfolk, Virginia. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

14 Old Dominion Monarchs over 3 Purdue Boilermakers

Throughout much of the 2018-19 college basketball season, the Purdue Boilermakers have been a handful on the offensive end of the floor. The biggest reason for that, of course, is star guard Carsen Edwards and his ability to fill it up. However, one of the things that has been troubling about Purdue leading into the tournament is that Edwards has been playing quite poorly as of late, severely hindering the Boilermakers offense.

Even though Edwards has been shooting a worrisome 38.6 percent from the field this season overall, he’s been even worse of late, shooting 22.6, 33.3 percent and 23.5 percent from the field in his final three games, respectively. That included two losses to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, a team that’s less talented than Purdue, which goes to show how detrimental Edwards’ shooting slump is for this team.

You know what’s not great for a player who is struggling offensively? Facing one of the best and most underrated defensive teams in college basketball, which is what lies ahead for Purdue in this matchup with the Old Dominion Monarchs, a team that has allowed just a hair over 60 points per game this season.

Old Dominion has found their success this year by rebounding well and controlling the number of possessions in a game. That formula has had success for lower seeds in the NCAA Tournament before and could well again in this matchup. If they can blanket Edwards and keep his shooting woes going while limiting the Boilermakers’ second-chance opportunities, the Monarchs should keep dancing.

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