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Posted March 23 at 10:35 AM EST

NCAA Tournament - Second Round - XL Center - Hartford, CT

8:40 PM EST. The Wildcats are defending national champions and have had a huge market presence since they've become a perennial college hoops power, but it's easy to forget that these Boilermakers have been to back-to-back Sweet 16’s. Purdue knocked off Old Dominion in the first round, which isn't a very inspiring victory, but it was the way that they easily swatted away the Monarchs, like a pesky fly buzzing about, that made their defensive effort so impressive. The Boilermakers limited ODU to just a 26.9% shooting night and they are capable of making life miserable for Villanova too. That Purdue was still able to thoroughly handle the Monarchs by a 61-48 score with their veteran guards struggling to score at a high clip could be trouble for Villanova. Carsen Edwards put up 26 points against the Monarchs, but shot just 7-for-23 from the field and 4-of-12 from beyond the arc, while Ryan Cline was a dismal 2-for-10 and 1-of-11 from three-point land. A correction to the good is highly likely coming for both players, which is bad news for 'Nova.

A 61-57 win over St. Mary's was the first step for the champs, but that was a tough game and we have to wonder what the Wildcats have left in the tank. They were slow starters against the Gaels and coach Jay Wright said, "The tempo was excruciating, we felt going in we were going to have to grind with them." It has to be considered a down year for the Wildcats despite winning the Big East once again, as they went just 25-9 and finished as the #36 ranked school in the nation according to the KenPom. The Boilermakers were 10th. From where we sit, on a neutral court here in Hartford, Purdue is a short-priced favorite that will have a heavy contingent here. The Wildcats are primed to pass the torch after two championships the last three seasons and they’re also heavily reliable on two players, Phil Booth and Eric Paschall. Like we saw with Ole Miss yesterday, that imbalance gets very problematic when the stakes are raised. The Boilermakers are better defensively, they’re deeper and more balanced and Purdue is also more than capable of ending Villanova’s string of deep runs in this tournament. The Wildcats dodged a mid-major bullet in round one but they are not likely to dodge this major bullet in the round of 32. Purdue wins going away.

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