No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 Vermont preview: Game time, broadcast, betting line, prediction

The Purdue Boilermakers (29-7) are the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region, and will take on the No. 13 seed Vermont Catamounts (29-5). The game will be played at BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee at 7:27 p.m. on Thursday.

Preview: Purdue won the Big Ten outright, and recorded wins over Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Maryland and Northwestern in the process. The Boilermakers are led by forward Caleb Swanigan, who averages 18.5 points per game.

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Vermont won the America East regular season title, and then proceeded to win the America East Conference Tournament with a 56-53 victory over Albany. The Catamounts are led by Anthony Lamb, who averages 12.6 points per game.

You can check out the entire NCAA Tournament bracket here. You can also see how the committee ranked the teams 1-68 here.

Date: Thursday, March 16

Time: 7:27 p.m. E.T.

TV Channel: TruTV

Location: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI

Announcers: Carter Blackburn, Mike Gminski, Debbie Antonelli and Lisa Byington

Opening Betting Line: Purdue -9, via OddsShark

Purdue has made 28 NCAA Tournament appearances, but the Boilermakers have only reached the Final Four twice. They were eliminated last year in the First Round of the tournament, and fell in the second round the year before.

Vermont has made five NCAA Tournament appearances, and has never made a Final Four. The Catamounts' tournament record is 2-5, and they last appeared in the tournament in 2012.

Prediction:Purdue rolls in this one. Led by the dominance of Swanigan in the paint, the Boilermakers avenge last year's first round loss with a resounding 15-point victory over the Catamounts. Unfortunately for UVM fans, Vermont's 21-game win streak comes to an end.

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