Queens University Royals vs Purdue Boilermakers Prediction, Odds and Picks for Friday, 03/20/26

#2 Purdue draws #15 Queens to open the West regional on Friday. You probably know about Purdue, who is perennially among the best teams in the nation. What about Queens? The Royals are fairly new to Division I, and this is actually their first year of tournament eligibility. They won the ASUN, but they are going to have all sorts of trouble with Purdue. Queens was smoked by every power conference opponent they played this season, and Purdue should do the same. This is a big number, but let’s take it at Purdue -25.5.

The biggest concern here is the Royals’ tragic defense, which ranks outside the top 300 nationally. That’s a problem. The Boilermakers are going to be able to score in just about any way they want, and they will also likely control the rebounding at a 3-1 rate. Queens likes to play fast and shoot a lot, but this is a disaster matchup for them as Purdue just doesn’t allow teams to get into that kind of offensive rhythm. There is no way Purdue takes down Michigan on Sunday and then struggles in the first round, right? Give me the Boilermakers to cover.

Queens vs Purdue Prediction: Purdue -25.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.