Samford vs Purdue Odds, Pick | College Basketball Betting Guide

It's Purdue's first time taking the court since losing historically to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in March Madness.

The last team to lose the typically easy 1-16 matchup was Virginia, which won the title in the following season. It's far too early to see if Purdue will achieve the same feat, but it starts against a plucky Samford squad.

So, dive in below for college basketball odds and a pick for Samford vs Purdue.

Bet Samford vs. Purdue with the latest BetMGM bonus code.

Samford has found its stride under Bucky McMillan, whose "Bucky Ball" moniker is an exciting brand of basketball. The Bulldogs' bread and butter is shooting the ball from deep, as they attempted over 43% of their shots from 3 in each of the past two seasons.

The best player for Samford is preseason POY candidate Jermaine Marshall, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward who impacts the game in myriad ways for Coach McMillan. You can toss Marshall the ball on the perimeter and let him attack downhill. He can pick and pop, and he's a force on defense.

Marshall is the fulcrum of Samford's attack, so getting him going from the jump is important. Just don't him get in the way of Zach Edey.

As for shooting, that will be on the shoulders of Utah State transfer Rylan Jones, Alabama A&M transfer Garrett Hicks and returning guard Jaden Campbell. Both Hicks and Jones have shot over 40% from deep at different points in their careers.

If Samford wins outright, it'll need an immaculate shooting performance.

On the Purdue front, it starts with the reigning Player of the Year, 7-foot-4 Edey. He just finished one of the sport's most dominant seasons in recent memory, posting 22.2 points and 12.9 rebounds per contest.

But the issue? Nobody will remember what Edey did because of how the Boilermakers' season ended.

Samford is already not a very big team. It added 7-footer Zach Loveday to bolster its frontcourt, but Loveday and Achor Achor will have to soak up minutes against the best player in America. Odds are, Samford will throw doubles at Edey and front him like FDU successfully did, making the phenom make passes to his teammates.

That's where the returning sophomore guards — Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith — must improve; they must be safety-blankets for Edey.

While Loyer and Smith put up productive freshman seasons, both looked hesitant to shoot it in the biggest moments against FDU. Loyer only shot 32% from deep a season ago, but his form passes the sniff test. He'll make significant strides with his jumper, and that starts right away.

Smith's main role is to set up the offense, which he's terrific at doing. Purdue wasn't a one-seed last season without Smith's IQ and passing ability. He's a terrific young point guard who looks primed for an all-Big Ten sophomore campaign.

In the non-conference, coaches love to tinker with lineups. Matt Painter has to figure out who the primary frontcourt starter next to Edey is. He has options — whether it's Trey Kaufman-Renn, Caleb Furst or incumbent Mason Gillis.

The latter two provide shooting and floor spacing next to Edey, which gives him adequate room to operate inside. "TKR" is a post player more than a floor-spacer, but he'll still have a role.

The must-have app for college basketball bettors

The best NCAAB betting scoreboard

Free picks from proven pros

Live win probabilities for your bets

DOWNLOAD NOW

I really respect Samford; let's not get it twisted. It's just a complex spot against a Purdue team that has a different level of motivation heading into the game.

Purdue's smallest margin of victory in a buy game last season was 19 against New Orleans and Austin Peay. So, in similar spots, Purdue approached the 20-point number.

Samford's reliance on shooting and its lack of post depth is the main reason I'm backing the heavy-favorite Boilers.

All aboard the Edey train for an evening. Boiler country, let's ride.

Pick: Purdue -19.5 (Play to -22.5)