CSU Fullerton @ Purdue preview

After reaching the Sweet 16 of last year's NCAA Tournament, Purdue has bigger plans this time around. The second-seeded Boilermakers head to Detroit on Friday to take on 15th-seeded Cal State Fullerton in the East Region's first round of the Big Dance.

Purdue has not been in the Final Four since 1980 but has a real shot this season thanks to a balanced attack that ranks in the top 40 in both offense (81.1 points, 35th nationally) and defense (65.6 points allowed, 26th nationally). The Boilermakers finished second in the Big Ten during the regular season before falling to Michigan in the league title game, and now they will take on a Titans team that won the Big West Tournament title as a No. 4 seed. Cal State Fullerton played two ranked teams during the season, losing to USC (84-42) and Saint Mary's (76-57) in its first two contests. It will have its hands full with the Boilermakers, who boast a veteran squad that has threats both on the perimeter and down low with 7-2 senior center Isaac Haas.

TV: 12:40 p.m. ET, truTV

ABOUT CAL STATE FULLERTON (20-11): Kyle Allman averages a team-high 19.4 points and has combined with second-leading scorer Khalil Ahmad (15.3 points) to drain 99 3-pointers this season. Allman, a junior guard, had 26 points in the Big West title game, while Ahmad added 23 points to help account for the other three starters totaling 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting. This is the first NCAA Tournament berth in 10 years for the Titans, who average 14 turnovers per game and must cut down on that number in order to stick with the Boilermakers for the full 40 minutes.

ABOUT PURDUE (28-6): The Boilermakers surround Haas with a collection of 3-point shooters, including top scorer Carsen Edwards (18.5 points, 41.2 percent from 3-point range) and unrelated Vincent Edwards (14.5 points, 39.2 percent from 3-point range). Haas averages 14.9 points and is coming off a 23-point effort on 9-of-12 shooting against Michigan. Purdue's three backcourt starters (Carsen Edwards, P.J. Thompson and Dakota Mathias) shot a combined 9-of-31 againstg the Wolverines and must be in sync consistently if coach Matt Painter's squad is going to make a deep run in this event.

TIP-INS

1. The winner of this game will face either No. 7 Arkansas or No. 10 Butler in the Round of 32.

2. Prior to struggling against Michigan, Carsen Edwards had averaged 26.7 points over his previous six games.

3. Thompson committed more than two turnovers in a game only once all season and shot over 40 percent from 3-point range for the third straight year.

PREDICTION: Purdue 88, Cal State Fullerton 67