The Purdue Boilermakers are heading to the Sweet 16 of March Madness following their NCAA Tournament win in the round of 32 against Miami (FL). The Boliermakers defeated the Hurricanes, 79-69, to earn the program’s 3rd-straight appearance in the Sweet 16.
Purdue will now face off against Texas in the next round of the NCAA Tournament as March Madness continues. The winner of that matchup will earn a berth in the Elite Eight.
To reach the Sweet 16, Purdue was led by sharpshooter Fletcher Loyer who finished with a game-high 24 points. Trey Kaufman-Renn added 19 points, Braden Smith had 12 points and C.J. Cox scored 11 points.
This season, the Boilermakers are hoping for better fortunes than last year. During last season’s NCAA Tournament, Purdue’s run ended in the Sweet 16 following their loss to Houston. The year before that, the Boilermakers advanced all the way to the national championship game where they fell short to UConn.
This is Matt Painter’s 21st season at the helm as head coach of Purdue. During his tenure, he’s complied an overall record of 500-223. This season, the Boilermakers finished 13-7 in Big Ten Conference play, tied for sixth place in the conference standings.
Painter has led Purdue to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances in his 21 years. The program has never won a national championship, however. The Boilermakers have reached three Final Four appearances, with one of those coming under Painter in 2024 when they reached the title game.
As the NCAA Tournament, continues, Purdue could be a team to look out for as a potential dark horse candidate for the national championship.
