On the shoulders of Trey Kaufman-Renn, the Boilermakers are headed back to Indiana, where they get to play in the Sweet 16 in Indianapolis.
Coach Painter and his Purdue Basketball Team jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. McNeese State, similar to High Point, was one of the favorite teams to pick as the Cinderella during this 2025 NCAA Tournament, but Purdue has ousted another run by a double-digit seed.
Since the inexplicable loss to FDU in 2023, Purdue is now 5-0 against double-digit seeds, shedding the ingrained ideology of non-ball knowers that Purdue always loses to a 10+ seed in March.
One may wonder, why did it happen so often in the first place? Well, when you are consistently a top 4 seed, there are more opportunities for that to occur, I know, crazy.
The Boilers were excellent on defense against a McNeese Team that averages nearly 77 points per game. The Cowboys struggled from line shooting less than 50% on the day, even though they were given plenty of opportunities to be successful from the charity striple.
For the Boilermakers, it all came down to Trey Kaufman-Renn, while undersized, he still remains one of the most dominant post players in the country, and McNeese treated him as such.
They tried all game to front him in the post, as well as double when he touched the ball on the block.
This led to open shots around the perimeter, and Purdue capitalized on those opportunities. Purdue had six players make at least one three-pointer this game, and of those six, four of them hit two or more three-point shots as well.
Renn still dominated down low though, ending his day with 22 points and 15 rebounds giving his best Zach Edey impersonation and showing why Purdue is such a great post-centric program.
Purdue’s All-American Point guard struggled at times taking care of the ball, but he faced end-to-end pressure all game long. Smith ended the day with 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, but still had far too many turnovers (8), something that will need to be addressed if Purdue wants to win in the Sweet 16.
The Boilermaker bench continues to surge, led by Myles Colvin, Cam Heide, and Gicarri Harris.
This trio provides elite athleticism off of the bench and the ability to stretch the defense. Today they combined for 16 points and 13 rebounds.
The Boilermakers have now advanced to the Sweet 16 in six of their last eight tournaments played, one of the most impressive marks in the country.
Now, Purdue awaits the results from the Gonzaga and Houston game, winner of that gets the Boilermakers in Indianapolis, which should feel like a home game in Mackey Arena.
Boiler Up!
