Boiler Banter: Purdue Has Plenty of Motivation Entering NCAA Tournament
Seth Davis couldn't wait to share his hot take the moment the bracket was revealed for the Midwest Region of the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Without any hesitation or concern, the longtime college basketball analyst tabbed No. 13 seed High Point as the March Madness darling this season. He expects the Panthers to upset fourth-seeded Purdue and, eventually, reach the Sweet 16.
"Alright, everybody, I've got my slingshot out," Davis said on the Selection Show. "Shock of the tournament, High Point takes down Purdue. High Point goes to the Sweet 16."
It's doubtful that the players or coaches inside Purdue's locker room put much stock into a prediction made by a college basketball analyst. But those remarks serve as a little extra fuel as the Boilermakers prepare for March Madness.
Let's be honest, every team playing in the NCAA Tournament is highly motivated. The win-or-go-home format provides plenty of incentive. I'm not going to act like the Boilermakers are alone in their pursuit to make a deep run.
But it's also fair to say that there may be some external motivating factors working in Purdue's favor as it prepares for Thursday's game against High Point. Davis' knee-jerk reaction to the bracket reveal on Selection Sunday was just one example.
Purdue's first goal this season was to win the Big Ten regular season title, which would have been the program's third straight championship. The Boilermakers were tabbed preseason favorites to add another trophy to its collection, but it finished 13-7, tied for fourth in the league standings.
"Winning the Big Ten was our goal for this regular season. It's always our goal," junior Trey Kaufman-Renn said. "The fact that we didn't accomplish that, it gives us that much more motivation for March."
After failing to win the regular season title, there was a little more incentive to win the Big Ten Tournament, hoping to bring some sort of league hardware back to West Lafayette.
The Boilers defeated USC in their first game on Thursday night, then dropped an 86-68 contest to Michigan in the quarterfinal round. It was another disappointing outcome for Purdue, coming up short of another goal.
Failing to win a third straight conference championship bothered everyone in Purdue's locker room.
"We try to sleep, but you can't, and then you go back and do the same work you've been doing," junior guard Fletcher Loyer said. "You just look in the mirror and say, 'What can I be doing better for this team? How can I help this team make a run in March?'"
Shortcomings from the regular season serve as the greatest motivator for Purdue entering the NCAA Tournament. This was a team that set out to win at a high level and fell short of the expectation it set.
As if that wasn't enough, on Tuesday, Braden Smith was named a first-team All-American selection — a no-brainer for anyone who has watched college basketball this season. But who didn't make any of the three teams? Kaufman-Renn. He was listed as an honorable mention, despite averaging 20.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
The junior forward was also not among the finalists for the Karl Malone (power forward) or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (center) awards.
Purdue has a team full of players that have experienced the highs of reaching the Final Four (2024) and the lows of losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (2023). To say those external factors are the greatest motivating force to this team would be silly — but it's certainly additional fuel for this team to see so many talking about High Point's potential to pull off a major upset.
It makes the chip on Purdue's shoulder even bigger as it prepares for another postseason run.
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TOM BREW COLUMN: No. 4 seed Purdue takes on No. 13 High Point on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament, and it's a big deal for second-year coach Alan Huss. He spent nearly a decade coaching in Northern Indiana, and knows Purdue and coach Matt Painter well. He talked about those experiences during Wednesday's press conference in Providence, R.I. CLICK HERE
SMITH EARNS ALL-AMERICA HONORS: Purdue guard Braden Smith was tabbed as a first-team All-American for the 2024-25 college basketball season. Trey Kaufman-Renn was an honorable mention. CLICK HERE
SMITH TABBED TOP-50 NBA PROSPECT: ESPN released a list of the top-50 NBA prospects participating in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Purdue guard Braden Smith was the only Boiler to make the cut. CLICK HERE
HOW TO WATCH PURDUE-HIGH POINT: No. 4 Purdue and No. 13 High Point will meet in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. TV and radio information, top players, key stats and more. CLICK HERE
BOILERS AMONG CBB ELITE: With a 10th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and receiving a top-four seed for the eighth consecutive time, Purdue is among the elite college basketball teams. CLICK HERE
Dustin Schutte is the publisher of ''Purdue Boilermakers on SI.'' He has more than a decade of experience covering the Big Ten. Follow Dustin on X at @SchutteDustin.