ESPN's Jay Bilas Gives Keys for Purdue to Make Final Four Run
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Purdue may not have ended the regular season the way it wanted to, losing six of its last nine games, but the Boilermakers find themselves in a good spot in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Matt Painter's team has returned to the Sweet 16 and will play top-seed Houston in the Sweet 16 close to home, with the game played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Does Purdue have a shot at back-to-back Final Four appearances?
It's going to be a tough test in Indianapolis, but there's a path to the Final Four and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas broke down what Purdue needs to do in order to get to San Antonio.
First, Purdue is going to have to get past a Houston team that is considered a juggernaut on the defensive end of the floor. That game is set for Friday night.
Then, if the Boilers pull out a victory, they'll play either No. 2 Tennessee or No. 3 Kentucky in the Elite Eight on Sunday.
Bilas believes the biggest key for Purdue is taking care of the basketball, especially in that first game against Houston.
"(The Boilermakers make the Final Four if) They handle pressure without turning it over. Purdue is not a high-turnover team, but it is not immune to athleticism and pressure, which the Boilermakers will face from either Houston or Tennessee," Bilas wrote. "Purdue can have problems with teams that have superior athleticism and length (which is a problem for most teams). Handling athletic pressure will be the key to winning."
The fourth-seeded Boilers posted solid victories in the first two rounds of March Madness, defeating No. 13 High Point 75-63 and No. 12 seed McNeese 76-62 to advance to the Sweet 16. It's the sixth time in the last eight NCAA Tournaments Purdue has reached the second weekend of the tournament.
Bilas is also keeping his eye on star forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, one of the top scorers in this year's NCAA Tournament. The junior is averaging 20.3 points per game and had a monster outing in last weekend's win over McNeese, scoring 22 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. He also had 21 points and eight boards in the victory over High Point.
Tipoff between Purdue and Houston is scheduled for 10:09 p.m. ET on Friday, March 28. The game will air on truTV and TBS. It will follow the Sweet 16 matchup between No. 3 Kentucky and No. 2 Tennessee.
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HOW TO WATCH PURDUE-HOUSTON: No. 4 seed Purdue will play No. 1 seed Houston in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. TV and radio information, top players, key stats, coach profiles and more. CLICK HERE
TOM BREW COLUMN: A Sweet 16 graphic that went viral on social media Tuesday showed Purdue as the only team with five homegrown starters and no transfers. Even for experts, it was a real challenge to figure out where all the starters actually began their college careers. Here's the cheat code. CLICK HERE
CBB ANALYST RIPS NCAA: College basketball analyst Jon Rothstein argues that No. 1 seed Houston is at a "geographical disadvantage" in heading to Indianapolis to play Purdue in the Sweet 16. CLICK HERE
Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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