No. 4 Purdue to Play No. 1 Houston in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament
In this story:
Top-seeded Houston has a date with No. 4 seed Purdue in the Midwest Regional on Friday. The Cougars posted a 81-76 victory over Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on Saturday night, advancing to the Sweet 16.
Houston was in cruise control for most of Saturday night's game, hovering around a 10-point advantage for most of the game against Gonzaga. But the Bulldogs made a furious push in the final minutes, closing the gap to just one point with 21 seconds to go.
But the Cougars were able to knock down free throws and come up with a pivotal defensive stop to get the victory. Now, they'll head to Indianapolis to play the Boilermakers at Lucas Oil Stadium in the Midwest Regional.
LJ Cryer was magnificent for Houston, scoring 30 points in the game. J'Wan Roberts dropped in 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists. Joseph Tugler finished with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.
To reach the Sweet 16, Houston defeated No. 16 seed SIU-Edwardsville 78-40 and No. 8 seed Gonzaga 81-76.
Purdue punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 earlier in the day with a 76-62 victory over No. 12 seed McNeese in the second round. The Boilermakers also defeated High Point 75-63 in the first round.
Houston will present plenty of challenges for Purdue on Friday. The Cougars are arguably the best defensive team in college basketball, especially from a statistical perspective.
Houston ranks first nationally in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score just 57.9 points per game. The Cougars also rank second in opponent field goal percentage at 38.05%. Sampson's team is also strong on the glass, ranking 34th in the country in rebound margin.
But the Boilermakers have crashed the glass hard in their first two NCAA Tournament games, providing them with a significant advantage in wins over High Point and McNeese. They'll have to approach Friday's game with Houston the same way if they hope to pull off the upset in Indianapolis.
Purdue and Houston will square off on Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium. A tipoff time and television information will be released at a later date.
Related stories on Purdue basketball
WHAT PAINTER SAID: Purdue defeated McNeese 76-62 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. Here's everything coach Matt Painter said following the game. CLICK HERE
PURDUE GAME STORY: Purdue completely dominating McNeese early and cruised to a 76-62 victory in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. Trey Kaufman-Renn had 22 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Next up? The Midwest Regional in Indianapolis. CLICK HERE
BOILER BANTER: At times, Purdue has has relied heavily on its "Big Three" players. But in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the depth of the Boilers really shined. CLICK HERE
SWEET 16 TICKETS: For the eighth time under coach Matt Painter, Purdue has advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. Here's where fans can purchase tickets. 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.
Follow SchutteDustin