3 Thoughts on Purdue Making a Third Straight Trip to the Sweet 16
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ST. LOUIS — It didn't come easy, but Purdue is headed back to the Sweet 16. The Boilermakers punched their ticket on Sunday with a 79-69 victory over Miami. It is the third straight season in which Matt Painter's team will be playing on the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
The Boilermakers didn't have much trouble with their first-round opponent on Friday night, cruising to a 104-71 victory over Queens to start the tournament. Miami made life a little more difficult on Sunday, but the Boilermakers were able to make enough key plays in the second half to survive the scare.
Now, Purdue will pack its bags for a cross-country trip to California, playing No. 11 seed Texas in San Jose in the Sweet 16. But before we move on to that chapter, here are a few thoughts from the first two rounds in St. Louis.
The seniors delivered
This is the last rodeo for Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer, so it's not a surprise that that trio carried a lot of weight through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. All three scored in double figures in each of the first two games.
Smith and Kaufman-Renn provided the biggest spark in the first game against Queens, with Smith scoring 26 points and dishing out eight assists, breaking Bobby Hurley's NCAA record in the category. Kaufman-Renn had 25 points and nine rebounds and Loyer chipped in 14 points on nine shot attempts.
On Sunday, Smith struggled to find a rhythm, but still managed to get 12 points and eight assists. Loyer was the star of the day, scoring 24 points on just seven shots, knocking down six. Kaufman-Renn did his thing, ending the game with 19 points and nine boards.
Purdue's senior trio wants to make a deep run in March, setting the goal of winning a national championship in the offseason. It's only fitting that those three individuals get the Boilers started on the right path.
C.J. Cox gave Purdue big boosts at the right time
Is the term "unsung hero" an appropriate way to describe someone who scored 11 points in each of the first two games of the NCAA Tournament? That's the role sophomore guard C.J. Cox has filled to begin the postseason.
What has been more important than Cox scoring 22 points across the first two games is when he's gotten those points. In both games, he caught fire at precisely the correct time.
On Friday night, Purdue led Queens 35-30 with 2:30 to play. The Boilermakers then went on a 10-0 run, with Cox scoring eight points — including a pair of big threes — in that stretch to extend the lead to 45-30. Queens had no opportunity to fight back after that point.
Cox was at it again in that same timeframe on Sunday, though the situation was much more dire. Purdue trailed Miami 36-29 with under two minutes left in the first half. The sophomore hit threes on three straight possessions and closed the gap to 40-38 by halftime.
Early in the second half, he scored off an inbounds pass to give Purdue a 45-42 lead. He would suffer a knee injury just 30 seconds later and exited the game, never checking back into the contest.
Purdue could have used Cox for a longer run in the second half, but it was able to survive Miami without him. Still, if he hadn't have hit those three clutch shots to close out the first half, the Boilers' run in this tournament may have ended.
Overcame adversity in second round vs. Miami
Miami was a tough matchup for Purdue because of its strong interior presence with Shelton Henderson, Malik Reneau and Ernest Udeh in the paint. That, along with the Hurricanes' pressure defense, really caused some problems for the Boilermakers.
Purdue had seven turnovers by the end of the first half, an uncharacteristic number for a team that averages fewer than nine per game. By the end of the contest, the Boilermakers had 11 turnovers, with the Hurricanes turning those into 13 points.
Maybe the bigger issue was Purdue's troubles on the glass. Miami won the rebounding battle 33-25 for the game, which included a 14-4 advantage on the offensive boards. In the past, that has been a death sentence for Purdue.
Despite the frustrating matchup, turnover issues and a disadvantage on the glass, Purdue found a way to pull through. It's not a recipe for long-term success in this tournament, but the Boilermakers proved they can find ways to win games even when things aren't going their way.
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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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