Where ESPN Ranks Purdue Among Remaining Sweet 16 Teams in NCAA Tournament
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Although Purdue was dominant in the first two rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament over the weekend, ESPN does not believe the Boilermakers are among the best teams remaining in March Madness. The network re-ranked all 16 teams still standing, and Purdue was near the bottom.
Once the second round of the NCAA Tournament concluded on Sunday night, ESPN's Myron Medcalf ranked the teams headed to the Sweet 16. Purdue was listed as No. 15 on the list, ahead of only No. 10 seed Arkansas.
Here's what Medcalf had to say about the Boilers.
Before Zach Edey, no player had won the Wooden Award two years in a row in nearly 50 years. That kind of player leaves a shadow when he turns pro -- but Edey's former teammate Trey Kaufman-Renn (20.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG on the season), an All-Big Ten first-team selection, has been an admirable replacement. The team's bigger loss with Edey's departure was his defensive impact: After ranking top-25 defensively over the previous two seasons, they began the 2024-25 campaign similarly strong -- then fell to 160th in adjusted defensive efficiency during a nine-game losing stretch to end the regular season. Could that be changing again? Purdue's path to the Sweet 16 seemed easier than most -- both opponents were double-digit seeds and were dispatched handily -- but in the tournament so far, Matt Painter's squad has demonstrated some of the defensive chops that led to early-season wins over fellow Sweet 16 teams Alabama and Maryland.Myron Medcalf, ESPN
Purdue is a No. 4 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers defeated No. 13 seed High Point 75-63 in the opening round and beat No. 12 Seed McNeese 76-62 in second round action to the Sweet 16.
It's the sixth time in the last eight seasons the Boilers have reached the Sweet 16.
This weekend, Purdue will have a tall order at hand. The Boilers will play top-seeded Houston on Frdiay night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Cougars were ranked No. 3 by ESPN among the remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament.
Tipoff between the Boilers and Cougars is set for approximately 10:09 p.m. ET and the game will air on TBS/truTV.
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THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HOUSTON: Purdue will play Houston in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. Here are a few things to know about the top-seeded Cougars ahead of this weekend's matchup. CLICK HERE
FORMER PLAYERS CELEBRATE: Multiple former Purdue players gave the Boilers a shoutout after beating McNeese 76-62 on Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. CLICK HERE
COX, HARRIS NOT SCARED OF MOMENT: The NCAA Tournament can be intimidating for any college basketball player. But Purdue freshmen CJ Cox and Gicarri Harris shed the jitters and made a big impact in the first two rounds of March Madness, punching a ticket to the Sweet 16. CLICK HERE
PURDUE PLAYING HOUSTON: No. 4 seed Purdue will play No. 1 seed Houston in the Sweet 16 at Lucas Oil Stadium next week. The Boilermakers and Cougars will square off on Friday. 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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