Senior-laden Purdue pivots to ‘March mode’ vs. newbie Queens
ST. LOUIS -- For the third time in four years, Purdue enters the NCAA Tournament with a top two seed and a lot of experience.
All-American point guard Braden Smith's next assist will tie him with Duke great Bobby Hurley (1,076) atop the NCAA's all-time list. Smith is the only player in NCAA history to have at least 1,500 points, 1,000 assists and 500 career rebounds.
No. 2 seed Purdue (27-8) is a top four seed for the ninth straight tournament and squares off with No. 15 Queens University (21-13) on Friday night in a West Region first-round matchup. It's the first ever Big Dance for the Royals. Boilermakers coach Matt Painter has a 24-16 record in the NCAA Tournament, including an Elite Eight team in 2019 and a national runner-up in 2024.
The Boilermakers jumped back to their feet in time for the Big Ten tournament, where Smith was the MVP and Purdue beat Michigan to claim the title. It helped erase doubt stemming from four losses in the final six games of the regular season.
"It's a great sign," Painter said. "There's a lot of teams -- and we've been one of those teams before that have just played great and then all of a sudden get into tourney time and not play as well. It's a little bit of a mix, like you've got to keep working towards getting better."
Painter, two wins shy of 500 at Purdue, orchestrates the No. 1 offense in efficiency rating with Smith and classmates Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn striving together for their 115th win as Boilermakers.
"It's March, it's what you work for growing up. It's what you work for all offseason," Loyer said. "Obviously, you want to build that resume in the regular season, but now it's time to really go."
Queens won the Atlantic Sun tournament in overtime and makes its debut in the NCAA Tournament behind a high-scoring offense (84.9) that made more than 10 3-pointers per game. But the Royals also allowed more than 82 points per game.
Head coach Grant Leonard, a Milwaukee native who coached high school basketball and worked part-time jobs along his route to Queens, is familiar with Purdue from his roots in Big Ten country.
He's keeping the focus on Queens this week, but don't be surprised if his loud sweater catches some attention. He's won several this year, and last week donned the Ted Lasso "Believe" number. Being Irish, Leonard said he has a St. Patrick's Day theme ready for St. Louis. It's all part of embracing the moment and keeping heat off of his players.
"What's there to be afraid of?" Leonard said.
Six Royals average more than 10 points per game, led by senior Nasir Mann (13.4 points per game).
In the Atlantic Sun championship game, guard Chris Ashby drained 10 3-pointers. He made 11 in a January game against Bellarmine.