Finally, it is NCAA Tournament time. From the moment last season ended we have been waiting to make another run in the best event in all of sports, and now it is here. Purdue started the season on the short list of teams that had a real shot at winning the whole damn thing and after a frustrating regular season it looks like it has a real chance thanks to an impressive Big Ten Tournament Championship.
Purdue also earned itself a No. 2 seed in the West Regional, which was impressive when just 72 hours
ago it looked like it would be a 4 seed. With that in mind, let’s look at the rest of the region:
16 Seed: Long Island Sharks – It is incredibly unlikely that Purdue will face Long Island, as they would have to go on the greatest run in tournament history, but the Sharks won the NEC by three games and it is safe to say we have a… history with NEC teams in the tournament. They played Illinois and lost by 40, but were competitive against high major teams. They lost to Mississippi State by 4, Georgia by 15, and Notre Dame by 22. They also won at Cuonzo Martin’s Missouri State. It is their 8th tourney appearance, and they are 0-7 all-time.
15 Seed: Queens Royals – Purdue’s first round opponent is making it s first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in just their fourth season at the Division I level. They have made a pair of Division II Final Fours. They finished third in the Atlantic Sun, but beat conference co-champs Austin Peay and Central Arkansas in the conference tournament to take the autobid. We share a common opponent in Auburn, who beat them 106-65. They like to get up and down. Averaging 85 points per game.
14 Seed: Kennesaw State Owls – Kennesaw, located just outside Atlanta, is also a relative newcomer to Division I, but they reached the tournament for the first time in 2023 and gave Xavier quite a game before falling 72-67 in a 3/14 matchup. They were a surprise winner in conference USA as the 6 seed, but won three straight to take the title. They also have a common opponent with Purdue in Alabama, who beat them 92-81.
13 Seed: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors – Hawaii is in the field for the sixth time, and first since 2016 when they beat Cal in round one for their lone tourney victory. Their 24-8 record got them the 2 seed in the Big West, and they edged No. 1 seed UC-Irvine in the final. Hawaii opened the season with a one point loss at Oregon and lost against Arizona State 83-76 for their only major conference games.
12 Seed: High Point Panthers – Purdue’s first round opponent from last season is back and they are a 30-win team out of the Big South. The lone losses were to UAB, Southern Illinois, Appalachian State, and Winthrop. The Winthrop loss was on January 14th, so they have not lost a game in two months. This is your typical dangerous 12 seed.
11 Seed: Texas Longhorns – Camden Heide could be waiting for Purdue in the Sweet 16! The Longhorns will have to win a play-in game against NC State, but they were the proverbial “Last Team In” with an 18-14 record. They closed the year by losing five of six, but they did win at Alabama. They also already beat NC State 102-97 in December. This is a team with a lot of talent, but it lacks consistency.
11 Seed: North Carolina State Wolfpack – Here is another familiar name, as Will Wade took McNeese to round 2 last year before being eliminated by Purdue and taking the NC State job. Year one in Raleigh was good until they lost 7 of their last 9. In terms of common opponents with Purdue they lost to Auburn 83-73.
10 Seed: Missouri Tigers – Purdue’s potential second round opponent is a dangerous one. They were good enough to beat Florida 76-74, giving them a win over a No. 1 seed. They also got destroyed by Illinois 91-48 and lost to a bad Notre Dame team 76-71. This is a team that has battled injuries all year, but Mark Mitchell vs. TKR should be a fun matchup if it happens.
9 Seed: Utah State Aggies – Purdue faced Utah State in round two just two years ago and absolutely flattened them. This is still a really good Mountain West team that won both the regular season title and tournament title. They beat the same Memphis team Purdue beat 99-75
8 Seed: Villanova Wildcats – Villanova was one of Michigan’s many non-conference wins, as they fell to the Wolverines 89-61. They still beat Wisconsin 76-66, so we know they can compete with really good teams. This is their first NCAA Tourney appearance since Jay Wright took them to a Final Four and stepped away.
7 Seed: Miami Hurricanes – Jai Lucas has done a tremendous job in year one in Coral Gables. They were 7-24 last year, but won 25 games and finished third in the ACC this year. Malik Reneau will be familiar for Purdue fans, as he is their leading scorer after playing the last two seasons at Indiana. Also, since Mrs. T-Mill is an alum I may have to get divorced on Sunday. Purdue did play Miami in the 1999 NCAA Tournament, when the Boilermakers were a 10 seed and upset the 2 seed Hurricanes in round 2.
6 Seed: BYU Cougars – BYU features potential No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa, who is the nation’s top scorer. That alone means they are a threat to cause some problems. As Purdue’s potential Sweet 16 opponent they have to win a game against a play-in winner, but they are capable of doing just that. They crushed Wisconsin by 28 early in the season and were looking really good before struggling in the Big 12. They did beat Iowa State by 10.
5 Seed: Wisconsin Badgers – Obviously we are very familiar with the Badgers after playing them twice, winning in Madison and losing in West Lafayette. They are going to shoot a lot of threes and hope they get hot. When they do, they are capable of beating anyone. Their 5/12 game with High Point should be a banger.
4 Seed: Arkansas Razorbacks – Arkansas won the SEC Tournament earlier today and Darius Acuff II is a hell of a point guard to build around. He is a potential top 10 NBA Draft pick, meaning that this quarter of the draw is absolutely loaded with NBA talent. With the talent that John Calipari gathers this is a team that can beat anyone.
3 Seed: Gonzaga Bulldogs – Fun fact: Purdue is undefeated all-time against Gonzaga and has twice beaten them in the Sweet 16 in 2000 and 2024. In fact, Purdue’s three seniors have played the Bulldogs three times and beaten them all three times, all by double digits. Graham Ike is another strong post presence and this team lost just three times this year. Michigan crushed them by 40, St. Mary’s got them by 11, and Portland, who finished 15-19, stunned them. They also beat Alabama by 10.
1 Seed: Arizona Wildcats – Arizona was one of the last unbeaten teams in the country and were unquestionably one of the best all season. Can Purdue beat them, however? Well, one of their two losses was 78-75 at home in overtime to the same Texas Tech team Purdue destroyed in the Bahamas. That was with JT Toppin, too. The other loss was to Kansas. Should the seeds hold and Purdue reaches the Elite Eight against them it will be a very difficult matchup.
First Round Quick Picks:
Arizona over Long Island
Utah State over Villanova
High Point over Wisconsin
Arkansas over Hawaii
BYU over Texas
Gonzaga over Kennesaw
Miami over Missouri
Purdue over Queens
Second Round Quick Picks:
Arizona over Utah State
Arkansas over High Point
BYU over Gonzaga
Purdue over Miami
Sweet 16 Quick Picks:
Arizona over Arkansas
Purdue over BYU
Regional Pick:
Arizona over Purdue
