Purdue ends McNeese's March Madness run 76-62 to get back to Sweet 16
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Trey Kaufman-Renn had 22 points and 15 rebounds, and the Purdue Boilermakers used a fast start to roll to a 76-62 win over McNeese in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
Fletcher Loyer added 15 points. C.J. Cox finished with 11 points for the Boilermakers (24-11), who advanced through the Midwest Region to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.
The Boilermakers will meet the winner of top-seed Houston and eighth-seeded Gonzaga in the regional semifinal. In his 16 NCAA Tournament appearances with Purdue, coach Matt Painter is now headed to his eighth Sweet 16.
Sincere Parker had 17 points to lead McNeese (28-7). Javohn Garcia added 12 points as the Cowboys came up short in their bid to give the Southland Conference its first Sweet 16 team since Louisiana Tech in 1985.
McNeese came out in the 2-3 zone that was so successful during its first-round win over Clemson.
But Purdue hit 7 of its first 9 field goals and 3 of its first 4 3-point attempts to build an early double-digit advantage. A pair of three-plus minute scoring droughts by the Cowboys and runs of 10-0 and 9-0 by the Boilermakers helped Purdue grow its lead as high as 36-14 in the first half.
The Boilermakers led for all but 19 seconds.
Purdue shot 11 of 26 from the 3-point line for the game and held a 41-24 rebounding edge. Takeaways
McNeese: Poor shooting prevented the Cowboys from duplicating their first-round magic. But even with coach Will Wade likely departing, the two-time defending Southland champions have a lot to build on going forward.
Purdue: A year after making it to the national title game, the Boilermakers are getting some of their best production from Braden Smith and Kaufman-Renn, who both started in that game. Up next
As good as Purdue was offensively against the Cowboys, the Boilermakers will likely have to lean on their defense in the next round. Gonzaga entered the tournament with Division I's second-ranked scoring offense. Houston was the nation's fifth-ranked 3-point shooting team.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
recommended
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
15 hours ago
- USA Today
Jazz: 18th pick Walter Clayton Jr. signed to rookie contract ahead of summer league
Former Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr., the 18th pick in the 2025 NBA draft, signed his rookie-scale contract with the Utah Jazz, the team announced. Clayton led the Gators to their third national championship, averaging 18.3 points, 4.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals on 38.6% shooting from 3-point range. He ranked eighth in the country in scoring, setting the single-season program record with 713 total points. He will make $3,991,320 next season, according to Spotrac. The 22-year-old became the first player in program history to be named a consensus first-team All-American selection. He also claimed the Final Four Most Outstanding Player award after registering two 30-point outings in the NCAA Tournament. Clayton helped his draft stock even more at the combine in May, shooting 17-of-25 in the 3-point star and 16-of-27 in the corner drills. He also measured in with an 8-foot, 1 1/2-inch standing reach and a 6-foot, 4-inch wingspan in the anthropometric testing. The 6-foot-3 standout arrived in Salt Lake City over the weekend and was introduced on Sunday, along with Ace Bailey (No. 5 pick) and John Tonje (53rd pick). He has since hit the court to begin practicing before the Salt Lake City Summer League. Clayton and the group will debut on Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers (9 p.m. EDT, ESPN). They will then play at least five games in the NBA Summer League, beginning on July 11.
USA Today
20 hours ago
- USA Today
Ohio State basketball guard Bruce Thornton discusses why he returned to Buckeyes
#Buckeyes Bruce Thornton leaned on his morals when he decided to return for another season; loyal to the program. @OhioStateHoops Loyalty can be a hard thing to come by in the day and age of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal. You can't blame college players for looking out for themselves, but it's refreshing when a guy makes a decision based on a commitment and follows through on what he started. That's where Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton comes in. During his three years in Columbus, the Buckeyes have yet to reach the NCAA Tournament. The program has been in purgatory, trying to get back to where it once was, and he's thought to be a key part of that. It has to be disappointing to not experience some of the things Thornton thought he would when he committed to play on the banks of the Olentangy, so nobody could really blame him if he decided to move on to another program for his last season in college. That's not what happened, though. Instead, Thornton decided to come back to Columbus for his last season to help lead the team to where he thinks it can go. When asked by Kellyanne Stitts of the ABC affiliate in Columbus, WSYX, on what went into his decision to return to Ohio State, Thornton pointed to unfinished business. "I've always been a loyal guy," Thornton said. "Me being here just sticking it out just showing love back to Ohio State because they've been nothing but great to me this whole time since I've been here throughout the whole process, good, bad and ugly, so it just felt right to do it one more time. Thornton was then asked about all of the new guys on the team this season and how things are coming together, and he felt quite optimistic. "We have a lot of new guys this year, and I'm very excited," said Thornton. "I feel like our chemistry and our camaraderie together to try to build each and every day the best way we can each and every day so that we can be the best team we can possibly be." But there always has to be improvement to continue to move things forward, so the All-Big Ten performer was then asked what he's looking for in his game coming into the season. "I'm just trying to win games. I don't care what else I do, just make sure I win games and put a banner up in our practice gym, that's it." There seems to be more optimism coming out of the program this year. Something feels a little different, but of course, things have to happen on the court for the program to start to get back to one of the best in the Big Ten, and by extension, the country. Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
Fox Sports
21 hours ago
- Fox Sports
2025 Wooden Award Odds: Braden Smith Favored; Dybantsa Fourth
While we are still a few months away from the start of college basketball season, it's never too early to talk about the game's stars. The Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's college basketball player. Duke's Cooper Flagg won the honor this past season, but now that he has taken his talents to the NBA , who's next? The betting odds usually help identify the early contenders. Let's check out the early odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of July 3. 2025-26 John Wooden Award odds Braden Smith, Purdue +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total) JT Toppin, Texas Tech +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total) Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total) AJ Dybantsa, BYU: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total) Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total) Darryn Peterson, Kansas: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total) Darrion Williams, NC State: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total) Solo Ball, UConn: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total) Otega Oweh, Kentucky: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total) Donovan Dent, UCLA: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total) The 2025-26 college basketball season is set to kick off in early November. Leading the odds is Purdue's Braden Smith at +500, followed closely by Texas Tech's JT Toppin at +750. Smith, entering his fourth season as a Boilermaker, had his best season in 2024. The Big Ten Player of the Year compiled 567 points, 313 assists, 162 rebounds and 78 steals in his last season, becoming the only player in NCAA history to record at least 500 points, 300 assists, 150 rebounds and 75 steals in a single season. Smith was a finalist for both the Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy in 2024. Behind him is Toppin, the 2024 Big 12 Player of the Year. Toppin led the Red Raiders with averages of 18.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 19 double-doubles last season. The 6-foot-9 forward also helped lead Texas Tech to the Elite Eight. In terms of fabulous freshman on the list, BYU's AJ Dybantsa (+1200) and Kansas' Darryn Peterson (+2000) are among the top-ranked NBA prospects heading to the college ranks. Both are favored to potentially be next year's No. 1 pick. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from College Basketball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
