• Christian Shumate is typically No. 24. He’s now wearing No. 22 after his jersey had a massive rip on the front of it.
• McNeese is going to need to figure out a different strategy defending Purdue in the paint. It’s not working so far as the Boilermakers are up 14-6.
• Saturday’s second-round NCAA men’s slate begins with No. 12 McNeese versus No. 4 Purdue in a Midwest Region matchup from Providence, Rhode Island.
• McNeese is in the news for a variety of reasons, led by upsetting No. 5 seed Clemson in the first round. Head coach Will Wade has agreed to take the job at NC State after the Cowboys’ NCAA run is finished. And student manager Amir “Aura” Khan has become an internet sensation with video of him rapping with the players on their way to the court. Fans are asking to pose for photos with him and the McNeese cheerleaders wore socks with Khan’s face on them.
• As Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Eisenberg writes, Wade’s instant success at McNeese — going 50-8 in two seasons with two Southland Conference regular season titles and tournament championships, and two NCAA tournament bids — demonstrates how quickly he could engineer a turnaround at NC State.

“Taking advantage of McNeese’s newfound financial commitment to basketball success, Wade identified high-major transfers he wanted to pursue, persuaded them to come to a Southland Conference program and built teams that have combined for 58 wins in two years.”

“[…] Into that environment of mediocrity comes Wade, assuming his verbal agreement with NC State comes to fruition. He built a team at McNeese capable of competing at the top of the ACC. Imagine what he’ll be able to do with NC State’s resources and NIL budget.”

• The Wolfpack went 13-19 (5-15 in the ACC) one season after making a run to the Final Four, and fired Kevin Keatts after NC State failed to qualify for the ACC tournament.
• So far, so good in Duke’s quest for a sixth NCAA tournament title.
• Cooper Flagg returned to the lineup Friday after missing two-plus games with a sprained ankle and looked no worse for wear as No. 1 seed Duke went on to a commanding 93-49 win over No. 16 seed Mount Saint Mary’s.
• Flagg was his typically dominant self as Duke controlled the game from the tip. The Blue Devils secured an eight-point lead in the game’s opening minutes and quickly put to rest any notion that Mount Saint Mary’s would make it competitive.
• Flagg got on the board with an and-one layup and made free throw to extend Duke’s lead to 10-2 at the 18:22 mark of the first half, setting the tone for his performance and the game.
• Read more on Flagg’s performance here.
• The second round of the men’s NCAA tournament begins on Saturday while the first round of the women’s NCAA tournament continues.
• The schedule of the second round makes it much more conducive to flipping between the two tournaments on Saturday afternoon. Just two of the eight men’s games tip off before 5 p.m. ET while 10 of the 16 women’s games begin in the afternoon.
• Here are some tips for watching the early slate:Must-see: We have to go with a battle of Hall of Fame coaches in Providence as John Calipari’s Arkansas and Rick Pitino’s St. John’s meet. The national champions have a long history together and have already met each other four times in the NCAA tournament. They’re the only two coaches who have taken three different schools to the Final Four.
• Most likely potential upset: Can Will Wade’s McNeese magic continue for another game before he heads to NC State? The Cowboys held Clemson to a staggering 13 points in the first half of their matchup on Thursday. Purdue started a little slowly, but comfortably held off High Point in the second half. Purdue is a 6.5-point favorite.