PROVIDENCE, R.I. — After a win over High Point in the first round, behind 20+ points from both Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith, the Purdue men’s basketball team will square off against McNeese State University in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 22.
With a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line, here’s what to know about the matchup between the fourth-seeded Boilermakers and 12th-seeded Cowboys.
Purdue and McNeese State are scheduled to tip off at 12:10 p.m. ET Saturday, March 22.
The game is being played at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island, home of the Providence College men’s basketball team. That’s the same site as the Boilermakers’ first round matchup.
The game will be broadcast on CBS and stream on Paramount+ and the March Madness Live app (subscription required).
Purdue is a 5.5-point favorite. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Boilermakers a roughly 77% chance of victory. The over/under for total points is 143.5.
McNeese State University is a public university in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in the southwest side of the state, with an enrollment of around 6,000 students. The school was founded in 1939 as Lake Charles Junior College.
The McNeese Cowboys compete in the Southland Conference. The men’s basketball team posted a 25-6 regular season record this year, including a 19-1 conference mark, and has won 23 of the last 24 games it’s played. The Cowboys defeated Northwestern State and Lamar to win the Southland Conference Tournament and secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament.
McNeese State is led by former Chattanooga, VCU and LSU coach Will Wade, who led the Rams to two NCAA Tournament appearances and the Tigers to three appearances in the Big Dance, including a Sweet 16 run in 2019. Wade, who was fired by LSU in March 2022 after accusations of recruiting violations, has gone 36-2 in conference play over the last two seasons with the Cowboys, winning back-to-back Southland Coach of the Year honors.
Wade is widely expected to accept the head coaching position at NC State after McNeese State’s tournament run concludes.
The 12th-seeded Cowboys notched the first NCAA Tournament win in program history on Thursday, surging to a 24-point halftime lead and holding off a late charge to upset No. 5 seed Clemson 69-67.
Senior guard Brandon Murray led McNeese State with 21 points, while junior guard Quadir Copeland tallied 16 points and senior forward Christian Shumate had 13 points.
Trey Kaufman-Renn had 21 points and eight rebounds, while Big Ten player of the year Braden Smith added 20 points and six assists, as the Boilermakers held off No. 13 seed High Point 75-63 on Thursday to advance to the second round of the tournament.
McNeese only shot 43.5% from the field and 21% from 3-point range in its win over Clemson, but limited the Tigers to under 37% from the field. The Cowboys are known for their tenacious defense, so the question of whether that defense or Purdue’s highly efficient offense led by Smith and Kaufman-Renn will prevail is one of the biggest in this matchup.
On the other side, Purdue’s interior defense has been a significant weak spot this season without Zach Edey, and McNeese State’s offense functions best when they find success getting the ball inside. That’s another key aspect to watch.
The winner will advance to the Sweet 16 to face the winner of the (8) Gonzaga / (1) Houston matchup scheduled for Saturday night.
