On Sunday, March 22, 2026, the Purdue Boilermakers advanced to the Sweet 16 after defeating the Miami Hurricanes 79-69. The Purdue Boilermakers have now made the last 7 out of 9 Sweet 16s. As the narrative has been, Purdue is the team you want to play in March; they are the easy team to upset—¨never pick them in your bracket¨— but people don’t realize that Purdue has been elite for close to the last 10 years in March.
To compare Purdue’s tournament success to the other standout BIG 10 teams, Purdue has gone 18-10 since 2014. Michigan has gone 20-8 in the 11 years. Purdue’s biggest rival has trouble making it to March, with a 4-4 record in the last 11 years.
Purdue plays Texas Mar 26, 2026, at 7:10 at San Jose, California. Texas is led by Dailyn Swain, who averages 17.4 PPG, 7.5 REB, and 3.5 AST. He leads their team in all those stats. Important guard Jordan Pope is Questionable for tonight’s game. Purdue guard C.J. Cox is also Questionable with a lower leg injury.
Purdue is playing for a chance to play in the Elite 8 for the 3rd time under the Matt Painter Era. The first time Painter took a team to the Elite 8, it was in 2018-2019, when Carsen Edwards averaged 34.8 points a game in March Madness. That team lost to Virginia in the Elite 8, a game that haunts Purdue fans every night before bed.
Painter has led one Purdue team to the National Championship in 2023-2024. Zach Edey won the National Player of the Year that year, now considered one of the most dominant Purdue players ever. That team also featured TKR, Braden Smith, and Fletcher Loyer. These players are now seniors on this year’s team, hoping to bring a National Championship to West Lafayette.
Image taken by Alexander Jonesi CC BY-SA 2.0