When the NCAA men's basketball bracket is unveiled on Sunday afternoon, a few coaches may have a hard time hiding their smiles.
Purdue’s presence on this list has little to do with the program’s tortured NCAA tournament history. The Boilermakers are here because there are some real red flags with how they’ve finished an otherwise fantastic regular season.
Four of Purdue’s five losses this season have come since Feb. 4. Even in their two most recent wins, the Boilermakers had to rally late to edge Wisconsin and then squandered a 24-point second-half lead at home against Illinois. Purdue has shot less than 30 percent from behind the arc during that stretch and has been turnover-prone in stretches. Teams with big, athletic perimeter defenders have been able to disrupt Purdue’s offense, pressure its smaller guards and make it tougher for national player of the year favorite Zach Edey to receive an entry pass.
One concern is that freshman guards Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith appear to be tiring after both playing more than 70 percent of Purdue's available minutes this season. As, no team since 2015 has made the Final Four with two freshmen carrying that heavy a load. In fact, only three total freshmen have reached the Final Four since 2015 playing that percentage of minutes.
Does this mean Purdue cannot get to Houston? Of course not. This is a team that edged Marquette and wrecked Duke and Gonzaga in non-league play. This is a team that steamrolled its Big Ten opponents in January. But the Boilermakers haven’t finished the regular season as consistently as the other potential No. 1 seeds and appear to be vulnerable against an unfavorable matchup.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
March Madness: NCAA men's and women's tournament times, dates, Selection Sunday shows and moreIt's finally March, by far the best time of the year for college basketball.
Read more »
Do Sunday's conference tournament title games even matter to the NCAA tourney selection committee?Shortly after the unveiling of the 2004 NCAA tournament bracket, selection committee chair Bob Bowlsby candidly explained why Oklahoma State had to settle for a No. 2 seed.
Read more »
March Madness Selection Sunday: How to watch on TV, stream onlineThe field for the men's basketball NCAA Tournament will be revealed Sunday.
Read more »
Before Selection Sunday, a lot of waiting for Utah women’s basketballThe University of Utah women's basketball has had a long time to wait for Selection Sunday after losing in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament on March 2
Read more »
Auburn awaits with tough Selection Sunday projectionsNASHVILLE, Tenn. — If Auburn men’s basketball finds itself on any kind of postseason run, it won’t be in Nashville.
Read more »