The No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region Purdue Boilermakers(22-11) will take on the No. 13 seed High Point Panthers(29-5) in the 1st round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The game will take place Thursday afternoon in Providence, Rhode Island.
The Boilermakers are looking to build upon a trip to the National Championship Game last year. Even though they lost to UConn, it was a tremendous step forward for Head Coach Matt Painter’s program. This will be High Point’s first time in program history making the NCAA Tournament. Will they be able to keep it close against the Boilermakers and pull off a monumental upset?
Purdue Season Summary
It was an underwhelming regular season by Purdue’s standards. They finished fourth in the Big Ten and lost in the Quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament to the Michigan Wolverines. Purdue’s offense has been strong this season. They are 79th in points scored, 12th in field goal percentage, and 13th in opposing three-point percentage.
The team’s defense has not been strong this season. They are 151st in points allowed, 273rd in opposing field goal percentage, and 29th in opposing three-point percentage. Purdue’s best players this season have been Forward Trey Kaufman-Renn and Guard Braden Smith. Kauffman-Renn is 14th in the country in points per game and 15th in field goal percentage. Smith has the second most assists in the country. These two players will be crucial in the team’s tournament run.
High Point Season Summary
The Panthers had a tremendous regular season. They dominated the Big South and are coming in winners of 14 consecutive games. High Point, much like Purdue, has been paced by a great offense. They are 18th in points scored, seventh in field goal percentage, and 63rd in three-point percentage.
High Point’s defense has also left much to be desired this year. They are 78th in points allowed, 105th in opposing field goal percentage, and 121st in opposing three-point percentage. The team has used a committee-like approach on offense this season. Guard Kezza Giffa is coming off a solid conference tournament. He will look to keep it going in the 1st Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Final Thoughts
This matchup has the potential to be one of the highest-scoring games of opening weekend. Both teams have subpar defenses and tremendous offenses. That will make the Purdue-High Point game an exciting one to watch for basketball fans everywhere.
