The Purdue Boilermakers began their journey to avenge last year's National Championship Game loss to UConn with a decisive victory over High Point.
Despite some experts putting Purdue on "upset watch" for their first-round matchup in this year's tournament, the reigning runner-ups won 75-63 on the back of 20+ point performances from star guard Braden Smith and towering forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. According to SportsGrid's Ben Stevens, this is the seventh time the pair has each gone for at least 20 points this season, the most for a pair of Boilermakers in the past 20 years.
Smith, the two-time Big Ten assist leader, added six assists and two steals to his box score, while Kaufman-Renn gobbled up eight rebounds in a game where Purdue doubled up High Point's total (50 rebounds to 25).
Braden Smith, Purdue Boilermakers hoping to deliver Painter First NCAA Title
Following the victory, Smith spoke with CBS correspondent Evan Washburn, reflecting on the team's impressive first-round showing. He mentioned that he was unsatisfied with his own shooting performance (6-19 from the field), though he was excited to guide the team through "a whole new season" in March Madness.
The junior guard also lauded the work of the team's bench, which contributed 15 points to the team's 12-point victory.
“I think they did a great job coming in and doing their job and sticking with it.”
— Boilers In The Stands (@BoilersInStands) March 20, 2025
Braden Smith on the young guys and bench players coming in and contributing well. pic.twitter.com/FWPqhIyJ6G
The job isn't nearly done yet, as the team will play the winner of No. 5 Clemson v.s. No. 12 McNeese in the Round of 32. If they survive that clash, they'll be faced with a gauntlet of elite opponents, potentially including the Midwest Region's No. 1 seed Houston Cougars and No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers.
Of course, Purdue fans have experienced some whiplash in recent years, as the team earned back-to-back No. 1 seeds in the 2023 and 2024 iterations of the tournament.
After suffering the second-ever 16-over-1 upset versus Fairleigh Dickinson two years ago, the Boilermakers made good on Zach Edey's presence by marching all the way to the Finals of last year's tournament before falling to the buzzsaw that was UConn.
With Edey now plying his trade for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA, Purdue has relied on the duo of Smith and Kaufman-Redd to lead the charge this season. Smith won the Big Ten Player of the Year award for his efforts in the regular season.
Purdue is back in the tournament for the 16th time and 10th consecutive season under longtime coach Matt Painter. The team has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen seven times in his tenure.